Foreigners wary of joining the housing protests, free Portuguese courses have waiting lists, and rents are not falling
Many foreigners on Reddit back the housing protests but won’t go; the US embassy says avoid the protest squares
Protests over affordable housing have been going on in Lisbon and Porto for three weeks: at weekends thousands of people march, and at night protesters camp on Rossio in Lisbon and on Praça D. João I in Porto. On the night of 1 November the police again cleared both camps and detained 13 people. The same day the US embassy issued a warning to avoid the two squares, because the police had been dispersing people, including with tear gas, and march routes may change at the last minute. Meanwhile, a court has allowed one activist to sleep in a tent on Rossio until 24 November.
On Reddit, a Portuguese user urged foreigners to join in, advising them to carry their documents, not to defend the tents and not to get in the way of the police. Newcomers’ replies were cautious: many support the protest but do not want to go. Some fear that being detained would stop them renewing their residence permit. Others point out that at rallies newcomers are portrayed as part of the housing problem, and a crowd of foreigners would give people a reason to talk about them rather than about housing.
“Moral support at most. If a foreigner is caught at a protest, unlike locals they can be deported to their home country.”
r/PortugalExpats02.11.2026
“Non-EU citizens who get detained just because they happened to be nearby won’t be able to renew their visa and will have to leave the country.”
r/PortugalExpats02.11.2026
Opinions differ on how dangerous it is. Those who have walked past say the squares are calm in the evening: a band, people in deckchairs, tourists and a great many police. Others advise keeping well away from the police and not staying overnight: the camps were cleared in the early hours, at about half past four. On Reddit the embassy warning was called routine: consulates issue such warnings whenever there are protests. Drivers should note that the police have fined people for sounding their horns in support of the protesters, with fines starting at €60.
“Last night we happened to walk through Dom João square: loads of people relaxing in deckchairs and drinking beer. There are a lot of police, but otherwise it looks like a quiet street party.”
r/PortugalExpats01.11.2026
“It’s a standard consular warning; any country’s embassy anywhere would issue the same if there are protests and the police get involved. It says nothing about whether there will be violence — that’s basic consular work.”
r/PortugalExpats01.11.2026
Free PLA Portuguese courses have waiting lists: Reddit advises applying to several centres at once and going in person
A newcomer on the minimum wage complained on Reddit that they had been applying for free Portuguese courses for a long time and had rarely heard back: the Citeforma centre put them on the waiting list for the next intake and never got in touch again. A private course at €500–600 is out of their reach.
Free courses for newcomers are called PLA — Português Língua de Acolhimento. They are open to anyone aged 16 or over whose native language is not Portuguese, and are run by state schools, IEFP centres (the employment and vocational training service) and Qualifica centres. You can find the nearest course on the training courses portal by searching for ‘Português Língua de Acolhimento’.
The replies advise not waiting for a single place but signing up at several Qualifica centres at once, with the IEFP and at schools that run the courses: places fill up early, and getting onto a waiting list is already a success. One person writes that in the north it helped to go to the school and ask to enrol in person rather than apply on the website. Another got into an online group at the Cesae Digital centre: they applied in September and classes started in October. The course page lists 150 hours at levels A1 and A2, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 18:30 to 21:30, but the current group, which runs until 1 February 2027, is already full.
“Try different Qualifica centres, Citeforma for example, and look at other places with PLA courses too. You can also check with the IEFP. Most of these courses fill up long before they start, so even getting onto a waiting list is already a success.”
r/PortugalExpats02.11.2026
“Go to a school that runs the courses and ask to speak to someone about enrolling in person. You have a better chance of getting a place that way than with an online application. At least that’s how it was for me in the north.”
r/PortugalExpats02.11.2026
“Try Cesae Digital. Applications were in September, and I got into a group that started in October.”
r/PortugalExpats02.11.2026
The most upvoted reply makes a different point: getting onto a course is not what matters most — what matters is not getting stuck at A1–A2 for two or three years. People advise deciding what you need most — speaking, listening or writing — and learning for free, with library books, podcasts and conversations with Portuguese people.
“The problem isn’t getting onto a course. The real problem is actually learning Portuguese at school and not getting stuck at A1–A2 for two or three years or longer, even after spending €2,000.”
r/PortugalExpats02.11.2026
“Decide what matters most to you. For example, writing isn’t important to me, but speaking and understanding what I hear are. Then think about how to learn more cheaply: library books are free, and so are podcasts.”
r/PortugalExpats02.11.2026
Rental listings in a seaside town have tripled but prices haven’t moved; Reddit advises haggling if a flat sits empty
A resident of a small coastal town half an hour from a big city counted the listings and posted the results on Reddit: eight months ago 15 flats were up for rent in the municipality; on 30 October there were 48. The number grew after local incentives for landlords and a 10% tax rate, instead of 25%, on rents of up to €2,300 a month. But prices have not moved: a T2 (a two-bedroom flat) in the town costs €900, and listings differ by only €50–100, as if the landlords had agreed among themselves.
“Eight months ago 15 flats were up for rent in the municipality, all at eye-watering prices, some three times higher than five years ago. And imagine my surprise when on 30 October 2026 there are 48 flats available — all at eye-watering prices.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal31.10.2026
Opinions are divided. Some are sure this is the new normal: landlords will not cut prices, just as food sellers do not when fuel gets cheaper. Others say prices do not fall overnight: the 48 flats have been on the market for only a few months, and if they are still unlet in six months, landlords will have to give way. The owner of a new T2 let for €800 wrote that once the tenants leave they would like to ask €900–950, but two or three months empty would be a big loss, so the price will have to match the market.
“It’s a mistake to think there’s a single solution. But still: eight months ago there were 15, now there are 48. If in six months there are still 48, or 40, or 30, guess what the landlords will have to do with the price they’re asking.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal31.10.2026
“If the flat sits empty for two or three months after the tenants leave, that’s a huge loss of income, so I’ll have to adjust the price so as not to lose out to what’s on the market.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal31.10.2026
The advice to tenants: if a flat has been listed for a long time and there are many similar ones nearby, it is worth offering less.
“With so many flats around, you just have to go and haggle: the landlord surely doesn’t want to keep the place empty, and if they’re competing with 48 others, they’ll lower the price.”
Translated from Portugueser/portugal31.10.2026
A neighbouring rural plot can be bought for a garden, but neighbours with similar land may have the right to buy it first
A homeowner wants to buy the neighbouring rural plot (prédio rústico) to make a garden and a barbecue area, and asked on Reddit whether the neighbours could stand in the way. The owner knows that when such land is sold, neighbours may have the right to buy it first, and has found an exception in the Civil Code for plots that are not used for farming.
Here is what the law says. Under Article 1380 of the Civil Code, owners of adjoining rural plots, where each plot is smaller than the minimum farming area for that locality (unidade de cultura), have the right to buy a plot put up for sale first if the buyer is not a neighbour. Article 1381 removes this right if one of the plots is part of a plot with a house on it or is not intended for farming.
In the replies, some think only neighbours who own the same kind of rural land have this right, so neighbours with houses are no obstacle. Others point to the order of priority: first the tenant of the plot, then co-owners if the land has not been divided, then neighbours. Another suggests stating in the deed of sale that the land is being bought to extend the grounds of the house, and then filing a Modelo 1 do IMI return with the tax office (IMI is the property tax) to join the plot to the house. Everyone agrees on one thing: it is better to pay a lawyer for advice than to risk the deal.
“As far as I know, the right of first refusal applies between rural plots, so neighbouring urban ones don’t have it. But a solicitor or notary can tell you more precisely.”
Translated from Portugueser/ImobiliarioEmPortugal01.11.2026
“Tenants first. Then co-owners, if the plot hasn’t been divided. Then neighbours. If the neighbouring plots aren’t agricultural, they have no right of first refusal.”
Translated from Portugueser/ImobiliarioEmPortugal01.11.2026
“Either way, pay someone who knows the law. After all, what would you rather lose: the cost of a consultation or the deal?”
Translated from Portugueser/ImobiliarioEmPortugal02.11.2026
A neighbour with a right of first refusal must be notified of the sale. If they are not, they can claim the plot for themselves through the courts at the same price: they have six months from the day they learn of the sale to sue.
A BCC card needs a Kazakh SIM, but the bank’s security calls can be redirected to your European number
In a chat about foreign cards for non-residents, people preparing to travel to Kazakhstan to open a Bank CenterCredit (BCC) card are comparing notes: many people living in Europe use it to pay and send money. The main question is the Kazakh phone number: the bank sends codes to it, and its security service calls it if it flags a payment.
According to the chat, non-residents currently cannot register an IMEI — the identification number of the phone itself — and a SIM in an unregistered phone works in Kazakhstan for 30 days and is then blocked. People advise buying a cheap basic phone and a Tele2 SIM there, having them activated at a Tele2 shop, and being ready to give the IMEI at the bank. Those who still have a phone in which the SIM has already worked in Kazakhstan can check it on the IMEI registration website, which only opens from within Kazakhstan. One person did not carry the Kazakh SIM around at all: they left the phone at home and set up SMS forwarding.
“You can’t verify the IMEI at the moment. Buy a basic phone at the local DNS, and preferably get a TELE2 SIM at the same DNS, take it all to a TELE2 shop and they’ll activate everything for you there.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard03.11.2026
“It’ll work in Kazakhstan for 30 days, then the SIM slot gets blocked. If you leave Kazakhstan before then, it’ll most likely work abroad.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard03.11.2026
What matters for those already living in Europe with the card: BCC’s security service calls the Kazakh number first, but you can ask in the bank’s chat for a call back on any other number. People say it calls back within five to ten minutes, including on a Spanish number. Why BCC in particular: by the chat’s reckoning, the bank adds 1.5% to the exchange rate and gives 1% cashback on purchases, while Freedom charges 2.1% for exchange, and cash withdrawals cost money.
“Don’t take BCC’s call on Beeline; write the number you’d like the security service to call you on in the BCC chat, and they’ll call any number (they’ve called me on a Spanish one several times too) 😊”
Translated from Russianrefugecard01.11.2026
“Yes, they always call the main number, but I always hang up and write in the chat which number to call me on. And within 5–10 minutes they call the number I asked for.”
Translated from Russianrefugecard01.11.2026
The physical card has to be collected at a branch: the chat warns that otherwise, after about six months, the virtual one stops working too.
“You can use it straight away, but if you don’t collect the physical card (within about six months, I think), the card will stop working altogether (the virtual one too).”
Translated from Russianrefugecard01.11.2026
