Portugal Updates for Foreigners, January Recap and February 2026 Warnings

If you are a foreigner living in Portugal, or planning a move, February 2026 has a few changes you need to know about because they can affect your paperwork, your costs, and your day-to-day life here.

Before we get into February, here is a quick January recap, because January was not a slow month. We had a cluster of updates that actually matter to foreigners, including weather and infrastructure disruptions, political developments that can influence public services, and financial changes that can impact real life expenses.

This is a straight-to-the-point briefing:

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The biggest topic in January was the Presidential Elections on January 18th.

After ten years under President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portugal went to the polls to choose the next head of state. The first round results shocked a lot of people. Antonio Jose Seguro (PS) took 31.1%, and Andre Ventura from Chega secured 23.5%.

Why this matters to you as an expat or future resident:
Portugal’s President does not run the day-to-day government, but the role matters. The President can dissolve Parliament and set the political tone of the country. The surge of the populist right signals momentum for stricter immigration policy.

Throughout January, there were heated debates about ending “expressions of interest” and proposals for annual quotas for foreigners. February started in a wait-and-see mode because the second round of runoff is happening on February 8th.

Practical takeaway: If you are waiting on a visa, an appointment, or anything involving the public sector, expect delays. When politics gets messy, bureaucracy gets slower. I recommend keeping an extra stability fund for moments like this. More on that here.

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Portugal was hit hard in January by Storm Kristin.

This was not just a bit of rain. We saw 112 mph winds. In places like Leiria and Coimbra, it looked like a flood zone. The toll is tragic, with six lives lost and millions of euros in damages until now. The government declared a state of calamity in dozens of municipalities.

What many foreigners underestimate is how housing performs in winter here. In many countries, homes are built for cold and insulation. In Portugal, a lot of homes are not. January 2026 brought a spike in humidity issues, mold problems, and leaks. I saw people paying high rent, dealing with single-pane windows that could not handle wind and water pressure.

If you are house hunting in February, be that person:

January exposed a painful truth in the market: Luxury prices do not always mean winter-proof construction.

AIMA finished another cycle in January, and the keyword was forced digitalization. The government wants to move processes into an online portal and eliminate physical lines.

In theory, great. In practice, January showed overloaded portals and a digital language barrier for many newcomers. It also created the perfect environment for scams. Many foreigners are still getting caught by fake appointment websites and paid intermediaries promising slots.

Action step: Before you pay anyone, double-check the official channels. Be careful with anything that looks like a shortcut.

In January, it was confirmed that family reunification now requires the main holder to have been a resident for at least two years, unless you have a high-income visa or a Golden Visa. For families planning to move together, this changed timelines fast.

If your residence permit or visa expired after June 2025, the government extended its legal validity until April 15, 2026.

Important warning: this only applies within Portugal. In January, I heard reports of people being blocked at airports in Germany and France because foreign agents and airlines do not care about a Portuguese decree.

Pro tip: Do not travel outside Portugal on an expired document relying on that extension. Your February priority should be renewal.

January stats showed a slight correction in prices. The national average dropped to €16.10 per square meter, a 1.9% dip.

It is tempting to hear that and think, great, housing is getting cheaper. Be careful.

This is not landlords suddenly getting kinder. It is a technical correction because prices hit a ceiling. What we saw in January was a pullback in the luxury segment and a rush to the suburbs.

The legal rent adjustment coefficient for 2026 is 2.24%. Landlords can apply this increase starting in February.

Example: If you pay €1,500, that is roughly €34 more per month.

It sounds small until you stack it with other rising costs. Electricity also rose around 1.5% in January due to heating demand.

Another trend in January is landlords demanding more guarantees. Portuguese guarantors, the fiadores, are again a common requirement. If you do not have one, many landlords will push for 3 to 5 months of rent upfront.

Is it illegal to ask for that much? Yes. Does it happen? A lot!

This is the real Portugal you need to be prepared for.

January was rough for the SNS, the public health system. Between doctor strikes and the surge in winter respiratory illness, emergency rooms were overwhelmed.

If you are arriving in February, my advice is simple:
Do not rely only on the public system early on. Consider private health insurance. In January, the average specialist wait in some regions jumped to about 180 days. Private care can often get you seen the same week.

For the private side, many people rely on international travel and health insurance like SafetyWing, which is commonly used by foreigners while navigating the early stages of living in a new country, such as Portugal.

If you are already here and have your NIF, you have until February 25th to log into the e-fatura portal and validate your 2025 invoices.

Many people ignore this, then later realize they lost hundreds of euros in possible refunds because invoices stayed Pending.

Action step: Pick one afternoon, grab a coffee, and categorize every invoice you can, like Health, Education, Housing. It adds up.

Portugal started January with a new minimum wage, €920.00, or €1,073 if paid over 12 months.

For people coming from the US, Canada, or the UK, that number can feel shocking. But it is the reality for a huge part of the population, and it creates ripple effects.

In January and into February, that ripple looked like:

A decade ago, you could have a solid lunch for €5 or €6. Today, in major cities, it is hard to find anything decent under €10 or €12.

Portugal can still be cheaper than much of Western Europe, but it is not like 2016.

If you are doing planning, do not use blog data written in 2022. January 2026 on the ground reality suggests a single person needs at least €1,800 gross to live somewhat comfortably in Lisbon without sharing a room. Families scale fast from there.

It is not all bills and storms.

Carnival runs from February 13th to 17th. If you think Carnival is only a Brazilian thing, you will be surprised. Carnival in Torres Vedras, often called the most Portuguese Carnival in Portugal, is famous for political satire. You will literally see floats mocking politicians and current events.

It is a great moment to step out of the foreign bubble and see how Portuguese people actually have fun. It is a street party, it is safe, but it is cold, so dress warmly.

February is also when the days start getting visibly longer. The winter sun starts returning, terraces begin filling up again, and the country feels lighter.

January 2026 was not for amateurs. It demanded climate resilience, political patience, and serious organization.

Portugal is changing. It is more expensive and more complex than it was 10 years ago, but also more dynamic. The key is to have quality information and act early.

Talk soon,
Remote Life Portugal