Is there anything unusual or special about your jurisdiction that private clients considering relocation should know?

Joan Lluis HereterPartner, HyC Consulting Empresarial SL

Apart from the Non Habitual Tax Resident (NHTR) and Golden Visa programs, I would stress Portugal’s liberal outlook.

Portugal not only accepts gay marriages, it allows marriage between any two gay foreigners, a disposition of the law which has proven popular among citizens of countries where gay marriages are forbidden. Portugal also recognises gay marriages entered into elsewhere in the world. Portugal is a secular country and no religion is promoted in public schools, nevertheless there are score of schools run by religious organisations.

Drug use is not a crime, but it’s not legal, which means that in theory drug users can be subjected to a fine. Marrying a Portuguese citizen gives you the right to become a resident and opens the road to citizenship. As for divorces, generally Portuguese courts gain jurisdiction after a few months of residence; in a divorce, former spouses are not expected to maintain the lifestyle they had while married. As far as child custody is concerned, the norm is for both parents to share custody.