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Mia & Rafael · Founders

The Architect of Your Portugal Life.

Designing your move with precision, care, and local insight.

You don’t have to figure Portugal out alone. Whether Portugal is right for you, which path fits your life, what it really costs and what to do in what order — get your answers in one 60-minute private session, just you and the two of us. €250.

If Portugal isn’t your move, we’ll tell you. That’s part of the session.

You leave with your bespoke Path Plan — in writing, within 48 hours.

★★★★★ Followed by thousands · 40+ nationalities guided since 2019
Mia and Rafael, founders of MOL Portugal
40+nationalities guided into Portuguese homes
Mia, MOL Portugal co-founder

Not ready to book?

Try Portugal Compass — find your route in two minutes.

Six quick questions and you’ll see your route — D7, D8, EU, CPLP or buying — and the first steps that actually apply to your move. Free, no pressure.

Buyer-only — never sellers · Whole open market searched · 100% remote capable · Local since 2019
Rafael, MOL Portugal co-founder

Did you know?

In Portugal, most estate agents work for the seller — not you.

A dedicated buyer’s agent is still rare here. We never represent sellers or landlords, so every search, every viewing and every negotiation is firmly on your side.

See how buyer-only works

What we help with

One team for the whole journey

Every service here exists for one reason: a client asked us to help with it. Seven years guiding people from 40+ nationalities into Portugal — this is what the journey actually needs.

Some stations we run with our own hands; some need licensed specialists we bring into your file — you always know which is which.

Mia, MOL Portugal co-founder

Did you know?

If you hold a Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) nationality, your route can look different.

Citizens of Brazil, Angola, Cabo Verde and other CPLP countries often face a lighter set of requirements than other applicants. And since the October 2025 law change, the path now starts at the consulate before you travel — not by arriving and sorting it out later. Which route is yours is exactly the kind of thing one conversation settles.

Visas & residency routes

How it works

One path, from first question to settled life

It starts with the Path Session and runs the whole journey — visa, home and the life after — with both of us alongside you, wherever you are in the world.

1

Start with the Path Session

One focused hour with both founders, Mia & Rafael. We map your whole move and tell you the truth — even if Portugal isn’t your move. The €250 Path Session

2

Your written Path Plan

Within 48 hours, a plan built for your situation — your route, your order, the real numbers — so nothing is guesswork before you commit.

3

We guide each station

Visa & groundwork first (NIF, bank), then your home — buy or rent, buyer-side only — with our vetted network alongside. Visa routes · Buying, buyer-side

4

Settled & supported

We get you set up, make it earn if it should, and look after it — ongoing. Settling in

However you continue — on your own, guided, or fully managed — it starts with the same first step.

Rafael, MOL Portugal co-founder

Worth knowing

Since October 2025, you apply for your Portuguese residence visa at the consulate before you travel.

You can no longer arrive as a tourist and regularise from inside Portugal — which makes getting the sequence right before you move more important than ever.

Mia, MOL Portugal co-founder

Good to know

Your NIF — the Portuguese tax number — comes before almost everything else.

The bank account, the lease, even the utility contracts all need it. It’s step one for a reason — and it can be done remotely, before you ever board a plane.

NIF first — before bank, lease or deed

How the NIF works
Rafael, MOL Portugal co-founder

Good to know

Your visa needs a home before you even apply.

The D7, D8 and D2 residence visas all require proof of accommodation — usually a 12-month registered lease or a property deed. Short-term bookings like Airbnb generally don’t count, so getting this right early matters.

Visas & getting started

Why MOL

The difference is whose side we’re on

Full-scope support

From visas and rentals to property purchases and settling in, we provide end-to-end guidance throughout every stage of your move to Portugal.

Deep local knowledge

Beyond what you can find online, we provide firsthand insight into Portugal’s neighbourhoods, culture, systems, and day-to-day life — helping you make decisions with confidence.

Done from anywhere

We’ve guided people from 40+ nationalities through the entire process remotely, since 2019. You needn’t set foot here until you’re ready.

One trusted network

Immigration, tax, mortgages, trades — years of vetted partners, so the whole move stays in hands we trust, not strangers’.

Who’s in your corner

One of us made your move. One of us is from here.

None of this is theory. In your session you’re talking to someone who made your exact move — and someone born to how this country works. Lived experience, from both ends of your journey.

Mia, MOL Portugal co-founder

Mia · The one who moved

“I know how this feels, because I felt it too. Before I came, I read everything — the groups, the blogs, all of it — and the more I read the more confused I got. None of it was really about me. Some nights I wasn’t even sure I was making the right choice. But I came anyway. And it was different from everything I’d read — some of it easier, some of it harder, but real, not what the videos say. Years later, I’m still here. I built a life, found my place among Portuguese friends and among people from all over the world who’d made the same leap, and somewhere along the way it just became home.

Rafael, MOL Portugal co-founder

Rafael · The one from here

“I’m Portuguese, born and raised — this country is home, and I know it inside out. One thing I’ve learned over the years: Portugal runs on its own rhythm. Relationships tend to matter more than rules, things move at their own pace, and a lot of what feels puzzling from the outside makes complete sense once you understand it. It rarely fits the mindset people arrive with from back home — it simply has its own way of doing things. It’s a warm, generous culture that truly welcomes all kinds of people. And understanding how it really works is the key to making the right decisions.

Meet us

A quick hello, from the two of us

A quick hello from the two of us — who we are, and how we think about helping you move to Portugal.

Mia, MOL Portugal co-founder

Did you know?

Whether you can run an Airbnb depends on the property — and the area.

Short-term-rental (Alojamento Local) rules are strict and area-specific: new registrations are capped or frozen in parts of central Lisbon and Porto, and whether an existing licence carries over on a sale depends on the municipality and recent law changes. We check a property’s AL status before you commit.

How Airbnb management works

Followed by thousands

People trust us with the biggest move of their lives

Independent, buyer-only, and on the ground in Portugal since 2019.

40+
nationalities guided
2019
helping foreigners since
100%
buyer-only — never sellers
★★★★★
followed by thousands
Rafael, MOL Portugal co-founder

Did you know?

Buying costs usually add roughly 6–8% on top of the price.

IMT (the property transfer tax) and stamp duty are the bulk of it, with notary and registration on top. That real all-in number belongs in your plan before the deed, not as a surprise after — it can shift what you can comfortably offer.

~6–8% IMT + stamp duty on purchase

The hidden costs, in full

Insight, every week

Learn before you leap

Practical, no-nonsense guides on buying, renting and moving to Portugal — the details most people miss.

From our channel

Watch our latest

New every week — practical guides on buying, renting and moving to Portugal.

Start where everyone should

Talk to us before you decide anything

The general answers only get you so far — the rest depends on your income, your family and your timeline. One hour with the two of us turns that into your own plan, in writing — and the truth about Portugal, either way.

Book your Path Session · €250 Not ready? Tell us where you are →

📅 We keep this site current — Portugal’s rules change often, so what you read here reflects today, not last year. Last reviewed June 2026.