Finding Our First Home in Lisbon: How We Navigated the Rental Process While Opening a Bank Account

Relocating to Portugal is exciting but when you’re trying to open a Portuguese bank account, prepare documents for a D7 or D8 visa, and find an apartment in Lisbon all at the same time, things get complicated fast.

While opening our bank account, we also had to start looking for a home because the Portuguese consulate requires a signed rental contract for the visa appointment. This was one of the most stressful parts of the process until we received unexpected help.

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Why Finding a Home in Portugal Was Harder Than Expected

We knew Portugal only as tourists. Lisbon felt familiar, but living there is a completely different story.
Questions started piling up:

• Which neighbourhoods are safe and comfortable?

• Where do expats adapt easily?

• Which areas are truly local and authentic?

• How do we find a pet-friendly apartment in Lisbon?

And most importantly… would any landlord accept our two dogs?

While we did browse popular real-estate websites, we didn’t have the local knowledge to understand which areas suited our lifestyle. Thankfully, the consultancy firm that helped us with the bank account also guided us through the rental process.

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How We Chose Our Lisbon Neighbourhood

After many recommendations, we ended up finding a small but warm, fully furnished apartment in Penha de França—a neighbourhood that turned out to be perfect for a fresh start.

Why we loved it:

• It’s very close to Lisbon city centre by walk

• The area is calm but lively, with real Portuguese daily life

• Almost all neighbours and local shop owners are Portuguese

• This environment helps us learn European Portuguese faster

• The community is friendly—something that mattered a lot as newcomers

For us, this was exactly what we dreamed of: not just living in Portugal, but actually becoming part of the local culture.

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Relocating With Pets in Portugal

Finding a pet-friendly apartment in Lisbon is challenging, especially near the centre. Many landlords hesitate, so having local guidance helped immensely. We made it clear from the beginning that we needed a place where our  furry babies would be welcomed.

In the end, the landlord accepted them, and the neighbourhood turned out to be perfect for walking, exploring, and settling in as a family.

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Learning Portuguese: Our Biggest Challenge So Far

Even though we had studied some Portuguese on our own, real life is very different.
Simple everyday moments suddenly became complicated:

• Calling to unlock the car after parking in the wrong spot

• Talking to gas technicians

• Asking for help from neighbours

• Handling basic bureaucratic issues

These situations made us realise how important it is to improve our Portuguese language skills quickly.

We want to join the state-supported Portuguese language courses (PT: cursos gratuitos), but the waiting lists are long. That’s why we’re also considering signing up for a private Portuguese language school to speed up our local adaptation.

The sooner we speak Portuguese confidently, the easier everyday life will become.

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Starting Our New Life in Portugal

In the end, renting our first apartment in Penha de França was more than just signing a contract—it was the beginning of our new life.

We now live in a neighbourhood full of Portuguese families, local shops, friendly neighbours, and daily opportunities to integrate. And although the process was stressful at times, it helped us understand Portugal more deeply.

If you’re planning to move to Portugal, especially with pets, or preparing for the D7 or D8 visa process, know that you don’t have to do it alone. The right local guidance can save time, reduce stress, and help you settle into the neighbourhood that truly feels like home.