Send Money to Portugal

How to send money to Portugal using a money transfer service or foreign exchange broker to a Portuguese bank account.

Transferring Money to Portugal

When transferring money to Portugal to relocate or buy a getaway home, there are a handful of methods to help your odds of acquiring a competitive euro currency exchange rate, enhanced service, and ensure you send out money to Portugal securely.

Ways to Send Money to Portugal

• Debit Card – when buying items on Portuguese websites or utilising an internet merchant, you might be offered the ability to pay with a global debit card. The website is not likely to offer affordable foreign exchange rates when transferring money to Portugal or purchasing products on a foreign debit card. You are most likely to be billed an admin charge from your bank to make the payment and a fee from the seller’s bank. Those needing to transfer money to Portugal to acquire a holiday home or pay a lawyer invoice could be obliged to transfer money to Portugal. As a result, they will require to transfer Euros via their banks or, ideally, a foreign exchange broker. Numerous foreign exchange providers authorise debit cards as means of repayment, offering you convenience whilst staying clear of fees, as well as obtaining from a much better euro currency exchange rate.  
• Credit Card – Appropriate for leasing vacation property before getting to Portugal, bank credit cards offer convenience and, likewise, compensation from your card company if all isn’t as it appears. However, please understand Credit cards work from uncompetitive currency exchange rates and will certainly almost certainly charge for convenience. Occasionally this can be offset by air miles or points factors.  
• Bank Transfer – Many will select to transfer money to Portugal directly from their bank account. Usually, the foreign exchange rate to transfer cash to Portugal will certainly not be as competitive as the foreign exchange broker’s offer. You could need to visit your local bank branch to transfer a substantial amount to Portugal. When sending money to Portugal via an international financial institution, you will have to pay a transfer fee or charge or around₤ 10-30 or currency equivalent.  
• Swift/SEPA – Swift settlements are relevant to money transfers to or from outside the EU. Within the EU, SEPA payments are applicable when moving cash to Portugal from Europe. Meaning euro currency transfers are quicker in addition to being less pricey when being sent out to Portugal.  

Required Bank Details to Transfer Money

Identification – when you transfer money internationally utilising a bank, you will be asked to provide 1-2 examples of a picture ID and have your charge card on your person. Transfers to Portugal usually will need to be made in your local branch. If you have the option to send out cash to Portugal utilising your online bank account, you will probably require your debit card reader to hand in addition to the appropriate logins, etc., to access the account.  

When selecting to utilise a Forex broker, your ID documents will all be maintained when you open the account. Your currency account supervisor will ask you a handful of simple questions to confirm the account over the phone. Their online systems resemble those of retail banks simply with much better online euro currency exchange rates.  

IBAN – A Portuguese IBAN will begin with PT and be followed by approximately 32 added personalities. You’ll also need the name of the individual or Portuguese company you send the money to complete a transfer to a Portuguese account. 

Time taken to send money to Portugal

• Typical time – for a foreign exchange broker to get your money, convert to Euro, and send your money transfer to a Portuguese account or recipient, you have to allow between 1-2 trading days. Frequently the recipient’s financial institution could take a while to appoint funds sent from abroad. If utilising a bank to transfer funds to Portugal, you should enable 1-2 days more as their handling is usually slower.  
• Same-day transfer – if funds are already in your foreign exchange transfer account, you have a great chance of moving your Euros to Portugal and them getting there the same day. It could take the receiver bank account 1 day or more to set aside funds. Financial institutions will take much longer, usually 2-4 working days. 

Cost to Transfer Money to Portugal

• Commission –  Fx commission taken by banks differs from one organisation to the next. Nevertheless, one common occurrence is they remain uncompetitive when compared to foreign exchange brokers. A Foreign exchange provider will normally be able to save their clients around 1-4% when sending out money to Portugal and other areas of Europe.  
• Transfer Fees – An international financial institution will usually bill anywhere between ₤ 10 -₤ 40, or local currency equivalent to transfer your money to Portugal. Most foreign exchange brokers do not charge transfer fees. None featured on Foreign exchange Live do.  
• Exchange Rate – A bank will usually set a ‘day FX rate’, calculated when the branch opens in the morning. To minimise any FX market variations in Euro price, a margin or spread will be added to cover any euro money volatility. Foreign exchange brokers, otherwise, work from a live market euro currency exchange rates permitting you to make the most of currency appreciation in addition to getting help if the euro rate diminishes.  

Fees for Receive Money in Portugal

Portugal is a member of the SEPA payments system. If you are sending cash from Europe, you are unlikely to be charged an intermediary expense or transfer charge. If a charge is taken, this is removed by your Portuguesa bank account; you can normally settle this with them directly. It is, however, very unusual. 

Limits on Money Transfers to Portugal

You shouldn’t be restricted on just how much cash you can transfer to Portugal on the condition you or your business can justify the euro cash transfer. If your foreign exchange broker approves the money transfer, there is no written constraint on how much you can trade.  

Typically, if a transfer surpasses ₤ 500,000+ or currency equivalent, your foreign money broker can request a copy of a financial statement to validate your capability to live up to the Currency transfer agreement. They could also ask for documentation to show the reason for the transfer (e.g. Portuguese residential property acquisition). 

Transfer a Deposit to Open a Portuguese Bank Account

An international financial institution or money broker will enjoy helping you move funds to a brand-new Portuguese account. Merely assure any paperwork, and your Portuguese account information is to hand; your bank or broker can, after that, help with your bank deposit transfer as well as send your money to Portugal.  

Portuguese banks will insist on your credit your account without delay with around EUR200. However, expect to be charged EUR60 every year to preserve the account. This annual fee commonly depends on the account as well as the banks you choose to bank with.  

Do Foreign Exchange Brokers Transfer Money to all Portuguese Banks?  

If the Portuguese bank is correctly regulated and not blacklisted, your bank or broker will be able to transfer money to your Portuguese bank quickly and easily. You’ll need to provide your Portuguese bank details to make the money transfer to Portugal.   

Safely Send Money to Portugal

When transferring money to Portugal, you must be practical and examine the safest cash transfer services. Fortunately, foreign exchange providers, and money transfer businesses, are exceptionally mindful of cash transfer fraud. Along with being diligent on your behalf, they will cross-check doubtful beneficiaries using their systems to flag any suspicious transfers.

• FCA – Always confirm your fx broker is financial conduct authority (FCA) recognised. A foreign exchange broker must never be reluctant to share their FCA registration number or an online link to its approval on the FCA’s register. They must similarly promote info about their regulation on their web site.  
• Guarantees – Whilst a Foreign exchange broker will have no means to supply warranties or guarantees, their client accounts are held with tier 1 institutions. All customer funds transferred to accounts are kept separately from their very own working capital; if something happened to the currency broker, you could redeem the funds straight from the tier 1 bank.  
• Protection – Reliable foreign exchange brokers services follow considerable anti-money laundering procedure to guarantee they were handling the transfers of respectable consumers and organisations. This is continued when they trade currency and transfer funds to Portugal. To make certain standards stay high, money exchange brokers could request further details on transfers whose beneficiaries look uncertain. Money exchange broker’s FX trading systems are digitally protected; they also use high degrees of web security to prevent the possibility of their client’s data being taken.  
• Fraud – Regardless of these preventative procedures, deceitful purchases can occur within the global money transfer’s sector. You can, nevertheless, take measures to decrease the probability of ending up being a transfer fraud target. Never send your password and security logins over email or be pressurised to make a cash transfer by a forex broker. Guarantee interaction with your broker is from a suitable business email address. If you are telephoned unexpectedly by an unidentified member of the broker’s team or brand-new money account manager, arrange to call them back to ensure they are an employee of the currency exchange broker you deal with.  

Reasons to send money to Portugal

• Bills – Your Portuguese holiday residence or company will certainly have reoccurring expenses. These can include regional state real estate tax, restoration costs, or energy costs. A foreign exchange provider will be happy to set up transfers, cover your Portuguese account, and look after any regular money transfer to Portugal.  
• Loans – If you have been lent money from a family member or friend in Portugal, you might want to clear the financial debt if euro rates move in your favour. Additionally, if you have a home loan on your Portuguese holiday home and the euro rate is in your favour, you might want to consider sending out money to Portugal to settle part of your holiday house euro home loan.  
• Family – Birthday celebration events, as well as family gatherings, are never far away. Your forex brokerage account can be a fantastic means to send out monetary presents to family members in Portugal.  
• Property- When the Euro currency exchange rate bounces in your favour, you may consider capitalising and making some house restorations.  
• Inheritance – Unfortunately, many experience family members passing away overseas. If you are unfortunate enough for this to be the case, you might require to move inheritance proceeds back to Portugal. A broker can sensitively handle the procedure.  
• Car purchase – If transferring to Portugal, you might pick to rent out or buy a car to commute or uncover the Portuguese countryside.  
• Holiday – If renting a home or condo for a getaway in Portugal, your fx broker will supply a far better euro rate than your bank or debit card.  
• International wholesalers – When acquiring overseas items or products, you can get guidance on services from an fx broker to minimise FX risks connected with purchasing products from vendors that market in euros  

Foreign Exchange Brokers

Considering the services of a credible foreign exchange provider is the best way to save money when sending money abroad. Savings between 1-4% are feasible, significant on regular transfers and Portuguese property purchase money transfers. They can also provide you with several solutions to maximise the amount of currency you receive in Portugal. 

Finding a reputable Foreign Exchange Broker

Clients can compare the offerings of transfer services and foreign exchange brokers in many ways when they need to transfer money to Portugal.  

• Regulation – always ensure the foreign exchange provider you use is regulated. In Portugal, for example, brokers must be authorised by the Banco de Portugal.  
• Length of time in business – typically indicating knowledge of the market, number of clients they’ve helped, stability in the market. They are most likely to have helped many other clients transfer money to Portugal and deal with many different scenarios.  
• Transfer fee or no transfer fee – especially worth considering when the payments being transferred to Portugal are small. A transfer fee can typically outweigh the advantages of sending the money to Portugal via a bank or broker, even if the rate offered is competitive. All brokers promoted on Foreign Exchange Live work on a fee-free basis.  
• Online transfer, telephone transfers or both – online Apps are great for small transfers to Portugal. Recourse can be slow if the money goes astray. Customer service, when dealing solely online, can vary. Much of this service is via a chat/text box or email. An established foreign exchange provider will operate both an online and telephone dealing service. Meaning you speak directly to an account manager who will be assisted by a back-office team or customer service division.  

Find The Right Broker To Transfer Money To Portugal

Specialists such as Moneycorp and Rational FX have vast experience in advising and assisting clients worldwide and saving them thousands of pounds in the process.

• Customer Service – Banks are cumbersome and hard to contact from overseas. Transfer apps can be convenient for smaller payments but don’t offer prompt customer support if an issue arises. Foreign exchange brokers offer a consistent service. All clients receive a personal account manager with a direct email address and phone number to enable easy contact and customer service if required.  
• Safety and Security – All top foreign exchange providers will hold client funds in segregated accounts. All transactions are conducted following the FCA regulations and guidelines. We strongly advise you to check with your broker on the exact details.  
• No Expensive Fees or Charges – Depending on the bank, for each transaction, it could cost anywhere from £10 to £4o or local currency equivalent. A foreign exchange provider will process your transfer to Portugal with no transfer fees and a narrow margin (or spread).  
• Better Exchange Rates – A bank will, as a rule, be making a spread of between 2-6%, whereas the rates on offer from leading providers will be around 1%. Once your trade is executed, you will be provided with a deal notification showing clearly the base currency amount and the number of Euros purchased.  

Foreign Exchange Contracts

A foreign exchange broker offers several supplementary services not available in banks or on many money transfer apps. These include: 

• Spot contracts – Arranging a transfer and agreeing on a rate, and sending the money to Portugal shortly after  
• Forward contracts – fix today’s exchange rate for payment up to 2 years in the future. Guaranteeing the cost of your purchase and avoiding foreign exchange volatility.  
• Stop-loss – If your currency pair is trending lower, a stop-loss protects your currency from depreciating too much. The currency is traded automatically when it hits the agreed level.  
• Firm order – target a rate superior to the current foreign exchange market rate. Once the desired exchange rate is reached, the currency is purchased automatically day or night.  
• Option contract – as with the forward contract and having the ability to opt for a superior rate is the market rate improves. Typically for businesses rather than private clients.  
• Regular international transfers – A payment plan to transfer money to Portugal regularly.  

Documents needed for a foreign exchange broker account

The application to open your foreign exchange account can be completed within minutes. The first step is to apply online, giving personal details and a brief overview of transfer needs. Once complete, you will typically need to supply the following to get your account approved  

• A valid form of photo ID  
• Recent utility bill or address proof (less than 3 months old) 

List of Foreign Exchange Brokers

• Boutique brokerages such as Newbridge FX offer tailored services to cater to their clients’ needs and work tirelessly to limit their FX risk.  
• Midsize brokerages such as Rational FX operate both corporate and private client operations, focusing on key markets such as France and Spain.  
• Large multi-Geographic operations such as Moneycorp operate in multiple jurisdictions. They have many local offices to best serve their global clientele.  

Arranging a transfer to Portugal  

Once you have opened a foreign exchange account with your chosen broker, you can easily arrange a transfer to Portugal. You’ll be offered the possibility of transferring either online to a Portuguese account or by telephone with the assistance of your currency advisor. All you need to do is book an exchange rate online or with your broker and pay for the transfer in your local currency. Finally, provide the details of your Portuguese beneficiary or bank account to complete the transfer to Portugal.    

Large Money Transfer to Portugal  

When making a large money transfer to Portugal, timing is key. It can singing affect the number of Euros you send to Portugal.   

For example, if exchanging £1000 for euros to Portugal, a 3% currency movement would equate to a £30 difference in money terms. When making a large transfer to Portugal of £100,000, for instance. A 3% movement equates to a difference of £3000, meaning you could receive fewer euros in Portuguese account.   

Instant Money Transfers to Portugal  

Several companies offer instant money transfers to Portugal. The transfer fees charged will be comparable to those charged by retail banks. Portugal’s euro rates will be uncompetitive compared to foreign exchange specialists, and exchange rates could be compared to those found in airport and train station Bureaux de changes.     

When should I use an Instant Money Transfer Service?  

Instant money transfer services to Portugal should only be considered once all other currency transfer options have been explored. If, for instance, a family member has lost their money in Portugal or been pickpocketed, instant transfer services will help get money to them quickly.    

Banks in Portugal

There are many local banks available many of which will have English speaking bank assistants if your Portuguese isn’t quite up to par.  

Millennium BCP – the largest bank in Portugal; it boasts over 690 branches throughout Portugal and 4.3 million clients. The bank’s services are available to both full-time residents and ex-pats.  

Caixa Geral de Depositos –  offers a great account for students and those wanting to hold foreign currency in Portugal. The bank is the second largest in Portugal and is publicly owned.  

Novobanco  – is privately owned and the second largest of its type. It offers a ‘Welcome account’ to those new to the country. It proposes a ‘Golden Key Account’ for those who exclusively do their banking in English. 

Opening a Bank account in Portugal

If you find yourself relocating to Lisbon or a popular resort area such as the Algarve, you will probably be welcomed by a friendly English speaking bank assistant who will able to get you set up to send your money to Portugal, if however you are planning to relocate to a more rural area or small village and aren’t fluent in Portuguese, you may wish to consider sourcing a local translator or bilingual friend.  

Once you have selected the appropriate bank and account for your needs, you will need to arrange the appropriate documents and paperwork for approval. Whilst this can vary from bank to bank, many adhere to the following  

• Valid proof of ID (passport, photo ID or driver’s license)  
• Proof of current address (gas, electric or water bill)  
• Payslip or proof or pension/ revenue  
• Portuguese NIF number 

Can I Send Money from a Portuguese Bank Account to the UK?  

You will experience no issue in sending money from a Portuguese bank account to the UK. Explain to your broker the transfer you wish to make, and they’ll be able to provide you with a euro holding account to credit. Once the Euros are received from Portugal, you can agree to an exchange rate a supply your pound UK bank details.   

Can I Send Money from a Portuguese Account to a US Bank Account?  

The process to transfer money from Portugal to a US bank account is very similar. However, you will arrange a EUR/USD transfer rather than a Euro/GBP exchange. Once the euros are received, they can be sent to a US account. To do this, you’ll need your account details to hand, including the swift number.   

Portuguese bank details

Portuguese banks fall under the SEPA payments network and therefore have IBANs. The account number is as follows –  

• ISO country code of Portugal – PT  
• Check number – 50  
• Bank Code (4 digits) – 0002  
• Branch code – 0321  
• Bank account number (11 digits – 27619471240  
• National code (2 digits) – 54

Sending Bank Deposits to Portuguese  

Banks and Foreign exchange specialists are commonly used to send bank deposits to Portugal. All you will require is the Portuguese bank account details, including IBAN and account details. Your bank deposit can then be sent quickly to Portugal.