StartAbroad Arvostelua 70

Start Abroad is a wonderful service for those who require assistance with the Visa & international relocation. Anna and her team are knowledgeable, considerate, and well-informed in their areas of specialization. We would not have made it through the Visa process without the thoughtful and timely guidance of the Start Abroad team.
We will be moving to Portugal in the coming 30 days.

We would strongly recommend this group.

Anna, Mariana, and the StartAbroad team including their network of associates in our new home city were a pleasure to work with. They took the mystery out of a mysterious (to us) process and provided much needed reassurance through some bumps in the road.

We highly recommend the StartAbroad team for your move.

Boa sorte de Braga, Portugal!

You've decided to move to Portugal...your next step should be working with Start Abroad. You'll be happy you did. After visiting Portugal for 4 years, I made the decision to move last September and 7 months later I have my Visa in hand and I'm moving in 2 weeks.
Here's what I experienced with Start Abroad's Concierge Package:
-A thorough guide for every step of the process
-Making your Visa + AIMA appointments
-A custom Portal with documents + instructions
-Coaching Calls that help detail every step
-Confidence that I had a team supporting me
-Anna + her team are quick to respond (big shout out to Angelica as well), and super empaths when you're feeling stuck or frustrated (it will happen).
-Real Estate connections to rent or buy. I rented an apartment in Gaia (sight unseen from Portland, OR), and Declan was amazing.
-Support for getting utilities + phone service set up
-Banking connections for your bank account
My experience with Start Abroad was 10/10. And I'd encourage everyone to use them. I looked at multiple companies and I'm so glad I settled on Start Abroad.

My husband & I are retired. We hoped to find a country to move to with an easier, more affordable, pleasant lifestyle, and Portugal got our notice. How great it was to find an entity that could help us walk through all the intricacies to do it. StartAbroad is just that entity. We've been treated with kindness, pleasantness & 'can do' positivity by Zach, Anna & Angelica through multiple steps: paperwork, VSF interview, legal concerns, working with the Consulate in San Francisco & we now have our D7 visas. Thanks, all! We can't wait to get there!🇧🇫

I contracted to work with Start Abroad at the recommendation of Our Black Utopia. Anna has been my facilitator and has made the D7 application process less complicated and less stressful than DIY. Start Abroad set up my VFS and AIMA appointments. Anna has answered all of my questions and connected me with professionals within their network who helped me complete the requirements for applying for my D7. I am grateful for their knowledge and assistance.

They supported me through every step of my Digital Nomad Visa process from Turkey to Portugal. Working with Anna made everything feel smooth and reassuring — she was always responsive, clear, and helpful throughout the entire process.I felt comfortable and in safe hands at every stage.Highly recommended!

We’re really glad we hired StartAbroad to facilitate our move to Portugal. From the beginning through the visa process and beyond, they have been there every step of the way.

We ran into some unexpected challenges with Portuguese banking—it was surprisingly challenging to communicate with the bank—but StartAbroad stepped in and helped smooth everything out.

They also connected us with a great realtor and handled several important behind-the-scenes pieces that made the process much easier.

Most importantly, working with them gave us real peace of mind. It felt like having someone on the ground advocating for us and helping us navigate things that would have been very difficult on our own.

Our biggest mistake was not signing on with Startabroad from the moment we decided to move to Portugal. We spent months trying to circumvent the process on our own to no avail! With Mariana's highly professional help, we were able to get visas in hand very quickly. What a delightful experience! Lovely, friendly, professional people who understand all of the requirements! Follow their guidance and success will be yours!!!

A Heartfelt Thank You to Start Abroad
I cannot recommend Start Abroad highly enough. From the very beginning of my journey to Portugal until the moment my feet were finally on the ground and my life here began to take shape, their team provided extraordinary support, professionalism, and patience.
A special thank you goes to Mariana, who walked with me through this process from beginning to end. Her guidance, responsiveness, and genuine care made an enormous difference during what can often be a complicated and emotional transition. Moving your life across the ocean is not a small thing, and Mariana showed up consistently with clarity, kindness, and competence.

I also want to acknowledge Anna, who was always there in the background making sure things were moving forward and that the process remained steady and organized. That kind of quiet professionalism is invaluable.
There were moments along the way when the process felt uncertain and my faith began to quiver — and during those moments, the Start Abroad team remained steady, reassuring, and committed to helping me reach the finish line.
Today I am living in Portugal, and I can honestly say that their support played a meaningful role in making this transition possible.

If you are considering relocating to Portugal and want knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely supportive professionals guiding you through the process, I would wholeheartedly recommend Start Abroad.
I gladly put my word and my dollar behind them every time.
With deep gratitude,
Temple Jackson

Start Abroad did an amazing job securing my D7 visa and AIMA appointment for my big move to Portugal. Relocating from the U.S. comes with so many parts and decisions, and it can feel overwhelming at times. Having their guidance and support throughout the process made all the difference.

One of the biggest hurdles for me was finding a rental — especially not knowing the language or understanding how the Portuguese housing system works. Their help in securing a rental with a realtor was invaluable. I would probably still be looking for the right place if it wasn’t for them.

Their online system is also very well organized. The portal breaks everything down by step and category so you always know what you have left to do or work on. Being able to track your progress throughout gives you a peace of mind and keeps everything from feeling chaotic.

Also, their video calls are readily available. Even if you need something answered fairly quickly, you are able to schedule calls within just a few days. That level of access and responsiveness made me feel truly supported.

They understand the system, the paperwork, and the timelines, and it gave me so much confidence knowing I had someone in my corner who knew exactly what to do and when to do it. Their communication and backing were absolutely worth it — especially during such a major life transition.

I would recommend Start Abroad to anyone considering relocating to Portugal. They helped turn what could have been a very stressful process into a smooth and successful experience.

As I am writing this, I’ve just arrived in Lisbon today - officially stepping into my new life in Portugal on my D7 visa.

Thank you Ana and the Start Abroad team!

Anna and Start abroad have successfully brought us through our residency visa application. They were able to secure us appointments at VFS in Miami where other people I have spoken to have been unable to get appointments. Their framework for the collection of necessary documents is very well put together and extremely helpful.
We are now waiting to go to our AIMA appointments which they not only helped us get but were able to move up to a much more convenient date for us.
Emails have been quickly returned and our phone consults have been helpful and effective.
We would recommend Start Abroad to anyone beginning their visa process.

Decent conscientious people who want to do the right thing and go the extra mile to ensure that they deliver. I cant speak highly enough of Anna and Mariana. So happy to have got my D7 Visa for Portugal over the line with my wife to follow.

I'm happy that I used StartAbroad relocation service for my move to Portugal. From start to finish, it was just a matter of a few months. The team understood the importance of my timeframe; we worked together as a team and made it happen! I would recommend StartAbroad to anyone considering a move abroad.
Bobbie

From the initial call with Zach, to dealing with Anna for our D7 & D8 Visas, this has been a phenomenal service. I really can't imagine trying to do this on our own. Start Abroad has made this move a lot less stressful. We used the Concierge package, and we were glad we did. Anna was always available to answer my many questions and concerns. So glad we used Start Abroad, they deserve 10 stars!!!

Well worth the money. I heartily recommend the concierge service, especially if you don't yet speak the language of your destination. Anna has been wonderful to work with. My hand was held every step of the way. The people in my destination country who helped me set up a bank account, utilities, and apartment were highly professional and kind. Anyone embarking on this task should remember the importance of time zones, deadlines, and bureaucratic time frames. Take it step by step. Do not dither, but also do not expect instant responses or results. It is a process that Startabroad understands and will guide you through.

Anna and her team made the D8 visa process for Portugal so seamless! She answered all the questions I had and was able to get information for my individual case. I really appreciated the additional in-person support from a StartAbroad partner in Portugal to accompany me to my AIMA appointment. I don't think I would've gotten my residency card so quickly if I hadn't had a representative to attend the appointment with me. All in all the whole process took almost a year. From booking my VFS appointment in San Francisco in February to when I got my visa and passport back in May to moving with my cat in June and having my AIMA appointment in October, I received my residency card only two and a half weeks after that appointment. Truly record time!

We engaged Start Abroad to assist us with relocating to Spain by obtaining the non-lucrative visa (NLV) for a family of 3. We worked with Anna who is a wonderfully engaged professional, responsive, knowledgeable and a lovely calming force. Preparing to move to another country is very document intensive and stressful especially for a family, when even more documents are required (as compared to going solo). It takes several months to get things gathered in the specific manner required by each Consulate. Anna was great in calming my nerves and providing reassurance as we prepared for the Boston Consulate NLV appointment and then waited for the decision. 3rd parties cannot assist with obtaining appointments with the Consulate (Boston does not use BLS) but we were able to ask Anna to review any communications and to get practical tips. After our NLV visa approval -Big YEAH-Anna’s assistance continued as she connected us with great “boots on the ground” support within Spain. We were able to secure a lovely apartment to our liking before arrival; open a bank account in Spain before arrival; and we even had our “Padron” appointment scheduled for all 3 of us within a day of our arrival in Spain! We cannot convey how much all of this support and guidance alleviated our anxiety and really made our transition to Spain go so smoothly. Anna and Start Abroad really aided in making our journey here a success!

Almost as soon as I started researching moving to Portugal I knew I'd need help! As the owner of 2 small businesses in a niche field, applying for the digital nomad visa felt even more complicated! I had a ton of questions and kept getting conflicting answers. As soon as I had my first consultation with StartAbroad I knew I was in good hands.

I especially appreciated how up to date Anna was about the changing landscape of the visa application process! It feels like things are changing every day, and Anna could always shed some much needed light on the situation!

With the help of Anna and StartAbroad, we were prepared for our interview (even as people around us were turned away!), and we knew what to expect with the waiting and moving process.

A HUGE thank you to Anna and StartAbroad! I would recommend hiring them to anyone starting the visa application process.

We had an excellent experience with the Start Abroad service when moving to Costa Rica. Zach and Pablo were invaluable in helping us before, during and after arriving in country to accomplish all of those logistical things that are difficult when you are unfamiliar with a new place. They are very knowledgeable on everything you might need and were very professional in helping handle all of our issues. I am so happy that I chose to use their service and would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to relocate to Costa Rica.

StartAbroad made our move to Portugal incredibly smooth. From the very beginning, Anna was responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely supportive. They answered every question we had (no matter how small) and guided us through each step with clarity and confidence. What could have been a stressful process turned into an exciting adventure thanks to their help. Highly recommend to anyone relocating internationally!