My name is Baze, i'm Macedonian freelance web developer, i've been working on UpWork for the past 6 years as freelancer which gave me the freedom to work from any place with internet connection. I've always said that i'll never leave my country since i love it, but hey, nothing can change your mind like a lousy politics. And we have that in Macedonia since the independence back in 1991. I'm married with 2 kids, 3rd one should be coming next April/May, so i've started considering the relocation options to provide better future for my family.
Since few years ago i was looking for relocation options in Germany, Netherlands, Spain, USA.. but the procedure was too strict and basically impossible for me. Then i started looking in other countries but i wasn't pushing, i was applying when i'd came across something nice on LinkedIn, but wasn't too stressed about it. The problem was that not so many companies were eager to provide the guarantee so that i could get a working visa, and to be able to relocate with my family. Moving alone was/is not an option.
The first step was the decision.
With the latest developments over here, i definitively realized that this is not an environment i'd like my kids to grow up in. Things won't get better, only worse. So i'm starting now the procedure to relocate to Portugal, and this blog is where i'll write down all the steps i'm taking on the way. Hopefully the last post will be from Algarve.
I've been thinking about moving to Portugal since last September when i visited it for the first time. Not to brag but i've visited every other country in Europe, so when i won on the Motul World Superbike competition to visit any racetrack for free, without doubt i said Portugal!
Me and my buddy Mitko took a flight from Sofia to Lisbon, then rent a car to go all the way down to Portimao. We were in Lisbon for 2 days and 7 in Algarve region. Took the road by the ocean and saw lot's of small town by the coast and loved every part of it. In Algarve we stayed in Lagos, but we took one day each to visit Sagres, Alvor, Portimao, Albufeira... To be honest if i wasn't married and had the kids i'd stay there right away. I loved it.
So now when i've made the decision that i'm leaving Macedonia, i knew where i want to go. I've started looking for options on how to relocate there and i've learned about the D7 visa. Basically it allows people like me (freelancers) to relocate there if they can provide enough for the whole family.
I've contacted an agency called Timely Solutions for which i read a lot of good reviews and my consultation is scheduled for 3rd of November. I'll see how it goes with them, hopefully they will help me out so that next year i'll be writing from Portugal.
Meanwhile i've also contacted the Portuguese embassy in Belgrade (it's the nearest from here) and they send me the list of the documents i'll need for the visa and explanation of the procedure for application. Now it comes the tough part, looking for the best town to relocate :)
Cheers and stay safe, Baze.
