Hello everyone!
It has been a really frustrating experience trying to change my residential address as a perpetual traveler and I thought perhaps some of you might be able to help in some way. I sure would appreciate it!
I left Portugal last June, do not intend to come back this year, next year and most likely beyond that, so it makes no sense to have a Portuguese tax address and pay tax in a country I do not live in.
However, as a perpetual traveler, I do not intend to stay in any country for more than 3 months (definitely this year, anyway) and in order to have a consulate accept a change of address, I must have some proof of residency, i.e. internet bill, etc. - something I was never asked for back in Portugal when issuing a new ID card. This is something I do not have as I reside in hotels and AirBNBs.
When my current ID card was issued back in PT, they asked me straightaway if I wanted to register the new address (abroad) right then, no questions asked, but I thought: how hard can it be to do it when I actually leave the country and am actually living in X or Y? Boy, was I wrong…
It is absurd to have to pay taxes in a country I do not live in or intend to go back to, but I see no way of changing this… legally. I guess some people forge their names on documents, but that’s not the solution I am seeking.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!