Moving to Portugal as a Software Engineer: Peter’s Relocation Story

Peter’s background

• Home country: Nigeria 🇳🇬
• Current role: Software Engineer at Catawiki (Lisbon)
• Previous role: Senior Android Engineer

Peter spent the years before his move building Android apps in Nigeria before he joined Catawiki’s growing Lisbon office. Catawiki opened its Portugal headquarters in February 2024, and the engineering team there is one of the company’s hiring priorities for 2026.

What made you choose Portugal as a work abroad destination?

Portugal felt like a natural choice because at some point in 2022, I started the process of moving to Portugal but due to some other things coming up, I didn’t follow through with the plan so I guess better late than never! I am here now and I am happy.

You’re now working at Catawiki as a Software Engineer. Why did you choose Catawiki?

I chose Catawiki because I felt ready for a new challenge in my engineering journey and Catawiki provides the challenge.

👉 If you want a deeper look at the company itself (tech stack, benefits, leadership, the full relocation package), read Meet Catawiki, Europe’s Leading Curated Auction Marketplace, Now Hiring in Portugal.

How many interview stages did you go through to get this job? How much time passed between the first interview and the job offer?

It took about 6 weeks from the first meeting with the recruiter to my offer and I had 4 interviews excluding the interviews with the recruiter.

My notes: Catawiki’s process is well documented. It runs as a recruiter screening call, a technical round with two developers on CoderPad, and a final stage with one behavioural and two technical interviews. System design (using Miro for diagrams) is part of it, and the rounds depend on the role you’re up for: Backend, Frontend, Android, and so on.

By the way, do you need to know Portuguese to work at Catawiki?

I didn’t need to know Portuguese to join Catawiki, it is an English-speaking company which is impressive because we have people from all over the world.

My notes: This is one of the most common questions I get from engineers eyeing a move to Lisbon. The short answer: no, you don’t need Portuguese (nor Dutch, which is a valid concern considering Catawiki is from the Netherlands). With more than 60 nationalities on staff, English is the working language at Catawiki. If you eventually want Portuguese citizenship via the naturalisation route, you’ll need to learn the language for that step, but not to get hired or settle in. Heads up: Portugal’s revised Nationality Law was signed by the President in May 2026 and extends the residency requirement from 5 to 10 years for most non-EU applicants.

By the way: Catawiki is actively hiring software engineers in Portugal

Catawiki is a Dutch auction marketplace founded in 2008. Every month, 14 million people visit the platform to bid on vintage watches, rare comics, classic cars, and fine art. The company opened its Lisbon office in February 2024 and has been growing it quickly. Portugal is Catawiki’s hiring priority for 2026, and they plan to grow the Lisbon tech team from about 10 to 40 people across engineering, product, UX, and data.

Here are some of Catawiki’s open tech roles with relocation to Lisbon:

• Browse the latest tech roles on Relocate.me: relocate.me/companies-hiring/catawiki
• Browse open roles in Lisbon directly: catawiki.careers/location-lisbon-office

How was the move to Lisbon, and what can you tell us about Catawiki’s relocation assistance?

The move to Lisbon was relatively smooth, I arrived in December and it was much more colder than it usually is at that time of the year so it was a “Wow, this is really cold” kinda moment, some time passed and I have gotten used to it given I relocated from a much warmer climate. Catawiki relocation assistance was good, they hired a company to handle the whole process from Visa application to renting an apartment.

My notes: The partner Peter is talking about is probably Eres, a Lisbon-based firm that helps expats with things like permits, visas (for you and your family), dealing with the local municipality, and even picks up your resident permit on your behalf (this depends on the firm, but this is typically what you’ll receive). Just for your information, on top of the services that partners provide, Catawiki also covers a temporary stay of up to one month at a designated hotel in Lisbon, helps you find an apartment, and offers a session to walk you through local schools if you’re moving with kids aged 4 to 18. All this I covered in the Catawiki article.

A note regarding the cost of living in Lisbon (and where to actually live)

Lisbon is more affordable than Amsterdam or most Western European capitals, but users online usually explain it’s not as cheap as it used to be. Actually, there’s a kind of dissonance in the relationship between the cost of living in Lisbon versus the Portuguese average wage. But the good news is that Lisbon is a genuinely walkable, well-connected city, and you don’t need to live right in the centre. For example, Sintra in particular is a popular landing pad.

Peter mentioned that taxes surprised him, and that’s worth holding onto. Portugal’s social security and income tax brackets can take you by surprise if you haven’t done the math beforehand. This reminded me of a time we were putting together Portugal tax guides, and we were caught off guard with how Portuguese brackets were actually more complicated than France’s (and that’s something!)

What do you enjoy most about living in Lisbon?

I enjoy the weather and scenery, in my country, the sun is usually yellow or orange due to the atmosphere but in Portugal, it is white which gives a whole different look to things, it always still impresses me.

What surprised you most about working or living in Portugal that you didn’t expect?

What surprised me? The weather, scenery and taxes.

Is it true that many digital nomads choose Lisbon?

As in 2022, this was true but I don’t know if this is still the same, I was also going to move to Portugal on a Digital Nomad visa in 2022 but I think since then, things have changed, immigration laws and the changes in the Portuguese law in relation to migrants or immigrants.

My notes: Peter’s read is right. Portugal’s Digital Nomad Visa is changing, and the rules and the broader visa framework have shifted since 2022 (including how the regime for non-habitual residents now treats incoming residents). If you’re seriously considering Portugal as a destination, you can consider going through an employer that sponsors a proper work visa.

What advice would you give to other software engineers thinking about relocating to Portugal or Europe for work?

Take the leap, you won’t be disappointed.

If you’re interested in following Peter’s path and relocating to Portugal, find a job first.

Peter’s story shows how much smoother the move is when you land the right job before moving abroad. A position with a company that hires internationally and offers proper relocation support (visa, hotel for the first weeks, help with the rental market, paperwork for taxes) turns the move into something manageable rather than something that eats your savings.

For tech professionals looking to move to Portugal, Relocate.me connects software engineers with companies like Catawiki that hire internationally and guide new hires through every step of the move. Browse tech jobs with relocation to Portugal, or jump straight to open Catawiki roles in Lisbon if Peter’s path sounds like one you’d like to follow.

Also, subscribe to The Global Move, the internet’s best resource for relocation-friendly jobs for software engineers. I share a curated list of jobs with relocation every week. I hope I can interview you one day!