About Liesbeth

In 2023, I packed up our lives in the Netherlands and moved our family to Ericeira. My husband, our kids, and a mountain of paperwork. We had no contacts, no Portuguese, and no idea how complicated the system would be.

Nothing here is straightforward. Queuing at Finanças for our NIF. Chasing the CRUE. Registering at the local SNS health centre. Setting up as a freelancer with Green Receipts. Enrolling the kids in school. Opening a bank account that took three attempts. I did every single step myself, often in a language I was still learning.

I also threw myself into learning Portuguese, not just to get by, but because I actually wanted to get good at it. I genuinely enjoy it. I am now pursuing official university certification, which means I can also teach and certify Portuguese for expats who want to go beyond survival level.

With my background in law, I naturally started documenting everything: which forms, which offices, which order. Friends asked for help. Then friends of friends. Then strangers in Facebook groups. I kept hearing the same thing: "I feel so lost. I do not know where to start. I have been relying on half-correct WhatsApp advice and it is stressing me out."

One moment stayed with me. Friends here in Ericeira had just had a baby and asked if I could help them register the newborn at the municipality. They were stressed. They did not speak Portuguese, did not know the process, and were navigating one of the most emotional moments of their lives at the same time. I was able to help them through it. Watching the relief on their faces reminded me that this is not just about paperwork. It is about being there for people at moments that matter, in a country and language they are still finding their feet in.

So I started doing it properly. Guiding people through the bureaucracy step by step, in their own language, with real experience behind every answer. I do not practise law in Portugal. I am a practical guide, not a lawyer. But I have lived every step myself, I speak the language, and I know exactly what needs to happen and in which order. That is why I founded Ponte Portugal.