@philbentley1970
You don't say where you're coming from, so keep in mind all my tips are for America.
1. Get the pets their rabies vaccination now. It must be done AT LEAST 21 days before arrival. Find a vet who is USDA certified, who will be able to do checkups and get the appropriate certificate for you. This must be done NO MORE than 10 days before departure. Visit them NOW and explain what you're trying to do. You won't be able to schedule the checkups until you get your visas in, but they should be able to help slide you into their full schedule when the time comes. We moved with one cat, and it cost us almost $1k to get him here.
2. Selling the house? Make sure you have an address that your passports/apostilled/paperwork can be delivered to. If you don't, definitely don't opt for the VFS to fedex your passports back to you, because you WILL NOT be able to change that address. In this case, opt for going back to the VFS offices and picking up in person. We put down the address we were at when we had the appointment, not thinking too much about it. Then we had to move a month later. Our passports with visas were sent to the old address, and no one there thought to contact us...30 days of a 120 day visa down the drain. We bounced between airbnbs while we were waiting, so no steady address where things like the pet certification to be delivered. You have to provide a fedex label (must be done online) with your name/address in both From/To. The USDA will not deliver paperwork back to your vet; it has to be delivered to you. We had to get TAPAir to keep pushing our flight date out, but still didn't get our certification in the time frame anticipated. We ended up buying extremely expensive next-day flights, to keep from having to wait another two weeks for a new pet check up and certification. We were able to get the other tickets refunded, but it was tense and very stressful.
3. Moving house contents. Very expensive. You need an international movers. DM me if you want to know who we used. We downsized everything except our bed, couch and rocking chair. We could fit everything into a single bedroom, probably a 10'x10' space, and it still cost several thousand to have it packed and shipped. We have a place being built, but it's taking longer than estimated, so we have storage and insurance costs as well.
3. Just saw your comment about "probably renting for 6 months". We had to have a year long rental contract before we even submitted our visa application. Finding housing that allows pets is not easy. I when through all of the online rental sites recommended on several sites. Be aware that Portuguese rental sites will not take down places when they are rented. Most of the places advertised as pet-friendly were already rented. And owners/managers usually want to start the rental period within 30 days. Always follow up by asking if they know of anywhere else available. That's how we found the place we're in right now. The rental manager replied that she did know of something else. It was an airbnb, but the owner was open to long-term lease, and since it was an airbnb, they didn't mind starting the lease 3-4 months down the line, because they could rent short-term until then.
4. Pray that your visa arrives with an AIMA appointment. Trying to get one otherwise can be like beating your head against a brick wall. They do not answer emails or the phone. I haven't done it yet, but some people say showing up at your nearest AIMA office, prepared to wait, is the way to go. An acquaintance here says she managed to get an appointment within 4 weeks by emailing, in Portuguese, every weekday requesting one. I'm trying that method, but no results yet.
Immigrating isn't easy, but we think it's worth it. Good luck on your journey!
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