Millennium Bank in Portugal: “We’ll take your documents, then do nothing, unless you buy insurance.

Here’s my Millennium bank story:

I went to open an account. They took all my documents, even after I said I don’t want their health insurance. I have everything legit: legal residency in Portugal, a contract with a Portuguese company, a high-tech job with a good salary.

You’d think I’d be a perfect client, right? Nope.

They told me straight to my face: “Because you’re Russian, we’re declining your application.”
No security check, no real explanation.

I honestly think the real reason is I refused to buy their health insurance.

My company already provides me with better coverage, so why pay for something I don’t need? But apparently, some clerk somewhere loses their insurance bonus if I don’t buy it. So they just don’t care about me.

To figure this out, I had to spend 2 hours each visit—first time when I applied, second time to check what they’d done (spoiler: nothing). And the office closes at 3 PM sharp.

Are these clerks doing backend work too? Or are they just lazy?

I don’t know.