Do you live in Portugal? Or do you have permanent address?
No , not sure why i should have perm address either.
Iāve recently filed a law suit, they say if you do not live or have address, judge may deny
And how do u plan to get that address? Is lawyer arranging the same?
Iāll rent shitty apartment )
Has your lawyer first sent a mail request to AIMA requesting them to update on your application status and arrange biometric to avoid lawsuit from you suggesting that it would involve precious resources in time and efforts from their side. This mail communication incidentally is working better than lawsuits currently. Even though I expect their mail to be flooded now with such requests, ask ur lawyer to send this mail first while filing lawsuit as you may automatically get biometric date before even the lawsuit reaches court. Though as with other things in Portugal, nothing is guaranteed. Anyone involved with Portugal GV has been humbled by practical applications of chaos theory, random event generation and above all else, the realisation that manās destiny is not in his own hands (no matter the quantum of efforts expended).
They do not deserve such treatment))
From my experience:
Nope, nothing is needed. I have never been to Portugal nor i had rental (neither perm nor short term) before biometric appointment.
My lawyer filed the lawsuit mid june, SEF responded with 3 biometrics date july, aug and sept of 2023, i just took August for the fact i had to get Visa for Portugal .
I flew directly to Faro first time ever to Portugal, same week did the biometric, my lawyer tagged along for the biometric appointment, and chilled for another 2 weeks in Faro and flew out.
In fact i have not been to any city in Portugal.
Address needed to file a lawsuit does not sound logical, if i were you i would get a second opinion.
If you apply for NHR, at that time you would need address to switch to that Portugal perm and rental address in finance and that is legal requirement.
This is an absolute truth and my lawyer confirmed to be so.
The concept Pre-Approval is down right rubbish.
People that come to portugal illegally, overstay visa, that come for lay work(physical labor) such as farm work to Portugal.
Are given the TRC in 4 to7 months tops (start to finish the second month they apply after arrival).
The Article 88 route had similar stages and timelines as ARI.
I did see the timeline you posted from the South Asian forum and frankly, while the post does exist, itās very hard to believe. I have been monitoring that same forum off and on until early this year, and have personally spoken to many people who have got their TRCs in this manner. The typical timelines are like these. I just ran a search for posts with ācard receivedā in 2024 and here is a sample:
Anyway that route is closed now so itās a moot point. The tourist entry (and illegal entry) getting converted to TRC via Article 88 has been closed as of a few months ago.
They posted this 6 days ago and many like that
Update on Beja First card (Normal Process)
Entry: Legal
Tax paid until biometric: 14 months
Biometric date: 22nd March, 2024
AIMA: Beja
Nationality: Nepalese
Card Received: 30th September, 2024
I tried to attach the image here, failed wth error.
I dont know if they have so much incentive to lying.
You can add facbook group called āSEF NEWS PORTUGALā , in that group search for ācardā.
Lots of posts like above.
You and I are invested a ton since 2021 and we are waiting indefinitely with nothing moving.
What are they trying to convey us by holding us back and handing out resident card that does not even follow the law of their land.
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This one looks believable and more in line with the data Iāve seen, first card received ~2 years after entry.
The first one you posted had many red flags - hadnāt even completed the legal minimum 6 months of paying tax, somehow got a court case processed within ~3-4 months of entering Portugal and a card in 7 months - just beggars belief given what we all know about SEF/AIMA and the court system. Unless there is some asylum or other angle we donāt know of. The comments have many people asking about his lawyer, which provides some hint of incentive, perhaps.
ARI people are inexplicably and unjustifiably at the bottom of the queue, no question about it. Personally I think itās overload and apathy rather than active malice - I remember a time in the pre-covid days when ARI applicants went from initial submission to pre-approval in a month, and biometrics in a further ~2 months. A combination of covid and the migration explosion thanks to Article 88.2 and co, which let people apply for TRCs on tourist entry, and even on illegal entry (amendment passed in 2017, but people cottoned on quickly) resulted in a massive logjam in SEF/AIMA, which it hasnāt recovered from yet. The amendment has been repealed and the influx abruptly stopped. Letās hope it gives AIMA a chance to catch up with the backlog.
If you like to contact AIMA here are some.
Calling Hours
8:00 am till 20:00 hours
Email: geral@aima.gov.pt
Website: www.aima.gov.pt
Appointment line 1-1-3-1 / 1-1-3-4
Information line 1-1-2-5
When you hear AIMA AIMA 
When you hear Music
When you hear Bem Vindo 
then only call gets connected
Some of the AIMA contact numbers and email
Braga
Telephone: 253680040/41/45/46/47
E-mail: del.braga@aima.gov.pt
Vila Real
Telephone: 259303200
E-Mail: del.vreal@aima.gov.pt
Viana Do Castelo
Telephone: 258824375
E-Mail del.vcastelo@aima.gov.pt
Braganca
Telephone: 273300010
E-Mail: del.braganca@aima.gov.pt
Castelo Branco
Telephone: 272349519
E-Mail: del.cbranco@aima.gov.pt
Guarda
Telephone: 271232700
E-Mail: del.guarda@aima.gov.pt
Esphino
Telephone: 227341165
E-Mail: delreg.espinho@aima.gov.pt
Leiria
Telephone: 244845480
E-Mail: del.leiria@aima.gov.pt
Viseu
Telephone: 232446100
E-Mail: PDA.Viseu@aima.gov.pt
Figueira Da Foz
Telephone: 233424228
E-Mail: pa.figfoz@aima.gov.pt
Albufeira
Telephone: 289513344
E-Mail: del.albufeira@aima.gov.pt
Portimao
Telephone: 282405330
E-Mail: del.portimao@aima.gov.pt
Tavira
Telephone: 281380060
E-Mail: del.tavira@aima.gov.pt
Lisbon Center (Head Office)
Telephone: 213585500
E-Mail: dir.lisboa@aima.gov.pt
Info.drlvta@aima.gov.pt
Beja
Telephone: 284315450
E-Mail: del.beja@aima.gov.pt
Evora
Telephone: 266788190
E-Mail: del.evora@aima.gov.pt
Portalegre
Telephone: 245205536
E-Mail:
del.portalegre@aima.gov.pt
Santarem
Telephone: 243305130/3
E-Mail: loja.santarem@aima.gov.pt
Cascais
Telephone: 214823520
E-Mail:
del.cascais@aima.gov.pt
Setubal
Telephone: 265545320
E-Mail: del.setubal@aima.gov.pt
Sao Sebastiao
E-Mail: pda.sebastiao@aima.gov.pt
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This lyric deserves a beat behind it!!! 
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I have some questions about the residence card.
-
On my dependentās card, the āTYPE OF PERMITā is listed as āTEMPORĆRIAā with āREMARKSā of āFAMILIAR - AR INVESTIMENTOā. Is that expected? (As the primary investor, mine is listed as āAR INVESTIMENTOā.)
-
On the back of both our cards, the address is listed as the lawyerās office. Would we need new cards issued once we move to Portugal and have our own address? (What if we donāt update the cards?)
-
On the back of my card, the NIF was wrong
so my lawyers are getting a replacement issued. However, on my dependentās card, the NIF was listed as āN/Aā. Will that cause any problems in practice, or do we need to get a replacement issued as well?
Thanks!
- āTemporariaā is expected, āFamiliar - AR I nvestimentoā is expected
- Address is listed as lawyerās office - yes, thatās also common, itās what my cards have too. If you move, and want to move a lot of baggage without paying customs duty, then yes, there is an issue, read Changing address on residency card - #3 by Lourenco
- Wrong NIF, N/A NIF: I wouldnāt worry, but maybe some bank may create trouble if you try opening an account? Not enough experience to comment
1 Like
Some good news!
Our lawyer finally received our residence permits and they are currently on their way to us by courier. Should have them tomorrow.
Timeline as follows:
Initial application (family of 4) - November 2021
Biometrics - March 2023 (Portimao)
Final approval - October 2023
Card āissue dateā - September 2024
Cards received - October 2024 (should have them tomorrow)
Validity period of 2 years
UPDATE!!
So in the end only my card actually arrived! It turns out that family membersā cards have not yet been printed. According to the lawyer this is normal and they are usually printed some days or weeks after the primary applicantās card. So the wait for the remaining cards continue!
FURTHER UPDATE - 2 Dec 2024
Received message today from our lawyer saying that she has now received the residence permits for all family members!
UPDATE - 12 DEC 2024
Cards for remaining family members received by courier from our lawyer in PT this morning.
14 Likes
So I will post this in Stage 5 and stage 4, since I seem to be in a sort of limbo (shocking, I know) between the two stages and I want to see if anyone else has had a similar experience.
Here is my timeline:
My initial application: May 2021
Parentsā initial application: July 2021
Spouseās initial application: September 2021
Biometrics: Lisbon - November 7, 2022
Final approval: ~October 4, 2024
I did not file a lawsuit. My issue is that my lawyer tells me that now āwe need to wait until they notify us if they need any further documents or if we can issue the DUC for the GV concession.ā
I responded that my understanding was that AIMA would request any additional documents before issuing final approval, and that other people approved after me had already been issued their DUC for payment.
My lawyers responded to say that āAIMA, by law can ask for documents and proofs at any point in the process, for example your expired passport, they can ask for a full copy of it, usually they ask the FBI criminal record and the new passport biometric page notarized copy.ā
It has now been 3 weeks since my status switched from āapplication pendingā to "transferred,ā and I am concerned that my lawyers might be missing something here. Has anyone else experienced a similar delay in their lawyer being able to issue the DUC after receiving final approval?
Please note that I have access to my online AIMA account and when I go to the payment page, there is nothing suggesting I can create a DUC (some posts in the Stage 4 forum suggested that I might be able to create my own DUC after receiving final approval).
Thanks in advance for anyone being able to share similar experiences.
Maybe just read the post prior to your where it took the person 11 months to get the card issued?