Thanks for the response, but that post above does not address my situation. That is a person who was approved and paid for her card approximately a year ago and then it took nearly a year for the card to be issued. My situation is different, I have received final approval but my lawyer has been unable to generate the DUC to allow me to pay for my card in the first instance.
1 Like
They need to reach out to the corresponding AIMA office if they have not sent the DUC details yet. It pays to have a good lawyer by your side. I understand it is difficult to know about them until there is a problem.
JP, thanks for the response and it seems like a reasonable suggestion. Did you have a similar experience with the issuance of the DUC being delayed?
Not similar but something else. I knew the associated AIMA (coimbra) was approving applications for applicants who were closer in timeline with my biometrics date, but I was not getting the approval. so I asked my lawyer to reach out and they forwarded the approval email. It looks like the process steps are all manual. So anytime someone forgets or skips the process you are in a state of limbo until your lawyer intervenes. Similar thing happened with my dependent cards where the lawyer went to the associated office to pickup my cards. Looks like there were just sitting there.
2 Likes
Thanks much, this is helpful
In my case once I received final approval I paid AIMA by bank transfer, not over DUC. Our final approvals were communicated to our lawyer by email from SEF/AIMA in Oct 2023. The email from SEF contained the long IBAN number for payment by bank transfer, which I did at the time. This worked as I received my own card in Oct 2024 and incidentally have just been advised by my lawyer that the remaining family membersā cards have now also been printed.
Not sure exactly when SEF officially became AIMA, but our final approval email back in Oct 2023 was from an @sef.pt email address to our lawyer.
Curious about how where I really live and where my card says I live will impact day to day for me.
The address on the card is my lawyerās address in Lisbon. Theyāve also updated my address with FinanƧas to this address. So it is the address on my NIF now.
But I will be living in Porto, looking to make use of the various services residency provides. If I show a residency card with a Lisbon address, will I get hassled?
My card also shows my lawyers address, which is different from my actual address in Lisbon where I live.
I havenāt encountered any problems with this, I have rarely used the card or quoted the number to anyone.
My NIF is registered to my Lisbon address, I believe that is more relevant (my tax returns are sent to the NIF address for example).
There doesnāt appear to be a need for the two addresses to be the same ( I established the NIF before I got the card).
1 Like
Finally the residence permits for my remaining family members have been received by our lawyer, 2+ months after she received my permit as the main applicant!
10 Likes
Just received family membersā cards this morning by courier from our lawyer in PT.
So it will have taken 3 years and 1 month since initial application in Oct/Nov 2021.
Final timeline is as follows:
MAIN APPLICANT
- Investment - September 2021
- Online submission of application - 26th October 2021
- Date of payment (bank transfer) - 26th October 2021
- Pre-approved - 9th March 2022
- Biometrics (Portimao) - 6th March 2023
- Final approval - 19th October 2023
- Card issued - September 2024
- Card received - October 2024
FAMILY MEMBERS (spouse & 2 kids):
- Online submission of applications - 8th November 2021 (spouse), 12th November 2021 (kids)
- Date of payment (bank transfer) - 10th (spouse) & 13th (kids) November 2021
- Pre-approved - 13th May 2022
- Biometrics (Portimao) - 6th March 2023
- Final approval - 19th October 2023
- Cards issued - November 2024
- Cards received - December 2024
11 Likes
Question about points of entry outside PT. I have my TĆtulo de Residencia. Iām curious about how the following scenario plays out:
I enter PT via Lisbon, my US passport gets stamped. I stay in PT for 6 months, then leave for a trip to the US. Passport gets stamped again on exit, showing a 6 month stay. But thatās OK as I have a TR.
A month later (7 months since the original entry), I return - but enter Schengen via say, CDG or AMS. I show my Passport to the non PT customers official. S/he looks at it and sees a previous 6 month stay.
What happens? Does my TR cover this? Would a French/Dutch/German customs official know how to handle this?
If you have your residency card, your US passport will not be stamped when you enter Portugal. It will not be stamped when you exit Portugal. They scan the passport and the details are on record.
We enter and exit Schengen in Frankfurt. The last two trips, we have presented the Portuguese residency card with our US passports. No stamps, entering or exiting.
2 Likes
Well, my UK passport is stamped every time on entry/exit, and I believe this is actually preferred so as to keep the evidence of stay for future renewals at AIMA. I donāt bother to show them my TR.
@ottodelupe - your TR of course would allow you entry into Portugal above 90/180 Schengen rule, and it should not matter which port of entry you use. If they ask, youād tell them you spend your time in PT.
2 Likes
Not accurate information, at least in my case.
Just sharing my personal experiences, since you asked.
If you are entering and exiting the Schengen area in another country, then I would agree your passport would not be stamped when entering/exiting Portugal.
1 Like
Ah, I see. The original post was confusing because Rac Dev mentioned having a residency card when entering Portugal.
Of course the passport isnāt stamped because you never go through immigration in this scenario. It is self-evident here.
1 Like
This is actually a really grey area.
According to the Schengen Borders Code as of a year or so ago chapter and verse, your passport is still supposed to be stamped irrespective of your residency status or not. You arenāt a citizen, so you are still under Schengen rules. Except of course if you enter Portugal, and thus Schengen doesnāt apply. Except of course if you then leave Portugalā¦
In practice, some do and some donāt and it just depends on the country and the guard in question. I have been both been waved through and stamped. The fact that there is no standard practice was even addressed in an official memo from the EC at one point, and it makes for fascinating reading actually - it was a fairly comprehensive summary of the problems and foibles of the whole Schengen situation and all the edge cases and issues around this. Iāve written about this and you can find it in the archives here including reference to chapter and verse. Itās possible things have been more regularized since of course, but I doubt it.
3 Likes
Not correct, only Germany doesnāt stamp on the passport if you have a residency permit in the EU. Everyone else does stamp the passport at the moment. Germany has a successful non-stamping experience for the past 12 years, that shall be implemented across Schengen Area once the EES comes into play. Thus no longer a 3rd country passport shall be stamped with a residency permit or a visa-free travel to the Schengen Area.
Iām just stating what the published Schengen Border Code says, chapter and verse, latest version circa 2023ish. Thatās of course supposed to be law for everyone, as imported into the national legalese.
If Germany as a country has deliberately and consistently not been stamping, then ok and thatās interesting to know. That fits to my experience; Iāve been not-stamped in Frankfurt multiple times, and thatās where I had my āwhereās your stampā āoh sorry hereās my cardā āgreat danke gute reiseā exit incident. If this is the case, then Iād like to think there is some legal framework under which they are doing it that Iām just not aware of; if you happen to know why, thatād be interesting.
My point was to point out that itās inconsistent and that they are supposed to be being stamped. And the EC memo I linked specifically said āwe know some countries arenāt stamping, itās inconsistent, and itās a problemā. Iād have to go dig through old posts to find and reference it, but it was on the ECās web site as an official memo, so clearly someone somewhere is not stamping in violation of the rules. They specifically stated that itād be different even between what guards you would get, some would some wouldnāt.
1 Like