It is necessary to have all the documents on the day of the Biometrics, in principle it is a SEF interview and most likely it would end up lawyer doing all the talking and they shall only invite you to smile for the camera, fingerprints and a signature. Following are the key things to remember:
Entry stamp to any Schengen country is fine and there is no one asking you to show the portuguese stamp, your passport stamp shall be photocopied and the SEF agent shall stamp that one as an Original copy.
Marriage certificate and Criminal Certificates are valid only for 3 months by law (if we like that or not). In reality it is ok to carry the expired documents and the SEF official shall give you the missing document checklist which shall allow you to submit these documents within 30 days ( Your lawyer can always ask an extensions)
There are couple of certificates to be obtained within portugal too (Valid for 3 months only) , most likely your power of attorney shall be enough with the lawyer as they shall be taking the complete responsibility of this part, unless you are submitting on your own…
My husband and I got our pre-approval in November of 2021. On Friday June 24 (i.e. 2 days ago) we finally received an email from the SEF that we could have an appointment between June 24 and July 4… so that is giving us basically ZERO days notice. How on earth do they think this is acceptable?! I had been waiting for word that things were moving again before getting new documents for us, so I do not have them… and even if I did, it is not reasonable to give zero to 6 business days notice to present oneself in Portugal with documents. I am so exasperated. Almost wish we had not started this process. D7 or the equivalent in Spain could work for us as well. I will update with what happens, but we are hoping our lawyer can get us dates in August instead. I am estimating 1 month to get documents because NYC government is so incompetent I can only get marriage certificate by mail, and then the apostille from NY state is another nightmare. Thanks for letting me vent here! hahaha
Docs could be OK to provide after the appointment, especially given the circumstances (I agree it’s a joke, but seems not so much in PT…). If you can physically get on the plane then, maybe get the doc collection/apostille started before you board… and your lawyer can upload later.
@hay1733 Don’t panic. I went back to the original notice from SEF that we got in January 2022 to make an appointment (for a family member) and what it actually said is that we had a 10-day window in which to book the appointment, beginning on the day that the notice went out. Our lawyer went online (via screenshare) and we picked out a mutually convenient date 3 months later. I suspect that you can book it as far into the future as they have slots on the calendar, as long as you do the online appointment search within 10 days of receiving the notification.
@arkay Oh!!! Indeed, that would make more sense. Our lawyer seems a little goofy so I will make clear to him this is what I believe is possible. Thank you for the message!
Great news that things are starting to be looking good again !!
I just got notified for fingerprints appointments for my wife and minor kids but funny enough SEF did not send any invitation or slots for myself ? Is this common ? Lawyers saying that they will submit new request ??
July 31, 2021 - Application submitted
March 4th, 2022 - Pre-approval received
June 24th, 2022 - Lawyers received email to book biometric
July 22nd, 2022 - Biometric scheduled in Lisbon
I’m glad they opened up so many spots at once, so that folks with more flexible travel arrangements can take the earlier appointments and those who need more time to plan can book later in the year.
Pre-approval: late May 2021
Biometrics appointment: late August 2022
Having a call with our lawyer soon to discuss details, but am wondering the following:
My wife’s citizenship will require a visitor visa to enter Portugal for the biometrics appointment. I believe the lawyer will be assisting us with obtaining this, but am unsure of what type of visa she will require for this purpose.
Will it just be a standard Schengen Visitor Visa? or some other specific visa just for Portugal? Is this easy to obtain?
For the Schengen Visa, I approached my local portuguese consulate directly instead of using VFS.
They told me the following.
The Visa I will be applying for will be under the Business Visa, and I will have to fill an online application form
Will have to attach the SEF letter with the Biometric appointment details. Attach an Invitation letter from your law firm. Besides the above would need to attach copies of Air tickets, Hotel reservations, Certified bank statements
Ideally yes, also you would need to show travel insurance with covid cover and details of any previous Schengen Visa
As far as documentation is concerned, look at the link below
In which city are you living and which consulate did you approach.
Have you made the application. I think that you will have to go to VFS for the biometrics for the short term visa.