I didnāt quite have your situation: my NIF was ādefinitiveā since day one. However, I can tell you how the change of login (or a start of login) to FinanƧas worked for me.
Originally, my lawyer set up the access for herself/tax representative. After moving to Lisbon, I decided to take over the access. When I tried to change it on line or start a new account on-line, FinanƧas portal rejected me. And so, I went directly to their office on Ave. Fontes Pereira de Melo and explained to them what I was attempting to do. There, a nice officer went onto the portal and used my NIF to enter my account. Then, he handed me an envelope with a new temporary password, and said I had 48 hours to change it. I used it to log in, and I it worked just fine.
If you do manage to start a new account or change access to the existing one on-line, then FinanƧas will use CTT to send your password to your tax address they have on file: either you lawyerās or your tax representativeās. This can take quite a while since CTT is notoriously unreliable. Then, it is up to your tax rep (or lawyer) to log in and either change it or leave alone, and they can then use your on-line account.
I had FinanƧas send a change of login one to my lawyer via CTTā¦ It took close to two weeks. Hence, if you need something done quickly, your tax rep or lawyer should go directly to FinanƧas office rather than relying on other means.
On a parallel note, if you forget your password to FinanƧas and request a new one from the web portal, it too will take a week or more to obtain it. There is no electronic recovery of passwords (yet).
Hi @PCERoman Thanks for this clarification. Yes a picture is emerging that FinanƧas sends the password by post - I assume CTT is the postal service? I donāt live in PT so am not familiar with all the different organisations etc ā¦ yet - they send the password by post to the lawyer or fiscal rep and it can take a few weeks. Unfortunately as I donāt live in PT I was not able to go in person myself and get the password. Iām not sure which FinanƧas office my lawyer has used, whether in Faro where they are based or in Lisbon or somewhere else - again I am assuming there are various local FinanƧas offices, I think I read that somewhere. So I suspect my password is āin processā - either being despatched or already in the post but just not yet reached the fiscal rep. I wish the lawyer had gone in person to get it same day, but I guess they have better things to do. I thought it would have been all done electronically.
Was thinking the same thing myself. It would suggest that SEF is gradually getting its act together, clearing the backlog and developing more efficient ways of working, such as the recent online renewal system which must be leading to a massive reduction in their workload. I am so hoping it will be online renewals from here on and for evermore!
Indeed, CTT is their version of post office. The FinanƧas are obliged to use it, hence plenty of delays.
In general, if you want to do anything in Portugal, it is far better to do things in person. Digitalisation is in progress and is getting better, but it is not at the level of the U.S. yet. Hence, expect delays every step of the wayā¦ As Portuguese themselves often told me: āitās normalā - they donāt even pay attention to the delays, they just factor them in. The only exception is when you owe them money - then, you better be on the ball and pay on time.
My lawyer advised me that she also received this e-mail on Tuesday 28th March. My application was mid December 2021, and I was pre-approved in mid January this year. The Biometrics invitation is just for myself, as the main applicant. (So not yet inviting my husband, for whom we have applied for family reunification).
However - I have a question about the 11 day date range (up to 7th April 2023). Am I being given the opportunity to book a SEF appointment and attend it before 7th April, or am I being given the opportunity to book an appointment by 7th April but to attend the meeting at some point after that - for example in May?
My lawyer thinks I should attend a meeting next week. Although it is possible for me to travel to Portugal next week for a Biometric appointment, I would not have sufficient time to obtain a new police certificate, and get it notarised & apostilled in time for the meeting. Iām wondering if that is going to be a problem, or if I should go ahead and attend the meeting with a view to supply the revised police document after the appointment (which I think I have read cases of people doing on this forum).
If you can get the police certificate without apostille before your appointment, and take that with while waiting for the apostille version, your lawyer can submit the apostille version later. It may delay your processing slightly but better than missing the biometrics.
Most likely, it is a window within which you can book an appointment for a later date. However, act as soon as possible and make sure you book one, anytime, anywhere! If you miss your chance, who knows when and if they might invite you again.
The email from SEF offers a period (up to 7 April) within which to book an appointment. The calendar on the ARI portal becomes live and one can click on the calendar to see appointment slots for each SEF office for appointments within April and May 2023 (Awaiting Biometrics (Stage 3) - #1572 by megan.m.newhouse). There is a button on the right that lets you schedule, by location, the available slots to choose a feasible date - preferably with all your documentation up-to-date. You should discuss with your lawyer what date you can or cannot make (and the updated docs you will have). Next week is not obligatory, unless all the other slots are taken! So best to discuss with your lawyer what is feasible and sensible. You will not be offered another appointment, so wisest to schedule and go to the appointment even if an updated document needs to be sent later.
The collective advice from all lawyers seems to be - DONāT MISS THE BIOMETRICS APPOINTMENT. All documentation can be submitted subsequently. If you try to reschedule, God knows when you will be invited to schedule one again. It may go to the bottom of the pile, or the next week. Once it disappears in the SEF maw, nothing is certain. Just get the biometrics done. The Lawyers can easily ask for a deferment for the submission of the paperwork.
For those that didnāt get invited, plan to have your updated documents by the end of may. Last time biometrics opened, they offered appointments until the end of March, and I expect theyāll do the same this time, opening appointments around may 26
Thank you everyone for your input and advice! Everything concurs with my understanding!
My lawyer interpreted the e-mail as needing to attend my Biometrics meeting before 7th April - so that is what I am doing. I am booked in for next Thursday in Faro. Iām very happy about the location. It is the area of Portugal I am familiar with, and where the property I am purchasing is located!
I have been trying my hardest to get an updated U.K. Police Certificate today. It looks highly unlikely I will have this in hand, even in a clean state (not notarised or apostilled) in time for my SEF appointment.
NB : ANY U.K. APPLICANTS NEEDING TO APPLY FOR A REFRESHED U.K. POLICE CERTIFICATE (ACRO). THE WEBSITE IS CURRENTLY DOWN, AND HAS BEEN FOR A WEEK AT THE TIME OF WRITING. NO INDICATION OF WHEN IT WILL BE OPERATIONAL AGAIN! APPLICATIONS NEED TO BE PAPER BASED AND THEY ARE WARNING OF SERIOUS DELAYS IN ISSUING THE CERTIFICATE!!!
I hope the lack of police certificate is not going to be an issue at my SEF appointment next week, but as you have advised me, the most important thing is to attend this appointment as it is now scheduled, and not risk the whole application going down a massive SEF hole by trying to reschedule it !
Good luck - if you do get ACRO to produce a check, itās possible to get a same-day apostille in the UK, as you may know. If not, Iād suggest printing out a copy of the ACRO website home page which says itās down. Shows you tried!
Thereās 4 in my group, only one of whom had the ACRO in hand at the time of the biometrics appointment. I had an unapostilled copy but they simply said āsubmit when they arriveā, which the lawyers did
Finally, some progress! Weāre headed to Lisbon for our biometrics appointments next month. Both primary applicant and dependent are on the same timeline.
Application Date: Iām not sure which one weāre going by, but I have a receipt showing payment of fees on 16 Dec 2021
Pre-Approval Date: 20 Dec 2022
Biometrics: 20 April 2023
One important note is that my lawyer filed a court action to compel the SEF to respond to my initial application. I believe, but am not 100% sure, that this was done sometime in December before I received my pre-approval. My sense is that the pre-approval happened along with everyone elseās who submitted their applications around the same time, but that my biometrics scheduling notice came a little ahead of others (last week, while looks like others are hearing now).
On to the next step before another waiting gameā¦ good luck all!
Until what date have they opened up the appointments? End of May? Unfortunately canāt make the appointment our lawer has made for May and want to try to reschedule in June.
Ramin, we are in the same situation. Our lawyer made an appointment for me and my daughter (17) for a date in May that she cannot attend because of school exams. Probably I will go without her. She could easily do a date in June, but our lawyer says June is not yet open to be booked. We have no idea if they will be able to reschedule our daughter for June or if her application will go into limbo.
My wife missed her appointment in March 2022, and so far her application is in limbo. My daughter, pre approved much later, has her appointment in May 2022, and my lawyers arent hopeful of scheduling an appointment for my wife anytime soon.
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