90 business days from the date of the biometric submission.
Also there’s a time limit on preapproval I believe and a time limit from preapproval to biometric appointment iirc
If I did don’t you think I’d have posted them? That’s a question for my lawyer later when we start doing the math
Thanks…appreciate the kind response!
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I think they may all be 90 working days. But note that with all the holidays SEF/AIMA gets, 90 working days can translate to something like 6 months. Not 3 months like most people think when seeing “90 days” 
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Please let me know if any one who did Biometrics in Lisbon in September 2022 has received final approval. I am wondering if SEF/AIMA is still processing August 2022 biometrics or have they reached September 2022 biometrics.
Thanks
August biometrics here and still waiting.
Just got the card and it it falls under AR investment category - any major difference you believe on renewal or so ?
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When were you approved?
Any news from Porto biometrics? I thought it was going very fast with a time period of 4-5 months from the biometrics earlier in this year.
Summary
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We did September 15, 2022. Nothing yet.
I am glad to contribute my update today:
2 dependents in my family got Final Approval today (letter was exactly the same as SEF, only new thing is the AIMA logo). So be expected that nothing changes, only its name.
- GV application submitted: April 2020
- Pre-approval: June 2020
- 1st Biometric Appointment (missed due to Covid lockdown): Sept 2020
- 2nd Biometric Appointment (missed due to fever, unable to boarding): Feb 2022
- 3rd Biometric Appointment: April 2023 (in SEF Porto)
- Final Approval: November 2023
- DUC received: same day with Final Approval, but needs to wait 48 hours until it comes in force. (fee for card issuance is: 5798,68Euros. Not sure it is more or less but I am not going to argue anything about it).
Wishing you all here the speedy process!!!
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Interesting fee…
The new fee after the October increase for initial card issuance is €7,730.11 (previously €5,812.12). The regulation also sets out a (new) 25% discount for online applications. We know this applies to renewals - but there’s been some debate about whether the 25% discount also applies to initial card issuance.
The €7,730.11 less 25% would be €5,797.58 which is nearly (to within €1.10) what you’ve been billed. So it looks like the 25% discount does apply (although I don’t quite understand why there’s a €1.10 difference).
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I’ve checked my first card. It was 5391.56. I have no clue why. But that’s what I paid for my first card last year.
Congratulations! And great to hear of a final approval as there hasn’t been news of any for a while.
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Fees were originally back set in 2012 at €5,000 for issuance, €2,500 for renewal. The fee level increases automatically each March by the rate of inflation.
By 2020 fees were €5,324.60 and €2,622.30; by 2022 fees were €5,391.56 and €2,696.29 (which is what you paid). In March this year they increased again to €5,812.12 and €2,906.62 (NB much higher inflation in 2022-23).
Then in October 2023 a new Ordinance re-set them to €7,730.11 and €3,865.79, but it also introduced the 25% discount for online processes, which implies fees of €5,797.58 and €2,899.34 after the online discount.
So it seems that the government decided to encourage online applications by introducing a 25% discount, then increased fees by 30% to keep the effective fee level broadly unchanged. The apparent fee increase created a lot of confusion and anger in October - that could all have been avoided if SEF had just briefed a few lawyers at the time to explain what was actually happening.
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DUC payment was done today and lawyer said it would take 2 months to receive cards. Very surprised because it was 2 weeks for me last year.
I had done biometrics in Lisbon in mid September 2022. I have been asked to provide an updated apostilled birth certificate for the main applicant and an updated apostilled criminal certificate for my dependent parent.
This will take a few months for me to provide but at least they seem to moving ahead.
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