That is how I read it too.
Why are they rejecting lawsuits from people not living in PT when the lawsuit is to get a residency card so you can live in PT? How does this make any sense? I know, I shouldnât expect things to make any sense.
2 Likes
My lawyers explained that they want evidence you will live in PT. E.g. evidence you have a job offer there, or a spot for your child in a PT school.
In other words, they donât care to rush for GV holders who just want to get a PT passport sooner.
I was told that living in PT allows you to claim âhardshipâ through not having a card because it restricts your ability to travel/ potentially to work/ live a family life. If you live somewhere else then you are not âloosingâ those, because you can do them somewhere else, just not in PT.
In the case of a poster, not living in PT (Is it Lawsuit time? (Processing times) - #43 by Susaninha) - demonstration of urgency & hardship was accepted by the Court - because of the age(s) of the children.
1 Like
This is from the article I quoted earlier
âThe current system resets the clock for foreign residents upon receiving formal authorization to stay in Portugal, a situation that might soon see a transformation.â
It goes on to say that parliament is considering setting the clock to start the 5 years when you are authorized to live in Portugal. The pre-approval form/letter authorizes the applicant to come to Portugal (which my attorney insists is authorization to move here while waiting for biometrics and the rest of the process. If Parliament changes the rule that way, it may mean that the date of your pre-approval starts the 5 year clock. No guarantees, certainly- but at least it gives me some hope. I got my pre-approval in Oct 2021.
5 Likes
Or it could mean the date you move to Portugal.
Or it could mean the date you became a tax resident.
Very vague as yet, and whatever they finally approve may not be what is being considered currently.
1 Like
The entire process was advertised as taking 6-9 months start to finish. Thatâs why I applied for a GV when the D7âs were closed down for covid. That was in May 2021. Still waiting.
Maybe they should do it from the date you apply, because a lot of people are burning TWO YEARS just to get to pre-approval.
1 Like
That would be fair. We applied in good faith and kept getting pushed to the back of the line.
I am 76- I donât have unlimited time. Im glad Iâm able to live in Portugal, but not being able to drive or travel is extremely limiting.
2 Likes
Allow you to reside in Portugal whilst they get themselves sorted out and consider your application.
They have done it before havenât they.
I wonder what %age are rejected. Not many I would suppose, I mean a sizeable lump of money invested, whatâs the issue?
March/April 2024 for a Jan 2023 appt sounds very sanguine at this point. They are stuck on July/Aug/Sept 2022 and have done F-all since June 2023. I wouldnât hold your breath that Jan 2023 appts in Lisbon will be processed before Summer or Autumn 2024 unless thereâs some amazing new investment in new resourcing for processing that comes this winter. And as we all know, nothing really gets done in Portugal in December, or January, soâŠ
If I was in a hurry to live there I wouldnt have wasted time and money on ARI when you can get a d7 or whatever relatively freely and instantly.
@mborcherding can you give up on GV and move to a different visa? whats the value in the GV to you if you already live there and are going to be 90 by the time youre eligible for citizenship?
I would say more like two years from whenever AIMA starts doing pre approvals again. they arent even done with Dec 2021, forget about 2022 and 2023!
1 Like
Maybe Iâm missing something, but why canât you drive? I was under the impression Iâd seen something suggesting you could drive on your home license for quite some time before needing to exchange: https://eportugal.gov.pt/servicos/trocar-carta-de-conducao-estrangeira-por-portuguesa
Caso a carta de condução seja de um paĂs com acordo bilateral com Portugal, terĂĄ atĂ© 2 anos para a trocar por uma carta portuguesa.
Os paĂses que estĂŁo abrangidos por este regime sĂŁo: Angola, AustrĂĄlia, Brasil, Cabo Verde, CanadĂĄ, Chile, Estados Unidos da AmĂ©rica, IslĂąndia, Israel, JapĂŁo, Moçambique, Nova ZelĂąndia, Reino Unido, RepĂșblica da Coreia, SĂŁo TomĂ© e PrĂncipe, SuĂça e Turquia.
No, itâs even better than that.
For OECD and CPLP countries (incl. US and UK) there is no need to exchange the licence at all.
I am a holder of one such licence, went to the local âIMTâ office where they recorded my licence in their system and gave me a paper saying that my foreign licence is now associated with my PT address, thatâs all. No need to exchange.
The 2 years grace period you quoted is for other countries with which PT has bilateral agreements.
4 Likes
For those older than 60 years, even if they are from countries with reciprocal agreements, the driving license still needs to be changed.
Furthermore, you do have two years to exchange your driving license, but technically you can no longer drive after 6 months of permanent re-location to Portugal.
And, of course, the on-line IMTT form requires an entry of your residency card⊠
1 Like
More details on OECD/CPLP countries here:
https://www.imtonline.pt/index.php/troca-de-titulos-conducao-estrangeiros/driving-licence-exchange109/9-uncategorised/2330-5-situation-oecd-and-cplp-3
Also note the new UK-PT agreement here:
Awesome. Thanks for sharing the link, that is indeed even better. One less thing to worry about immediately upon arrival.
1 Like
Surprisingly my lawyer told me the oppositeâŠshe told me that the cards arrive really fast now (2 weeks). However it was almost a month ago and I still donât have my card.
Are you waiting for yours from Lisbon office?