That update was me I think. We did the biometrics in Faro in Feb23, My son and I got the approval in October 23, paid the fees right away. However we still have not received our residence cards, waiting and chasing for 5-6 months! Meanwhile my wifeâs application has still not been approved, she had her biometrics same day with us.
Your biometrics from June 2023 in Coimbra were already approved? Were you the primary applicant or family member?
Closing the loop on this. My wife and daughter were approved on the 5th and the cards received by the lawyers on the 17th.
All our cards are valid for 2 years.
The only twist in the tale from our lawyers - while the cards may be valid for 2 years, the residency requirement is still 7 days in year 1, 14 days for the next 2 years and 14 for the next 2 years (which makes no sense given the 7 vs 14 was derived based on whether the card was valid for 1 or 2 years).
So, they have asked us to make sure we spend 7 days in year 1 and another 7 days in year 2. We are there for more than 14 days in the summer but we have to understand this better.
Still sounds like 7 day a year total. 14 days over the next 2 years is still 7 days. Seems they didnât update some general text when changing from 1 year card to 2 year card.
Yes, this is Dec Reg 84/2007 of 5th Nov, which has never been amended to align with the card expiry cycle, even though the regulation was updated in 2022 and 2024.
Itâs a regular question in these forums. Belt-and-braces would suggest doing 7 days in each year, but some lawyers differ in their advice. And remember that arrival/departure days donât count.
Artigo 65.Âș-C : Prazos mĂnimos de permanĂȘncia
Para efeitos de renovação de autorização de residĂȘncia, os cidadĂŁos requerentes referidos no artigo 90.Âș-A da Lei n.Âș 23/2007, de 4 de julho, na sua redação atual, devem cumprir os seguintes prazos mĂnimos de permanĂȘncia:
a) 7 dias, seguidos ou interpolados, no 1.Âș ano;
b) 14 dias, seguidos ou interpolados, nos subsequentes perĂodos de dois anos.
No no ⊠sorry I wasnât clear. Am still waiting.
Our lawyers have opined that the 7 and 14 day rules are applied on a 24 hour period of stay and as such, if I arrive at 9pm and exit at 10pm the next day, itâs still counted for a day.
Interesting⊠others on these forums have reported different advice from their lawyers. Perhaps itâs just not really clear, and some lawyers offer the most conservative interpretation to be on the safe side. Personally, Iâm planning to stay at least seven full days plus travel days in each calendar year.
Itâs 7 full days a year. Donât mess around because of a few hours.
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I was about the file a case for approval post biometrics for my family but my lawyers heard from AIMA yesterday asking for some clarification on some documents. It seems they might be working on our file.
Family biometrics: Oct 2023, pending final approval. Got the biometrics appointment via legal case.
I hope they approve soon else I will have to file the case.
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Where did you do your biometrics?
Oct 2023 (already mentioned it in my post)
Please can you share the name of the lawyer you used? A friend is looking for a reasonably priced one to file a case.
Wifeâs and other dependentâs cards have come through. Theirs is dated April 5, just 4 days after mine (primary applicant). And it only took 919 days since initial application. 
Both of their cards are valid for 2 years as well.
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I have good news to share! We received final approval yesterday for me and all my family members. To recap:
Applied: September 2021
Preapproval: January 2022
Biometrics: September 2022 (Lisbon)
Court Case Filed: January 2024
Court Decision: April 2024
Final Approval: April 2024
Now I wait for the DUC to be issued and the fun of will the cards show up or not and if so, how long will they be valid for.
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I havenât seen one yet. Any idea how long that would normally take?
Congratulations! Enjoy!
It seems like 75% of the final approvals weâre seeing at the moment are from those whoâve filed cases⊠Do we have any idea how many cases are filed, do they release that information?
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FWIW I paid my DUC on March 27 and card was received on April 15. Dependentsâ cards were a similar time frame. All are valid for 2 years. Happy waiting! 
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Any basis to ask for damages or partial reimbursement? Having to sue to get processed has to be actionable. Itâs fraud.
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