From reading many posts on Facebook from people pursuing other kinds of visas like the D7 I have gotten the impression that the visa holders passport has something inserted into it or attached to it as part of the process. It seems that D7 applicants have to mail off their passport at some point in the process and wait for it to come back, presumably with something added to it. I haven’t read anything in this forum about anything like that for GV applicants. We just get (eventually) a plastic card similar to a US driver’s license correct?
Correct, GV is a plastic smartcard. It is a temporary residence permit. It has your photo, date of birth, and other details, but not your passport number. You don’t have to send off your passport to embassy or AIMA or anyone. Nothing goes in your passport.
The difference is that GV law has a special exception that you can enter Portugal on a normal Schengen visa (or visa free if you’re e.g. American) to do your biometrics and get a card.
D7 etc come in two parts, first they have to get a D7 visa sticker from the consulate, which they use to move to Portugal and attend biometrics, then they get the D7 card which they can renew within Portugal. The D7 visa sticker is just needed for their first entry.
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When entering Portugal for Biometrics, what do we tell about our purpose of visit to the portuguese immigration officer at the airport? Do we just say that we have come for a golden visa biometric appointment or for tourism?
I said I was coming to Portugal for my biometrics appointment.
I just said tourism.
Did they request to see the appointment letter? any other questions asked?
My immigration attorney brought my whole file and went over everything with them. I supplied a fresh apostilled FBI report because the one supplied in November 2021 was obviously out of by February 2024