We had some trouble with that a couple weeks ago when we were flying from LIS to the US. There was a spanish guy on loan working at the booth and he didn’t know what to do with the paper - he told us he was looking for the QR code. He stepped away from the booth and called someone. About 10 minutes later he came back and apologized and said it was fine, he just wasn’t familiar with that type of paper. When we flew back in last week, no problems beyond the insane line.
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Thank you so much for this!
Hi, has anyone taken a direct flight from outside of Schengen zone to Portugal with an expired resident card but have an active renewal application thru the new online process and the supporting Recibo Comprovativo de Pedido with the QR code? Will airlines accept the document? Trying to get real experiences and not AI generated answers 
Yes. See below. 
Airline didn’t ask for anything, just a valid passport.
We’ve flown with an expired residency card and our receipt for renewal payment (which we received at our biometrics), no qr code, and entered via Frankfurt as residents with no issues, departed Madrid as residents with no issues, departed Porto as residents multiple times with no issues, and just a very clueless immigration agent entering as residents in Lisbon, who took a couple of minutes to even realize the card was expired, then noticed for how long (March 2025),then looked at the renewal receipt, I said “it’s Aima” then shrugged like what do you expect, then he let me through. But he clearly had zero idea of what was going on with the expired cards or what proof to expect.
I have a us passport, so just trying to limit the days taken from my 90/180 tourist allowance.
My husband got declined trying to enter in Athens as a resident so they took his biometrics and he had to enter as a tourist. The immigration agent understood and had heard of the delays, but wouldn’t budge.
Our renewals have now been tacitly approved, so we’re going to carry that approval with us as a back up. We’re thinking it may have more weight entering/exiting not directly to/from Portugal than the proof of payment for the renewal.
Our residency is valid, it’s just the card is expired, is the story we tell if asked.
7 posts were split to a new topic: AIMA Tacit Approval
Staff still misdirecting inbound passengers.
At the entrance to the queue they insisted I must give biometrics even with a TR ( unless it states ‘famillia’, whatever that implies).
By the entrance to the actual machines they had changed their minds - I should go straight to the officer. Gave officer my expired card & passport, he didn’t ask for a QR or stamp.
By contrast, on the way outbound from schengen there was clear signage telling TR holders to use the the EU egates (presumably only for Biometric passport holders?) anyway my passport was rejected, fortunately they’ve installed a ‘reject lane’ now, which took me to the front of the ‘all passport’ lane, where an officers quickly scanned my card and sent me on my way. (my card is expired but no QR code was requested).
Overall not too bad an experience in & out. I think time of day matters alot, I try to aviod peak hours (morning & late afternoon)
Which airport was this?
Lisbon ( both times)
- Had a flight to Lisbon on 31st of May
- Made me wait for EES kiosk for 30 minutes just to let kiosk tell me after scanning my passport to go to Manuel processing line.
- Waited another 30 minutes at the Manuel processing line , handed my passport with a valid Schengen visa , no questions asked , just fingerprints and photo taken and let me enter.
- My return flight was on the 2nd of June , it took 90 minutes to clear the same steps (first kiosk and then Manuel processing line) to exit the country , I was almost missing my flight , luckily they wait aware of the situation and waited all passengers before taking off with more than 1 hour delay
They are aiming for maximum efficiency. If you wait in 2 different lines for 2 hours each then they can report that average wait time is only 2 hours per queue, instead of 4 hours.
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Out of interest, do you travel with a passport requiring a visa to enter schengen?
I’m trying to understand the difference in treatment - I’ve never been asked for fingerprints at the border, and entered & exited multiple times under ESS with an expired GV.
Maybe it’s random and I’ve been lucky 
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Another border control experience to report, landed in Portugal and was directed to the EES machines by the person who told me to ‘declare’ my residence card to the EES machine. Ignored the machine and went straight down to the officer, who asked to see my AIMA renewal receipt, and still proceeded to collect the fingerprints, but when I told him that I am not on EES and there is no need to scan finger/face, he agreed and let me through.
I believe they are all trained to follow the ‘tourist’ routine by default, so not much point in arguing the logic with the queue manager, but rather just do what we know should be done.
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At this point it would seem to be random, based on latest experiences from FB. You try the e-gates first, maybe it works maybe it doesn’t, then you try to do the EU line. Maybe the director-person steers you the right way maybe not. Maybe you go in the non-EU line and get scolded for not using the EU line, maybe you go in the EU line and get scolded for not using the non-EU line. Maybe the line you get shunted to takes 3 hours, or not. Maybe half the lines are closed because someone’s on strike again.
Or maybe you fly through FRA/ZRH and avoid the entire f-tastic mess, which is now my strategy. Unless your card is expired and you’re afraid of another country’s guard saying you over-stayed. In the case it might be better to exit via Portugal since you can better make the argument you haven’t over-stayed. But that would just be exit, not entry, and entry appears to be the biggest f-tastic mess.
I haven’t been through LIS border control in several years. I just came back into LIS from the UK on a hopper flight and got yelled at for doing it wrong. To hell with it.
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There are long queues at other airports too. FRA, CDG etc have had long queues at times that have taken 30+ minutes to clear even for EU citizens. Yes, Lisbon is bad but it’s not a guarantee that entry/exit will be seamless at another port.
I’ll settle for functional and non-chaotic.
Indeed. And at the time I went through, that line was roped off and unavailable.
The person directing people which way to go said I should go to the all-passport line, I could try using the e-gate line but it wouldn’t work for me. I said “hey, but but but”. He eventually lifted the rope and passed me through - since it turns out that, despite being roped-off, there was indeed an agent there.
When I finally got to the agent at the end of the roped-off EU line, I got my head ripped off for daring to be in that line and that I should have been in the all-passports line, and how could I have not known that. Never mind the sign saying I should go there and having deliberately been let into the line by the director person.
I gather that my experience is not unique.
Like I said, functional and non-chaotic would be preferable. I am planning to depart the EU from Frankfurt to save myself drama.
We’re also departing Schengen for Bangkok via Doha through Madrid on IB/QR next month deliberately to avoid Lisbon’s dismal passport control SNAFUs despite QR flying direct to LIS.
This has various additional benefits: (a) we can arrive at LIS an hour before departure because we will use Fast Track security and never check bags; (b) we can use the appalling ANA contract lounge in the main terminal if we feel so possessed while there is none beyond passport control though it’s not so significant given (a).
The irritation & madness continues, this time leaving Lisbon today…
The official at the front of the queue (beneath the sign saying “EU + Residents this way”) questioned me. I said, “I’m a resident.” I was allowed to continue.
I got to the EU / Residents machines and they rejected my passport. So as I’ve done many times I attempted to enter the manual EU line. “Oh no, you don’t.” The official there point blank refused to allow me to enter, looked at my card and just kept repeating “Permanent residents only. This (meaning my GV) is temporary. You must use the other lane"
When I got to the officer at the desk I asked his advice. He shrugged and said I should use the EU lane. All he wanted to see was my QR code, my phone copy was fine, and I was on my way.
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