Our attorney has advised that, once we submit our Golden Visa application (including the fund investment), their firm will provide us with a document to present to Portuguese border control. According to the attorney, this document would allow us to remain in Portugal beyond the standard Schengen 90/180-day limit, provided that we both enter and exit through Portugal.
Has anyone heard of this arrangement or had any personal experience with it?
We are concerned about unintentionally overstaying, which could potentially result in fines, affect our Golden Visa application, or create other immigration issues. There also seems to be some uncertainty among the attorneys at our firm regarding the validity and practical application of this document.
Any firsthand experiences or insights would be greatly appreciated.
I am not aware that lawyers have some super-authority that automatically gives validity to their letter as an legal immigration document. I think if you change “would allow” to “may allow”, then this is probably an accurate statement.
Yes — we stayed around seven to eight months before receiving our initial permits, and we never had any issues entering or leaving Portugal. But that was six years ago, and the rules have shifted quite a bit since then. Relying on an online forum for something this sensitive is really not the safest way to get guidance.
Thank you- Not relying on forum for guidance. I was looking for people’s personal experience to see if any issue with the letter at passport control. We already vetted many lawyers before we chose this firm.
Our GV advisors/lawyers offered to produce a letter that points to some sort of Portuguese legislation which (supposedly) allows you to “overstay” in Portugal while your residency application is being decided.
We didn’t take them up on the offer, as tbh anything to do with Portuguese immigration is so random, such a letter might help at one desk but not the one next to it.
One thing I know for certain - if you overstay your 90/180, other Schengen countries beyond Portugal will not care how screwed up AIMA is. You are over your limit and you’re toast w.r.t. non-Portugal visits.
My advisors offered a similar “letter” as described above, but then went on to suggest some sort of AIMA process (with interview) to legally overstay the 90 days. They then immediately said that no such appointments are available (wow, thanks for your help). Most likely you’re just going to have to wing it, stay in Portugal the whole time or run the risk traveing outside of Portugal.