I believe the Portuguese Golden Visa can be renewed online now. (Jan 2023) Does anyone know how?
3 Likes
I “think” they’re easier. But I’d like to hear from someone who’s done it.
1 Like
Thanks a lot! That seems to answer my questions.
Submitted my auto-renewal request in 1/19, sent payment on 1/23, and received our renewal cards today!!! Good for two years (until 1/25/25).
15 Likes
@sleuth_09dirk , did you have to log in to your ARI portal and upload updated required documents or what exactly happened once you auto renewed on SEF portal and after payment of processing fee? Please kindly share
Hi. There are a few of us in my fam here in Portugal on golden visas. I coincidentally got a last min renewal appointment right before the holidays (saw it on the ARI website about 12 hours before the time) and went last min (drove nearly across the country for it) though naturally all my documents were expired as I didn’t have time to request updates. They did my renewal biometrics and gave me a big list of the usual docs to mail them in 10 days. I did that but haven’t heard back, and the ARI website still shows it as transferido and no updates / doesn’t even acknowledge m receipt of the docs.
Note the above was just for me and not my sig-o.
Then, in Jan, the auto renewals opened up so I tried it for me and my sig-o. Simply filled in the short form online, confirmed our address and that was it. No new docs for me, and never any docs for my sig o.
Then, as I mentioned in my other post, the cards came in the mail. It was a CTT driver on a scooter, rang my bell, had me sign on his phone, and handed me two envelopes. They weren’t marked as coming from SEF but you could feel they contained cards, and the friendly CTT driver said “parabéns sobre a residência!” Or something like that. He already knew what was inside.
So no docs needed. My lawyer had actually called me a week earlier telling me that she was worried I wasted money trying the auto renewal site as she couldn’t see it working without docs! I shot her a text with a photo of the cards when they arrived!
Best of luck everyone!
PS. One person in my fam is still waiting - they have a plus sign symbol in their email address, and because of they’re locked out of the website because of it! It let them register and confirm a password but won’t let them log in! So frustrating. We’ve now been trying for weeks to get SEF to delete or change the email associated with the account. Can’t sign up for a new login because it says the ID is already registered. If anyone knows how to get in touch with SEF IT, please let me know!
6 Likes
I never got any email updates after payment of the fee. Like others here, I logged in to the auto renewal website one day and saw the status said “concluĂdo.” Then the cards came in the mail. No interim steps, notifications, uploads, calls. Nothing.
The ARI website for me and my sig-o show no changes. Looks like we’re still expired and pending there. The two sites seem completely disconnected from one another.
My physical cards do have an ARI reference on them. So we at least know we got the right ones in the mail!
1 Like
What part of Portugal do you live?
I applied on 19 Jan, paid on 21 Jan, status turned to “Completed” on 30 Jan, but I still have no friendly postman in front of my door
The Algarve. Who knows - I remember when got the first ones a few years ago, my sig-o’s arrived weeks before mine, and all of our dates were identical. I was worried mine had been lost! Boa sorte e saúde
4 Likes
Hi there,
Do we still have people here who applied on 19 Jan, paid on 21-23 Jan and haven’t received their cards?
Because I didn’t… And I don’t know what’s the problem as my status has been Completed for two weeks already.
The only guess I have is that when you update you delivery address, you can use two lines, which I did. And SEF updates your personal data too using that address, but for some reason they only use the first line - so my address is incomplete in the personal data section. Has anyone experienced a similar problem?
1 Like
Online renewal made about 21 jan, payment made 23 jan. Card received yesterday with an issance date of 31 january (from porto). Payment for family was made on 26th, so i hope to receive them in 3-4 days.
We aleays made the application trough lisbon but cards were printed in Porto.(closer to contact address) That might explain the different arrival times maybe as some offices might be faster to give to post?
1 Like
I have made payment more than a month ago and still not received the card. (I changed my received address). Anyone know how to contact SEF in the way that they answer and tell me what’s wrong ?
2 Likes
I have the same problem - payment done 6 weeks ago. When contacting SEF they are saying that card is sent for printing to casa das moedas and they don’t know how long it will take(
2 Likes
Hi Igor, thanks for your info. How did you contact SEF? Any email or phone line that they answer?
Hi, it was their standard line- 217115000 (rede fixa). It took me something like 15-20 minutes to break through around 9am. They mostly speak Portuguese, but there are English speakers as well.
1 Like
Thanks for the detailed update, Dirk. I am in the same boat as you: I had a biometric appointment in 2022, before the automatic renewal program was extended to residends under the ARI program.
I had to pay when I went to my biometric appointment. If I tried to renew automatically, I would have to pay again. Did you pay twice?
Yes, I paid the 500-something fee twice, unfortunately. I plan to try to ask for a refund eventually, but I haven’t bothered yet as I’m putting extremely low odds on that being successful.
1 Like
Thanks! I would be willing to pay 500€ twice for sure. But my fees are 3251€ including the separate processing and renewal fees. That’s the amount that I paid at the biometric appointment. It’s also the amount that the website says that I would have to pay (in duplicate) to renew. Do you know why yours was only 588€ and didn’t include the renewal feee? Thank you for your help
1 Like