More precisely, 7 days is required in the first year and then 14 days every two years. I am not sure if AIMA would renew someone who skipped the 7 days in their first year.
yes they are renewing if you make 14 days during the validity of the card
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Any special requirements/options if you actually live here? Like, is an atestado da residencia any good? Or should I be giving my NIF all the time? 
I asked this very question of my law firm (large, reputable multinational firm) and they said the same as you. It’s 14 days in the first two years, distributed however I choose. I hope they are right because I’m doing the entire two weeks in the second year.
Yes. Have clients with the renewal processes approved like this
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The automatic online renewal or the in person renewal?
I think the worry is that because such renewals are contrary to the written law, they are discretionary, and thus are not guaranteed at any time in future.
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the renewals now are all in person
For 3 years of residency card valid, is it 7 days in first year and 14 days in subsequent 2 years? Is that the requirement?
Or is it 21 days anytime in 3 years of card validity?
Officially the count starts from the very first card issuance date, and goes 7 days in the first year, then 14 days in each following 2-year periods. Contiguous or interpolated. And it goes like this forever, regardless of the renewal dates or extensions by decree.
That’s the official documented position from AIMA.
How consistently they apply/ enforce this in practice I cannot know.
For the avoidance of doubt, the safest way to count the days is by the full 24 hours day, ie excluding the days of arrival or departure from your total count of 7/14.
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7 days per year or 14 days consecutive or not during the validity of the card (2 years
@Margarida.Torres the question is probably about real estate investors who have received D2 cards on renewal with 3 years validity, but by law the same 7/14/14 stay requirements.
yes, correct
Dear Margarida. Thank you for all your helpful clarification. How do we submit all the documents as proof of the 14 day required stay in Portugal? (1) Do we submit hard copies and if so, to whom shall it be addressed; or (2) Can we submit online, in which case please share the relevant website link. Been having difficulty searching for it. Thank you very much.
it is submitted in presence in the moment of the appoitment for the renewal. you can submit the originals or certified copies of the boarding passes and invoices made by the lawyer
Thank you Margarida. Just to confirm, we do not have to submit any documents as proof of 14 day stay, during the entire 2 year term of the visa. We just need to submit said documents when we renew? and it will be a physical submission?
exactly, only in the moment of renewal
We have been in the habit of just scanning everything and immediately throwing away the originals. Will a lawyer generally certify the scanned copy without seeing the original?
We often only have electronic boarding passes, and even if we had printed ones they fade very quickly and unlikely to be readable after a couple of years. Same applies for receipts. So what are you referencing when you say the originals? We are taking photos of all receipts and boarding passes - is that not sufficient? Can a lawyer certify a photograph of something that doesn’t exist (as it faded)?
This will depend on the lawyer, but the scans can be certified by the lawyer evern without seing the originals if the lawyer feels comfortable to do that
Our cards expired in Jan 2025 and we have not been able to get an appointment to renew. Our lawyer has advised that AIMA seems to be prioritising first card ARI visas and that renewals are not the priority right now. (Not sure if this ties in with advice anyone else has received.)
The question I have is: how does this work for the stay requirements? If your card expires in Jan 2025 and your next card is only issued in, say June 2026 then when are you required to complete your stay? Must the two weeks be completed by Jan 2027 or only by June 2028?