Here is some interesting trivia about my November 2023 ARI renewal.
The card stock is exactly the same. The printed “place” and “authority” fields were changed to Lisbon and AIMA. The card number has changed. The remarks are unchanged; it is still an ARI visa, not a D2. The updated delivery address is printed on the back as my morada. The issue date is two days after my DUC payment date; I wasted a few weeks of validity since my old card expired in late December. I expected that and went ahead anyway;.I didn’t want to tempt fate in case the online renewal window suddenly closed, given the recent turmoil and uncertainty.
Anyone heard any rumors from their lawyers about the start date for Q1 2024 renewals?
Q4 2023 opened Nov 7th so I would hope we might see something happen in next 2 weeks.
So an update from my lawyer about GV renewals now this temporary automatic online renewal system has technically expired. No news, unfortunately, but I’ll repeat what I was told for those of us living on breadcrumbs of information.
Most renewals are now processed by the Institute of Registries and Notary (IRN). However, Golden Visa renewals are still with AIMA because there are aspects of the GV renewals that IRN can’t/won’t process.
The infamous “Contact Center” has changed computer systems, cannot schedule for GV and can’t access GV files, so isn’t worth contacting. The old online system where the original GV applications were submitted has had no slots available for renewal appointments for over a year.
There are rumors that the upcoming online platform of AIMA will include online renewals, which would be great, but those are still rumors. And it isn’t clear how this new system will play out with the jurisdiction of most renewals now with IRN and not AIMA.
Our lawyers are checking daily to see if online renewals reopen, and pushing the point with AIMA that they cannot just argue that all cards are valid until end of June 2024 and provide no further guidance.
I was able to renew online in November, my partner is now stuck in the system until this is resolved. Maybe post-election there will be some movement.
AIMA could definitely save themselves tons of paperwork if they just issued all cards with 10 year validity to start with … just saying … maybe your lawyers could suggest that workaround to ease the backlog
I seem to recall the 2024 budget had a provision to fund the online renewal system for the first half of 2024. I think it was discussed in another thread.
My card will expire in May 2024, and my lawyer is saying online approvals have been stopped and there is no way to renew it online or offline. I had already filed a case against SEF to get appointments, do I need to file it again for getting card renewed? Or do I just wait and see if something new comes up before expiry.
Here is the info from my lawyer:
I would like to give you a context in regards to the renewals of residence permits.
Until 2022 renewals were being made through the scheduling of an appointment at SEF in the 3 months prior the validity of the cards. On 2023, a new methodology for appointments scheduling was applied (an exceptional measure considering the backlog existent in SEF for issuing residence permits): renewals were being made automatically through a request submitted online and payment of the respective fees due. This was done without the need of Applicants coming to Portugal and without the need of submitting any documentation. After the payment was done, the card was issued in around one month. This method has been in force until December 2023 and for cards valid until December 31st, 2023.
At this moment, it is not possible to renew any cards issued after January 1st, 2024.
We were informed unofficially by a contact at AIMA that the renewals of GV and respective family members’ residence permits will be made in person at AIMA. The presential appointments for renewals will be reimplement again.
We did not receive information of when this will be in place and how the appointments will be scheduled.
However, and considering the information obtained, it is our understanding that all residence permits expired after January 1st 2024 will be covered by this measure.
I reaffirm this information is not official and therefore we cannot guarantee its authenticity.
We will, however, get back to you once we have additional information.
In regards to the login details for the renewal, new login details have to be created in the Platform for the renewal as it is a different platform. The logins usef for the ARI Portal are not compatible for the renewal Portal. However, for the reasons explained above, it is not possible to renew the cards expired after January 1st, 2024.
Any updates to this? My GV card expires June 2024 and I asked my lawyer regarding the renewal 2 weeks ago. She said that it is still unclear. Maybe its an online system on the lines of 2023. Maybe its an in-person appointments. No clarity as of now - that’s what my lawyer says.
Please take lawyer info with a grain of salt, as for them in person renewals are charged more significantly.
The online renewal is definitely under re-organization as they must implement processes and procedures to include relevant documentation. My opinion is that if they manage to update the system, online renewals will continue, if not, they will just extend the validity. Just to let you know, GV holders represent a very small percentage of residency holders, so going back to in person renewals is not considered a disaster for AIMA, especially that most of the other categories are renewable online.
Regardless of the situation and outcome, my advice is maintain the 7 days a year and you would be fine.
The budget includes the special regime of limited documentation that allows on-line renewals until June 30, 2024, if I recall correctly. That doesn’t require renewals be online though. After that the statutory requirement of presenting documentation is back in place and online wouldn’t be possible.
Can we travel on an expired residency card? My consultant based in Portugal sent me this:
“In Portugal, there exists a Law-decree that extends the validity of residence cards. The current decree extends the validity until June 30, 2024. Additionally, it is expected that the Government will renew this extension until the end of the year. We have had clients who travel into Portugal on expired cards - it is the fault of the immigration agency for not opening up slots for biometrics appointments in time, and the decree-law I mentioned is a way for the government to address this problem.”
I am from a country that requires a visa to visit the schengen area, when I went to the airport explaining to them my situation they said I would still be refused boarding and I should contact the embassy.
The travel agency I worked with suggested that the situation is explained to an airline in advance and they add an “OK to board” mark to your booking record. This way they avoid the risk of accepting a passenger who may be deported. I tried this recently ad it did work although I did have a bit of a debate as I boarded.
Luckily for me I flew with a small airline from the UK to Lisbon. I printed all my documents including the email from SEF to say the card was approved and I had my old card. They were okay with that and I was able to fly
