Someone on a different platform flagged a comment from their lawyers: that AIMA had stalled the issuance of residence cards for a while, since the 2 year initial validity of the cards was reverting to 1 year. So I’ve been digging about a bit:
The renewal cycle used to be 1y/2y/2y. It was changed to 2y/2y/2y in the State Budget Law of 2020, passed in March 2020, as a simplification measure during Covid, and applied to permits issued in 2020. The same clause was passed in the next two years’ Budgets, applying to permits issued in 2021 and 2022.
The Budget for 2023 doesn’t have the same clause, but does contain some wording that a “simplified procedure for… granting and renewing residence permits remains in force for 2023”, but only until AIMA takes over.
So it may well be that, with AIMA in charge, the simplified regime has now lapsed, and we are back to 1y/2y/2y. At least that would put us back into sync with the Regulations covering minimum stay, which have always talked about 7 days in the first year, 14 in subsequent two year periods.
Just received my card issued 15 Feb 2024 and it expires 15 Feb 2026 so 2 years. In her email my attorney said there’s a 14 day requirement of stay during the two year period.
That would be me. Thank you @cj807 for trying to get more feedback. We certainly would like to hear from applicants that have received their cards this year if their card validity has changed at all.
Thank you Tosh. This would have affected cards issued in 2024. One of the reasons AIMA stopped approvals for ARI cards, was to be able to apply the changes to the validity of the Temporary Resident Cards to 1y/2y/2y validity.
Well so far we have 1 data point @Calpoidog who received a 2 year initial card printed just two weeks ago. And 0 people reporting receiving 1 year card. So this is promising so far.
Absolutely nothing to worry about but important to be informed since it came up in few conversations I had with few lawyers and one webinar on what is changing with GV.
I just got my card 2 days ago and it expires in February 2025 - so ONE year. What the heck is going on? Do I need to stay for 7 days in the first year? I am planning on doing a 6 day trip in April… if it needs to be 7 days someone needs to tell me!!!
Thanks for reporting. That seems to confirm the speculation that started this thread.
Regulations for minimum stays were never updated for the previous two year initial validity. So they remain 7 days in the first year.
Note that there seems consensus in these forums that the 7 days does not include travel days - so I suggest you make sure you spend seven full days in Portugal during the next year.
Thanks. This utterly disrupts my plans. I was planning on a 7 day where the travel days WERE included…now i have to leave 2 days earlier and miss some of a previous destination (plus the direct flight doesnt run on that day!). What a fiasco.
It seems you may be the first to report a one-year card. It would be really helpful if you could share the date/location of your biometrics and the date that AIMA issued your final approval?
Hi. It is in the database, but for those who don’t want to search - Biometrics in Portafino January 7 2023, final approval 31 July 2023, paid within minutes of getting the email, card arrived at my lawyer last Friday. Utterly unimpressed with the clusterfuck that was getting the residence card.
Tough luck. Not sure why/how/ what is going with bloody AIMA. But paying 5700Euros for having a card with 1 year validity is pricey. My wife’s card has exprired date on Jan 2026. Still 2 years!!