Oh thatās the best news Iāve heard for ages!! Well done you, (and get booking some flights me!)
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How long did you over stay in Portugal? Was you out of Portugal long enough to āgainā any days back for re-entry?
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@mborcherding and All - can you please remind me what official document (despacho?) permits the entry and stay in PT with pre-approval papers only?
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I moved to Portugal on March 15 and stayed in the States 3 weeks before returning to Portugal. As a golden visa applicant I only need to be in country 7 days a year, but I do live here perminantly. However, since I have overstayed my Schengen 90 day visa I canāt travel to any Schengen country until I get my residence card, and who knows how long that will take. Been waiting for my SEF appointment for more than 14 months.
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Thanks for replying! Did you have to show any documentation , proof of SEF application etcā¦ on re-entry into Portugal?
Looks like I have found the answer to my own question 
https://dre.pt/dre/detalhe/despacho/12870-c-2021-176908200
I believe this is the latest ādespachoā on this subject, dated 31 Dec 2021.
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Barely showed my passport. He stamped it in a hurry, no questions, and I was on my way. Frankly, I was shocked.
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Tommy - Thanks for this link. Iāve read it a couple of times, but Iām struggling to interpret it, tbh.
So - somewhere within this content, is it saying that it is ālegalā to start living in Portugal, after Pre-approval of GV has been confirmed?
Iām unclear at exactly what stage of the GV application process an individual is able to start going to Portugal and overstaying the 90/180 rule.
I have only just been pre-approved, so am expecting many many months of waiting to even be invited for a biometrics appointmentā¦ let alone attend one! Obtaining my card realistically isnāt going to happen at least, and at best, until 2024.
Iād like to ascertain now though, when I can legally go to Portugal and remain beyond 90 days?
I think my lawyer has said this will not be until I have the residence card literally in my hand. But based on submissions on this thread, Iām not sure if this is correct, and maybe I can challenge my lawyer on this point?
Any insights/ advice/ thoughts on this topic will really be most gratefully received!!
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I personally have not tested this āDespachoā as I have not yet overstayed.
Everyone I showed it to though seemed very surprised and impressed 
Including my lawyer, my customs broker, my local Financas officeā¦
You should look for the quote which talks about āpending processes with SEFā or something along those lines.
There you go, I have found it:
ā considera-se ser regular a sua permanĆŖncia em territĆ³rio nacional, com processos pendentes no ServiƧo de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF)ā
I definitely have a āpending process with SEFā, I even have the āprocess numberā - thatās the one showing on your SEF ARI portal if you look it up.
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Tommy,
Where did you find this quote? Would you please share the source (unless, of course, it is strictly confidential)?
Thank you.
This quote is from the document I shared in my post above in Novā22
Thank you. I will look for it.
And if you are not sure if it applies to GV, my answer is Yes - see clause 2a which mentions
ā 90.Āŗ-A da Lei n.Āŗ 23/2007, de 4 de julhoā
- that is us, GV applicants
Actually, the document states in the end of the preamble that is valid āno Ć¢mbito da doenƧa COVID-19ā. Is it still considered in force in light of the āend of the pandemicā, so to speak?
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In my humble non-legal opinion, this Despacho is still in force and applies to your case as long as you initially applied before 1 Jan 2022.
The context of the pandemic is meant to say that SEF had delays in full years of 2020-21 hence this Despacho is extending the validity of previous ones.
It does not put any condition on the future continuation of the āpandemicā.
Thanks. I hope you are right. I will know in a month once I am leaving after an overstay in light of SEF appointment.
Sure, I recommend you print out this Despacho just in case.
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I certainly will! Thank you for posting it!
To U.S. Applicants:
I have finally managed to receive the text of the Treaty signed between U.S. and Portugal that grants 60-day visas to U.S. citizens with ordinary passports (thatās what most of us have). I am planning to have it on hand when I exit Portugal in a month in case someone starts questioning my status. Frankly, I donāt anticipate issues, but just in case, it might be good to have it on hand if you overstayed your automatic 90-day Schengen visa.
Text of US-Portugal Visa Treaty.pdf (1.3 MB)
Please note, this does not allow you to travel throughout Europe, but you can stay in Portugal beyond the 90-day limit if it is honoured by SEF at the airport. Book your flight to a non-Schengen destination so that you go through the border control in Lisbon.
Good luck!
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