Unless you are already there and dont need it beforehand – if so, why apply for GV? – I wouldn’t plan on getting your GV approved by fall 2024. 24 months from date of application is a safe bet, but with the AIMA transition it could be even longer.
Many of us applied for the GV because the D7 process was closed down for covid. If the D7 option had been available that is what I would have applied for. The attorneys all said the GV process should take 4-6 months. No one knew at that point that the government would change priorities for for SEF and once Covid shut down was over, sent GV applicants to the back of the line. The line got longer with the Ukranian refugees and the Afgan refugees and, and, and. If fairness is at all a consideration, the start date for the 5 years would be re-set to either date of application or date of moving to Portugal.
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Fair enough. Although attorneys are still giving provably wrong timeline information, and theyve known that things are screwed up for years at this point.
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More than 24 months. I applied in Sept 21 and am still waiting for my card to be issued, 10 months after biometrics. I’d say 36 months.
On another note, for those of you who have done this and gone ahead and moved ahead of your residence card, how did you fare with shipping your belongings over?
From the language on the consulate website, it sounds like they technically want the residence card. But I wonder if a combination of a deed and the proof of attendance at biometrics would satisfy them.
edit woops, misread the post
They’ve done biometrics and are waiting on that
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We were told not to bother until the card is received. There is probably a chance you can convince someone to use your proof of bio completion with the Dispacho (assuming you applied prior to 01/01/2022) that would be accepted by shipping companies, customs, etc., but it was just too much hassle. For now, we stored whatever we might still want in a storage unit in the U.S., brought essentials in large suitcases and boxes (flying business class helps here - more weight allowance), and bought everything else we need here.
I wonder what’s actually cheaper, not that it was the determining factor. A business class ticket to Europe, or paying extra baggage fees!
That depends from where you are booking your flight. If you are making a roundtrip from the U.S. shores, your price would be about 50% higher than if you were booking the roundtrip from the European coast. At those prices, indeed it is cheaper, IMHO. Hence, if you planning to “set up the shop” in Portugal, you are better off getting a one-way ticket, and then booking the roundtrips from Lisbon. Funny how it works… 
If you want a confirmation, check https://www.momondo.com and play with the parameters (i.e. LAX - LIS - LAX, and then LIS - LAX - LIS). One caveat: make your reservation way (i.e. LONG WAY) in advance.
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Update: we just travelled back into Portugal again with expired tourist visa and no residency. We last did this in October 2023 through Faro. This time was Denver to London to Lisbon. We had to go back for death in the family. Lisbon has installed electronic passport readers which I went through with no issue. My husband had problems but he always does with those readers. He needs to replace his passport I guess. He went through the manual line. Both were no issues. We applied in late 2021 which is supposed to allow us to stay without issue I guess.
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Thank you for the update. This has been a concern for us since moving without our residency permits. Good to hear that it wasn’t an issue for you. 
Update on travel to/from Portugal on overstayed tourist visa (with U.S. Passport):
We travelled from Lisbon to Sydney via Paris where E.U. visa check was performed. At CDG airport, an electronic scan was performed without any issues, and a rather unimpressed French border officer promptly slapped a very clear exit stamp on our passports.
After six weeks in Australia, we were returning back to Lisbon via Madrid. At Barajas airport, a very friendly Spanish border policement promptly found a clean page in our passports and also stamped it with very clear ink. No electronic checks,… and no issues of any kind.
Our next flight will be to the U.S. via München in about a month. Let’s see how we weather there…
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It is worth noting that long-awaited European electronic border control - EES (Entry/Exit System) is due to unroll November 10th, 2024. And so, many previous “trick” with over-styaing tourist visa may no longer work. Consider flying in and out of Portugal through a non-Schengen country if your visa has expired.
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