I was wondering if there are forumites who have sued SEF for biometrics appointment and have succeeded or are waiting for results (and interested in sharing experiences, timelines etc.)
Cost of lawsuit would be useful to know.
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I am in the situation that got pre-approved in 2/2021 and offered biometrics but could not come due to medical reasons, then forever “lost in the system”. My attorney recommended initiating a lawsuit, which I just authorized. The legal cost is 4,000 Euros and court costs 400 Euros. Sad that this became necessary. I’m interested in others’ experiences.
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Mine was preapproved in June 2019. I had an opportunity to schedule the biometrics, but due to health issues did not do so. Missed an appointment in November 21 because of Covid 19 travel restrictions. From June 2022, I had three lawyers try one after another to get another appointment. No luck. Hence lawsuit filed in early April. Lawyer fees eur 5,000 plus court costs.
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I am a late Nov / early Dec 21 applicant. Pre-approved in Dec 22. Got notice for biometrics in Mar 23 and completed biometrics in Apr 23.
Sometime in Sept 22, my lawyer and I discussed the possibility of filing a court action to compel SEF to move my case along. I believe this was filed sometime in Nov or Dec 22. While I received a favorable ruling in March of this year, it seems most folks who applied around the same time I did also received approvals and invitations to biometrics around the same time.
My lawyer fees cost 1k Euros + court fees, the later which I did not have to pay given the successful ruling. So significantly lower than what others have quoted here, though this could be because I was an early case before my lawyer had much experience suing SEF. My understanding, though I am unsure why, is that 1) not everyone received a favorable outcome and 2) the court action applies to pre-approval and biometrics phases only.
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Would you mind sharing which lawyer you used please?
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Hi anonymous67,
Congratulations! Did you do your biometrics in Lisbon or elsewhere? My family and I did our biometrics in Lisbon in early October 2022, and there is still no progress. We have been told that they are still processing the July biometrics cases. In Feb we were told that they are still processing the June biometric cases.
So what’s your advice brother?
Regards,
My lawyer expects to file our lawsuit next week.
FYI, my lawyer confirmed this week that Lisbon is currently working on July22 biometrics
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Dear god. I wonder if the transition from SEF to the new agency will have any impact on that. I just did biometrics in Lisbon in March 23, but this leads me again to wonder if I should see about engaging a lawyer to file suit if I don’t hear anything by the fall.
Yes, have a lawsuit ready. It’s the only way to get reasonable timetables if you’re not going to jump through hoops like going to specific SEF offices
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Wishing you luck. I’m nearing four months of wait since filing mine. Get depressed thinking about what if it’s not successful, or even if it’s successful, whether a wait of 16 months or more will follow after the biometrics as my application was submitted in Lisbon originally. On top of that there’s this worry about whether I can time the securing of the required documents so that they are ready and apostilled within the 3 month time frame.
Starting to regret getting into this venture.
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Do you know if your lawyer filed under a special urgent proceeding or just the normal process?
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No, but I got a sense that it was the first as he was expecting a decision in 1-2 months.
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I had my biometrics in Lisbon in March 2022. However not received the cards yet! Anyone else in a similar situation?
Through the excellent work of Chris (cj807) we benefit from a list he created and updates regarding Lisbon cases. It’s under a different thread: [Nomad Gate Community] [Residencies & citizenships/Portugal Golden Visa 
] Awaiting Final Approval (Stage 4). You can help him (and thereby us all) by sending your info for listing and updating.
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I asked my lawyer and he confirmed that he had requested an urgent decision. He is surprised that there hasn’t been a decision or even any movement since March 17th.
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Hi Garrett, did your lawyer say how long its taking these days to get a decision on these lawsuits? Its been four months since my case was filed and no response yet. Getting very anxious. Thanks.
My lawyer confirmed it was for urgent consideration. Four months gone by without any news.
Did your lawywer say long yours may take?