I’ve spent 7+ days each year while waiting for the first visa. Each visit helps me recover from feeling embittered and disenfranchised. Might not be a terrible idea to keep people in touch with the positive pats of Portugal while they string us along.
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That’s a good reason – keep positive. 
I was wondering if I should visit already with a new law looming. If they’re counting the 5 years from some point earlier in the application period (yet to be determined), maybe they will also change when they consider you should be making your annual 7-day visits.
If you CAN visit, you absolutely should. Lisbon is a great city and the islands I hear are amazing (haven’t been, myself yet)
While week or 2 weeks stay in PT, do we have to maintain any specific documents like-Hotel invoice other Invoices , use NIF for shopping .
or log anywhere to prove the stay ?
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Thanks a lot
I double checked with my lawyer at ( Pinto Ribeiro Advogados) this was the response:
Me: For the first two years of the residence (7 days) stay is enough for the renewal to go through ? After that 14 days in two years?
Lawyer: This is correct
Me: Ok, so it is not 14 days for the first two years .
Lawyer: No
Lawyer: They did not adjust the stay requirement when they decided that the validity of the initial card would be 2 years instead of 1 year.
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Thanks for checking with your lawyer. I still think it is too risky to stay only one week in the first two years.
- If the regulations said 7 days for the first card, instead of first year, there might be a case for sticking to the letter of the regulations. But the measurement for stay is days per year, not days per card (“7 dias, seguidos ou interpolados, no 1.º ano; b) 14 dias, seguidos ou interpolados, nos subsequentes períodos de dois anos.”).
- Sure, there is a ‘bug’ in the regulations, they’re not up to date, but the intent of 7 days per year on average for a given card, is pretty clear. Neither the letter nor spirit is met by doing only 7 days in the first 2 years.
- More than one lawyer and GV professional have the opinion that it’s 14 days in the first 2 years. In fact this is the first I’m hearing of any lawyer saying 7 days is enough for the first 2 years.
- Finally, I don’t know what the mitigation is - if you fail to meet the stay requirements, do you crash out of the program or restart from the last card or what? The risk seems ridiculously high compared to the cost of spending an extra week.
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This is what we were told as well.
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That reminds me, I remember when initially investigating the program they advertised “your biometrics trip can count towards your 2 weeks stay for the prior period”. Anyone know if that’s valid or just false advertising? Or used to be valid, but only when biometrics were scheduled more timely?
More than one lawyer told 2022 and 2023 applicants to expect a sub-12 month wait, too! They are filled to the brim with trustworthy information.
I do not believe this is true. It’s only after your residence permit has been issued that the stay requirements kick in. Per my lawyer.