The in-country stay requirement starts from the issue date of the very first card, and goes on based on calendar years regardless of the renewal dates. So you cannot skip a 2 year period in the middle of your GV journey and NOT travel to PT while waiting for a renewed card.
Does anyone know - will the online renewal still require attendance in person at an appointment? Assuming you are within 10 years since last biometrics so with current renewal process you can send your lawyer instead.
I have a renewal appt in early April and my lawyer said it was preferred I attend but not necessary.
I think I remember my attorney telling me that the only stay/visit requirement is during the life span of each of the ARI resident cards so that you can qualify for the next resident card (~14 days in two years). And to not worry about visits when you don’t have a physical card. Am I misunderstanding this situation?
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If you have no gap between cards there is no misalignment. But if you have a sizeable gap say 1 year and skip 2 years of visits at the same time ( eg you visit for 14 days only just before you renewal) then AIMA may pick up on that. Because it’s not what the legal requirements dictate (7 days first year and then 14 days every two years thereafter)
I don’t think the expiration date on the card states the end of its “life span”. There have always been extensions while the renewal is in process. Are you thinking you let the whole thing lapse without initiating a renewal?
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I might be misunderstanding your point, but I’ve had the same advice as @Scott_Jones from my lawyer and it’s how I’ve managed it since 2020.
The stay requirement is tied to the validity period of the residence card, not Jan–Dec calendar years.
The law requires 7 days in the first card year and 14 days across each subsequent two year card periods.
Only days when a residence permit is legally valid count. Periods with an expired card and no statutory extension don’t contribute to the minimum stay requirement. Even though it’s possible to enter into or reside in Portugal with an expired card and proof of a pending renewal, that’s a separate issue from how AIMA attributes physical presence to a legally valid residence permit for ARI purposes.
My last card expired in November, my renewal was in January, but I don’t yet have the new card, so time spent in Portugal now isn’t treated by AIMA as counting toward the ARI stay requirement. As far as I know, that’s always been the case.
I did not say it is tied to a calendar year from 1st January. It’s tied to a calendar year starting from the date of the first card issuance.
I understand AIMA may in practice be lenient towards that rule.
However if they later decide suddenly to apply the law as it is, it would be unfortunate for those who totally skipped the months/years between cards.
Ok, that was partly lost in translation. In the US, “calendar year” has a legal meaning of Jan–Dec.
But to your other point, our obligation is tied to card validity periods (generally 1yr + 2yrs + 2yrs). Legally, the five years is cumulative, not continuous (even though in an ideal world there would be no gaps). There is no concept of a “calendar year starting from first card issuance” in the statute.
So AIMA isn’t being “lenient” by not counting time between cards. They just can’t enforce a requirement on an expired card. And there’s no statutory basis for them to require your presence during a period when you don’t have a valid card and no extension is in place.
If you let your ARI lapse by not initiating a renewal when required, that’s a different issue.
Just a question, My card expired in 6 April 2025 and my card renewal was done on 21 January 2026. The new card is expected to be issued around April/May 2026 which makes it one year of card expiraion. Assuming the new card is issued by AIMA on 6 April 2026, it will be exactly one year expiration.
But remember there is an government extension for all expired cards (before 30 June), till 15 Oct 2025 and a further extension to 15 April 2026 which means there is a 1 year government extension for my expired card. My lawyer said I only need the minimum stay of 7 or 14 days in Portugal after the card has been issued. This means that I don’t need to be in Portugal within this one year of government extension. Does it mean the 1 year extension by government is irrelevent because I don’t have a valid permit card?
Personally, with all the changes in Portugal politically, I’m planning to come before 6 April in order to run away from any changes now and in the future. Is this ok?
Still no cards as of February…
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My lawyer gave me the same advice that yours gave to you. The extension keeps your legal residence status valid even though the card is expired. But you don’t need to be in Portugal during that extension period. The 7 or 14 requirement only starts once the new card is issued. Coming before 6 April is allowed and fine for peace of mind, but it’s not legally required under the current rules.
Same advice given by my lawyer. The stay requirement is during the validity of your card.
Is your lawyer NSM or another lawyer?
Same story repeats itself. I have read on Facebook group that some D7 applicants get their cards very quickly after renewal. GV goes to the back of the queue. At least we now know the reason.
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Apparently portal will only open Feb 16th and those with appts are to keep them. Also the new method starts ONLY for those with crds expiring in Mar 2026.
Does anyone know with this new method, will your lawyer still need to attend an appointment? (Assuming your biometrics are within 10/5 years).
Hi! Where did you get the info, that the new method starts only for cards expiring in March 26?
The official announcement from AIMA says nothing about March 26.
https://aima.gov.pt/pt/noticias/portal-de-renovacoes-aima-disponibiliza-renovacao-de-ari
Funny is that when you go to the Portal of Renewals (link at the bottom of AIMA article) it says you can only access it from Portugal