WIKI: HOW-TO: Golden Visa Renewal Mega Thread (January 2025 →)

Residencies & citizenships Portugal Golden Visa 🇵🇹
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81

To my understanding that is not true.
I am referring to the SEF manual, section 3. Renovação.

82

Mine was based on practical experience. SEF was dissolved long time ago. Portugal is well known for its inconsistency. Maybe at some aima branches they follow the old manual. Maybe not. My renewal was done in Sept 2024 at Aima Central Lisbon and I had to provide the same set of documents as the first time. Proof of 14 days was done via receipts with Nif (No hard copies needed - aima accepted the scanned of receipts).

83

Fair enough, but how did you know which documents you had to present before your appointment? Did AIMA email you a list (which I doubt they do?) or did your lawyer send you his/her list?
If the latter, I think we all know how this may have been compiled…

84

My lawyer sent the list of docs to me.
I think Aima do not send anything. I believe that lawyer knows the required documents thru his previous clients. Imagine if you have 20 clients to take care of. After taking the first one thru the renewal process, you know what it’s needed and repeat the same thing for the rest 19 clients.

85

The lawyers think it is essential to re-submitting. It is holding my application as the bank is not providing it.

86

I think this particular thread has outlived its purpose, given that automatic renewals are over.

@tkrunning News and information about renewals in the post-automatic 2024/2025 is spread across multiple topics: this one, What are the latest GV renewal procedures?, WIKI: HOW-TO: Golden Visa Renewal Mega Thread (January 2025 →). Now that some concrete information is trickling in from people actually getting renewal appointments, I think it makes sense to focus the updates on one thread. Something like Awaiting Renewal (Stage R)? And a matching Awaiting Naturalisation (Stage N)?

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87

The Wiki already exists that you mentioned. It should be easy to rename it to whatever you want, and merge any relevant information into that thread.

88

Yes, @Beanieskis , it is ridiculous. I will not surrender. They presented a shabby discount. I guess the law firms are lacking the source of income (cash flow) due to the chaotic GV situation. After the GV program is terminated, they may lose opportunities to collect revenue from its applicants/holders. We have to be smart to differentiate good law firms which can support us with fidelity and follow ethics from the ones which are willing to squeeze whatever money greedily from us. :pray:

89

Consolidating 2025 renewal news from other threads. These are physical appointments.

There does not appear to be any special lawyer channel, they’re sending mail to the standard address, geral@aima.gov.pt

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90

Can confirm our attorney just emailed for the appointment. Before she did she said she had absolutely no idea when we would hear back, nor when the appointment would be. She was very surprised to hear back the same day and even more surprised for us to get both appointments within three months of our request, at the same office, appointments 30 minutes apart.

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91

Common theme here seems to be that they are prioritizing primary cardholders, even those with dependents?

92

Thanks, this is a great idea!
Update, my lawyer contacted me 2 weeks later and she managed to get an appointment for my dependent as well for June but 2 weeks later than mine. His card also expired in January 2025.

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93

Actually, looks to me like most people with dependents (4 out of 5) got appointments for everyone in the family, either in one shot or in quick succession.

94

My point being that there are a lot of dependent applicants whose permits expired in 2023 and 2024. These reports seem to suggest that AIMA is skipping over those dependents and giving renewal appts to people whose cards expired in 2025. My theory was that they were prioritizing primary applicants with expired cards. Dunno, it’s the AIMA lottery.

95

OK, I see what you mean. Automatic renewal was active off and on through mid-2024 but there were reports of dependents not being able to avail the automatic route.

I don’t think AIMA is skipping over anyone deliberately, right now they’re handing out appointments to whatever mails catch their attention, and they’re definitely not looking at their backlog mails. Once they formalise an online application process, maybe things will get more orderly and they can start processing according to some criteria like expiry date or application date.

My guess is that if the dependents (or their lawyers) whose cards expired in 2023/2024 send email now, they have as good a chance as anyone, primary or dependent, whose card expired in 2025. The appointments-by-email process seems to have picked up pace from mid-March.

96

I’m sorry if the information I’m asking for has been mentioned before (I have not been able to find it). My residency card expired in March, 2025. Should we be actively writing emails to AIMA asking for a renewal appointment or should we be waiting for further notice from AIMA about what they are going to do about renewals?

97

This question is literally addressed in the actual wiki thread where you are posting!?! :exploding_head:

There is no magic solution here. You can wait or you can try something. For most people it doesn’t matter because AIMA isn’t giving out generous helpings of appointments.

98

The strategy I followed was to ask my lawyers to send mail to AIMA. Lawyers seem to be having better luck than individuals. They know the right format (subject line should contain “ARI”, etc) and the cadence for retrying.

99

I wonder if these folks are currently living in PT or not.

FYI, I know of 2 cases at least (mine and another person) whose cards expired LAST YEAR (2024) and we still cannot renew families. So go figure re: priorities.

And we have emailed AIMA too. And don’t live in PT.

100

Thanks for the info.