Wiki: Validity of expired documents and permits (Portugal)

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At present, documents and expired residence permits are automatically valid through June 30, 2025. This wiki tracks current status of such extensions.

Last Updated April 3 2025: While there is no official word from Portugal on extending past June 2025, it seems almost a certainty that the law extending validity of documents will be extended again, probably in May 2025, for 6 or 12 additional months.

History of extensions:

Decreto-Lei n.º 41-A/2024, de 28 de junho extended through June 30, 2025

Decreto-Lei N.º 109/2023, de 24 de Novembro extended through June 30, 2024

Decreto-Lei nº 90/2022, de 30 Decembro, extended through December 31, 2023

Decreto-Lei nº 22-A / 2021: extended through December 31, 2021

Decreto-Lei no. 10-A/2020, of 13 March extended through June 30, 2020

Relevant Legal Text:

Link to interpolated original law
https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/2020-130241777

Link to latest decree law:
Decreto-Lei n.º 41-A/2024 | DR (diariodarepublica.pt)

Link to original source law:
https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/10-a-2020-130243053

The relevant articles for most people with expired documents:

Articles 8 and 9 are the relevant provisions for most people with expired documents or permits. You also have to read article 36 to understand the entire picture: O presente decreto-lei entra em vigor no dia seguinte ao da sua publicação. And even further in the document it shows the the date of publication.

8 - Os documentos e vistos relativos à permanência em território nacional, cuja validade expire a partir da data de entrada em vigor do presente decreto-lei ou nos 15 dias imediatamente anteriores, são aceites, nos mesmos termos, até 30 de junho de 2025.

9 - Os documentos referidos no número anterior continuam a ser aceites, nos mesmos termos, após 30 de junho de 2025, desde que o seu titular faça prova de que já procedeu ao agendamento da respetiva renovação.

Artigo 36 Entrada em vigor
O presente decreto-lei entra em vigor no dia seguinte ao da sua publicação.

Later in the document:

Promulgado em 13 de março de 2020.

Travel outside Portugal with expired permits:
Residence permits which are expired but have had their validity extended, are not usable for travel outside Portugal within the Schengen zone. The AIMA FAQ says: “The extension of the validity of these documents and visas is limited to Portugal and is binding to the Portuguese authorities, with entry and movement in other Schengen Area complying with the Schengen Borders Code.” There are cases of people being able to travel with expired permits, as there are no checks in many border crossings. Some immigration officers in other Schengen countries have allowed expired permits. However, these are exceptions and should not be relied upon as an entitlement with a legal basis. Many Schengen countries require carrying of valid ID/permits by citizens and foreigners alike, which may be demanded during random police checks.

This wiki was created by @garbonzo. If you see an Edit button in the bottom right, you are welcome to contribute your knowledge.

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This is now updated . Unless I am missing something, this decree law will have only a marginal benefit for GV holders. For one, it only applies to documents and permits expiring after June 15, 2024, so if your permit expired before then it may not help. I don’t know how they interpret this. Second, it requires that you prove to have an appointment for renewal, and we all know how that is going right now. As a practical matter, I think if you show your expired permit at the border the agent will probably understand and take pity on you for having invested so much money into their country and being treated so poorly.

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You have to remember the laws stack on previous laws. Cards that would have expired earlier had their expiry date pushed to June 30 2024 by previous laws. So they are included under this latest law.

Of course it might be better for them to explicitly say everything expiring between March 2020 and June 2025 is extended until June 2025. But I believe the compounding effect of the laws is the same as this.

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That would make more sense.

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Based on @anonymous69 suggestion, I posted above a link to the interpolated law. This makes the situation more clear because reading the new decree law by itself, does not make it so obvious about rights.

I have posted the relevant provisions below. Articles 8 and 9 are the relevant provisions for most people with expired documents or permits. You also have to read article 36 to understand the entire picture: O presente decreto-lei entra em vigor no dia seguinte ao da sua publicação. And even further in the document it shows the the date of publication.

8 - Os documentos e vistos relativos à permanência em território nacional, cuja validade expire a partir da data de entrada em vigor do presente decreto-lei ou nos 15 dias imediatamente anteriores, são aceites, nos mesmos termos, até 30 de junho de 2025.

9 - Os documentos referidos no número anterior continuam a ser aceites, nos mesmos termos, após 30 de junho de 2025, desde que o seu titular faça prova de que já procedeu ao agendamento da respetiva renovação.

Artigo 36 Entrada em vigor
O presente decreto-lei entra em vigor no dia seguinte ao da sua publicação.

Later in the document:

Promulgado em 13 de março de 2020.

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I have been told that individuals entering Lisbon Airport with expired cards are being fined 250€. Does anyone have first hand experience with this?

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This is ridiculous. It is only for people who have overstayed and don’t have a legitimate basis for overstaying. Expired cards are extended through 2025.

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Yes, of course I know that. However the police at the airport are no longer AIMA, and I was told by a friend whose colleague was fined that the new folks are taking a very conservative view of “overstaying” to include expired residence cards. Again I have no first hand experience, which is why I was asking if anyone has entered Portugal at the Lisbon airport in the past week with an expired residence card and had that experience
.

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I am not worried about it and I don’t think you should be worried either. Fining you for overstaying would be unlawful. Take a copy of the despacho. Be prepared to assert your rights and point out the relevant law.

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Recently flew out of Madrid and yep, got the third degree upon exiting the union with about 3 months overstay, but after smiling a lot to the (female) officer and patiently explaining the debacle going on in PT, she understood and gave me (a very bright and wet) exit stamp…

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Interesting data point! So the PT extension law was recognised by a non-PT Schengen officer. But from your account it sounds like more of a concession on the day than a right for all of us.

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Given that there are many queries on whether expired documents (whose validity has been extended) are valid for travel in the Schengen area, I think we can add a section definitively saying ‘no’ based on AIMA’s own FAQ. What do you think @Garbonzo?

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Yes, this is absolutely correct. There are some examples of people being able to use the extension in other countries outside of Portugal but I suspect that is a one-off situation and should not be relied upon as a valid method of entry.