Expat Community > Portugal

whatsnext
Joined 2018
Posts: 31

Visa and moving questions

6 years ago

Hi,
We're trying to figure out when to start the application process for a residency visa from the US. We are unlikely to do a single "clean" move with all our stuff and pets (for lots of reasons) and will likely do so incrementally. (We are thinking of renting a small, furnished place initially, then taking more time to find someplace to really settle.) Given that:

1) My understanding is that one's visa application can't be submitted more than 3 months before your intended arrival in Portugal. Yet, it sounds like it often takes 2+ months to get a visa approval. Do people just choose their preferred date of arrive, get tickets and hope for the best? Any recommendations about this?

2) Once you have your visa in hand, you have to arrive in Portugal and get an appointment set at SEF within 4 months. So, in theory, one could arrive, set the appointment and leave again (um, to finish things up back in the US), is that correct?

3) My understanding is that the residency visa allows only two entries into Portugal so, if one did leave after setting the SEF appointment, there would only be one more entry, which would be needed to attend the appointment. Is that right?

4) If your SEF appointment is not within the 4 month visa timeline, I understand that the visa is automatically extended until your appointment (as long as you have evidence of the appointment with you.) Do the number of entries into the country change at that point?

5) My understanding is that, during the first year of a Temporary Residency Permit, one can be out of the country for up to 6 months, with no limits on the number of entries. Does that one year start when the appointment is set, the date of the SEF appointment, or when the residency card arrives at your home?

6) Can you travel out of the country (and get back in!) in the time between your SEF appointment and the arrival of your card? If so, are you given another paper from SEF to show you have residency?

7) If you move any time in this process (beginning with applying for the visa) how do you handle it? What happens if you set your SEF appointment and then move to a different area?

And, finally (for now!):
8) I know that belongings need to arrive in the first year of residency. Is that from the time you arrive with your residency visa or from the time residency is approved? At what point do you need to supply the list of what you are bringing?

Thanks for any help or words of wisdom you can pass along!

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Expat Community > Portugal

Visa and moving questions

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