Portugal Forum

ksntoportugal
Joined 2022
Posts: 22

1 year ago

The SEF Mtg. in Portugal

1 year ago

So, here goes.

When we received our passports from the US consulate they contained our PT visas. Each visa contained a link to our scheduled meeting date and location. My spouses was Oct. 10 at Agualva-Cacem; mine was Oct. 11 at Odivelas. We reside in Lisbon.

In order to to be familiar with transport times and locations, two weeks before our meetings we visited each site. Public transit would suffice for my spouse's meeting. For mine, I decided to Uber there as my scheduled time was at 8:30 am, when they opened and the office was not close to the metro station.

I followed the suggestions from the article, "United States Citizen Moving to Portugal: Demystifying the Paper Trail," https://www.expatexchange.com/ctryguide/4216/92/Portugal/United-States-Citizens-Moving-to-Portugal-Demystifying-the-Paper-Trail .

The only question I had was regarding the permanent address to use (use your address in Portugal, this is the address they will use to mail your residence card).

Oh, the documents are in Portuguese; but if you have a Google account, you can download them and then upload them into Google Translate so that you understand what is needed. Just be sure to submit the Portuguese application.

Both interviews went very well, but differed in which documents they wanted to see. My spouse's interview required only the last 3 months of our Portuguese bank statements. Mine, on the other hand, required me to present all of the documents listed in the article. I had copies from the original visa application that I used. HOWEVER, I did provide the three months of statements from the time of entry into the country until the SEF appointment for my Portuguese bank account. My bank printed the copies for me at no charge (Millennium Bank).

I also had to provide two recent photos. In regards to the photos, you can use any of the photo booths at the metro stations or shopping malls. They are clearly marked that they can be used for identification photos such as passports (I had my photos from the visa app, but thought it best to have new photos as I had lost 15 pounds and had shaved my full beard). My spouse's appointment was at a center where they were capable of taking the photo. The photo capabilities was exactly as explained in the article.

We both paid the fees in cash with the exact change. Neither office was capable of making change. Both were able to take a Portuguese bank card. The total was 158.15 Euros for each application.

So now it has been one week and we are expecting to receive the cards next week.

I hope you have similar positive experiences.

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Allianz Care

Flexible solutions allow you to tailor your cover to meet your needs and budget. Use Promocode: LIFE10 and get 10% off your international health insurance for life!
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Allianz Care

Flexible solutions allow you to tailor your cover to meet your needs and budget. Use Promocode: LIFE10 and get 10% off your international health insurance for life!
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Contribute
Help others in Portugal by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Portugal.