EU Certificate
The EU citizen doesn’t need a visa for residency purposes, but only an EU citizen’s certificate to obtain residency in Portugal.
The Registration Certificate is the document that formalizes the right of residence in Portugal and must be applied by any EU/EEA/Switzerland citizen that remains in Portugal for a period exceeding three months.
Therefore, once the first three months of entering the country are over, the citizen has a period of 30 days during which he must apply for the Registration Certificate at the City Hall of the area of residence in Portugal.
The application is made in person and, as a rule, this certificate is issued immediately upon request.
The documents and requirements to apply for the Registration Certificate are: Portuguese NIF number; passport; an affidavit, declaring to have sufficient funds and being covered by health insurance (if this is required of Portuguese nationals in the member state of the citizen’s nationality); rental agreement or property purchase contract in Portugal.
Residency through Family Reunification
They are entitled to Family Reunification:
– Spouse;
– Minor or incapacitated children under the care of the couple or one of the spouses;
– Minors adopted by the applicant when not married, by the applicant or by the spouse, as a result of a decision by the competent authority of the country of origin, provided that the law of that country recognizes the adopted rights and duties identical to those of natural parentage and that the decision is recognized by Portugal;
– Adult children, dependent on the couple or one of the spouses, who are single and studying at an educational establishment in Portugal;
– Adult children, dependent on the couple or one of the spouses, who are single and studying, whenever the holder of the right to reunification has a residence permit granted under the terms of article 90-A (residence permit for investment activity);
– The direct line and 1st degree ascendants of the resident or their spouse, as long as they are under their responsibility;
– Minor siblings, as long as they are under the guardianship of the resident, in accordance with the decision made by the competent authority of the country of origin and as long as this decision is recognized by Portugal.
The application for granting a residence permit is made by appointment and is delivered in person by the family member to be regrouped or by the holder of the right to family reunification (however, the family member always has to go to an AIMA Store to collect biometric data when applying), with a specific form signed by the applicant or his legal representative and can be presented at any AIMA Store, which can send it, after instruction and decision, to the services in the applicant’s area of residence.
The appointment may be scheduled at any AIMA Store by telephone, to the AIMA Contact Center, on (+351) 217 115 000, on weekdays, from 8am to 8pm or through the email geral@aima.gov.pt
The request must be accompanied by: residence permit for the citizen residing on the national territory; valid passport or other valid travel document; proof of legal entry into Portugal; duly authenticated proof of the family ties invoked (specific documents); declaration, under oath, of the residential address, stating under what terms the applicant is residing in the indicated house (e.g. owner, tenant…) and property registration certificate or the access code (if the applicant is the owner or usufructuary) or a statement from the landlord of the property or the hosting entity (if the applicant is the renter or lessee, among others); proof of means of subsistence; criminal record of the country of nationality of the family member to be reunited or criminal record of the country where he lived for more than a year, before residing in Portugal, duly authenticated; duly authenticated birth certificate, and in the case of dependent adult children, document proving economic dependence and enrollment in an educational establishment in Portugal; proof of economic dependence and family relationship, especially transfers made to the country of origin.
Validity of residence permits, visas and other documents
The Portuguese government has extended the validity of residence permits, visas and other documents for foreign nationals for another year, ensuring that their stay in Portuguese territory is legal.
This means:
– Until June 30, 2025, residence permits, visas and other documents relating to the stay on the Portuguese territory of foreign citizens whose validity expired after February 24, 2020, will continue to be accepted, under the same terms;
– After June 30, 2025, the aforementioned documents will also be accepted as long as the holder proves that it has already made an appointment to renew them.
By Dr Eduardo Serra Jorge
|| features@algarveresident.com
Dr Eduardo Serra Jorge is founding member, senior partner and CEO of lawyers firm Eduardo Serra Jorge & Maria José Garcia – Sociedade de Advogados, R.L., created in 1987.
In his column, he addresses legal issues affecting foreign residents in Portugal.
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