Picture this: You have taken your ticket, waited patiently in line to speak to the person behind the counter, but when you get there, you find yourself struggling to explain exactly what you need, and answers are not very forthcoming – sound familiar?
It doesn’t matter how long you have lived in Portugal, or even how much of the language that you speak; sometimes just finding the right place to turn for answers, or to know what questions you need to ask, is the biggest issue – and this is where afpop can help.
For almost 40 years, our not-for-profit association has been helping people like you to navigate their way through life in Portugal. Our team of experts has decades of experience in helping foreign residents get the answers they need.
Sometimes a question can be answered easily by simply visiting our website (afpop.com) and browsing through our many bulletins and fact sheets; other times you may need more in-depth advice, specific to your own individual case. Whatever your situation, our members know that afpop is a place where you can rely on receiving information that will be of use.
EU lanes at the airport
At afpop we also work to continuously keep up to date with any changes in laws and rules that may affect our members. One of the issues that has been causing concern for our members recently has been the rules regarding entering Portugal with a non-EU passport when you are a resident.
Following reports from members, who shared with us examples of them not being allowed to go through the EU gates with their non-EU passport and their Portuguese Residency document, we at afpop raised the matter again with the PSP Airport Police in Faro. They clarified again that, while the Schengen Borders Code determines that non-EU citizens should use the “All Passports” lanes, it is their firm understanding that, since the Entry/Exit System (EES) does not apply to residents, then their entry should be facilitated.
The PSP airport police told afpop that their standing instructions to all border guards is that residents should be allowed to use the EU lanes. They will reinforce this message internally to ensure that their officers are fully aligned.
Thanks to the strong connections of afpop to Portuguese entities, we are able to find the right information, from the right source – which means that you don’t have to wait in the queue and hope for the best.
Find out more about becoming a member of afpop by visiting afpop.com, emailing info@afpop.com or calling +351 282 458 509.
Daisy Sampson, CEO, afpop
afpop is the largest association for foreign residents in Portugal, which since 1987 has specialised in providing a comprehensive range of information, services and support to members.
