SEF Appointment (Resident Permit/Autorização de Residência )

After successfully obtaining your D7 (temporary) visa, there is usually a web link on your Portugal visa attached to your passport. This link provides you the information for SEF appointment (eg. date and location). The SEF appointment is to obtain your residency permit or known as the Autorização de Residência.

Note: I did everything myself and did not use an agent or lawyer (which I hear other people doing).

In most cases that I gathered, most appointments are located differently to where you live in Portugal. So there is some hassle to get there. But luckily in my case, my appointment location was in the same city I live in and I got there 45 minutes before the appointment schedule (not necessary, as I still had to wait about 40 minutes until my ticket number was called).

When you arrive at the SEF office, you go to the staff/security and let them know you have a SEF appointment and he/she will check your name against the schedule he/she has and give you a ticket number. You just wait until your ticket number shows up on the screen and go to that Table Number allocated (eg. Mesa numero).

Be sure that you have all the documents as listed here (available in the SEF website link as attached here):

1. Two recent, identical photographs, in colour with blank background, and easily identifiable (only for appointments at Odivelas, Aveiro or Braga SEF bureau)
2. Passport or any other valid travel document
3. Valid residence visa
4. Evidence of sufficient means of subsistence, as per the provisions of Order number 1563/2007, of 11/12
5. Evidence that the applicant has adequate accommodation
6. Permission for SEF to check Portuguese criminal record (except for under 16 years old)
7. A document attesting to the existence of a family relationship, where applicable
8. Supporting evidence of registration within Tax Authority
9. Document proving that the applicant is registered with the Social Security, where applicable
10. Health insurance or supporting evidence he/she is covered by the National Health Service

The first items, the officer checks are your passport and the application form if its filled in correctly (they will kindly assist you if something is missing, though I didn't sign it before going to the SEF office. I signed the form in front of them).

Please note, I read that the format the officer checks may differ esp. in different SEF offices such as they do/don't need your passport photos; payment can only be in cash or card (so bring both); and supporting documents like utility bills to prove residency rather than a scanned contract of your rental lease (so bring both).

The next documents, the officer checked were evidence of sufficient means. So I provided 3 months worth of some statements I had regular passive income I get from my home country and also my Portugal bank account statements (3 months worth) showing the most recent monthly statement with an end of month balance of €8400 (it was short €60 to the Portugal 2022 minimum salary of €8460 for single applicant as I didn't bother using Revolut or Wise to do a minor transfer and cope some fees). That was fine in my case.

The officer did ask if I had evidence of working and obtaining a salary in Portugal, which I didn't and that was okay. If you do, you would had needed to provide the Social Security number or documents.

Evidence of your residency was required so I provided a scanned copy of my 12 month lease which I obtained whilst in my home country and provided some receipts by my landlord of the rent, water, and internet I was paying the landlord. Note: my landlord is a corporation.

They also asked for the official document of your NIF that you obtained with your tax agent (same document you provided when obtaining the D7 visa in your home country).

Finally, I gave the document of my international health insurance for 1 year, which was the same document you presented to obtain your D7 visa. If not, you should have a Utente number (or documents relating to that), as for D7 applicants usually you don't have this because you needed to prove you have been living here for some time.

The officer will scan all your documents and give them back to you. Then will take your photo (for the residency permit card) and finger prints on a machine they have.

Finally you pay €158.15 (or the way the Europeans type it, is €158,15). Note: the office I was in only accepted card payments, though I read other offices accept only cash payments or others do both (so be advised to have both forms of payment with you).

Upon payment you know the appointment was successful and they provide you with a one page temporary Autorização de Residência in the form of paper. They will inform you that the permit card will be posted to your address within 1 to 2 months via secured mail which you have to collect at the CTT Post Office if I understood their poor English correctly (so make sure the address on the one page is correct, because I heard from someone who didn't check her address properly did not get her card, so she had to do her SEF appointment again).

Good luck to you all, if you have any questions feel free to post it on the comments section!

------------------------------------------------------------

GET $10 USD OF FREE BITCOIN WITH GEMINI:
https://gemini.com/share/yr4mvzgfy

Use Wise to send money abroad. Really easy and a lot cheaper than the bank! Give it a try with a fee-free transfer of up to 500 GBP. https://wise.com/invite/ata/williamh1038