2024 is drawing to an end. It is sunny and warm in Porto. And I have accomplished nothing. Sure, I’ve found every good Craft Beer bar in the city, more than a few cocktail bars, and a reliable source of Port wine, but who hasn’t? What I don’t have is residency. In January, I applied for a Portuguese visa to stay in Porto for two years. It is Christmas, and I am still waiting for a Portuguese residency card. Maybe 2025 will be more productive.
So, here’s the story…
I started my application in October 2023, but I couldn’t get an appointment to submit it until January 9th, 2024. It turns out that the agency responsible for immigration (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras, or SEF) was disbanded by the government. It was replaced by a new and improved agency, AIMA (Agência para a Integração Migrações e Asilo). Word on the street is that nothing changed, but now they have a massive backlog of work from the period between SEF shutting down and AIMA starting. As a result, the visa I anticipated in March was issued in June.
The visa is good for 4 months and allows only 2 entries into the country. No problems. Where do I need to go? The visa comes with an appointment with AIMA (although it said SEF, change comes slowly). AIMA issues the 2-year residency cards. My appointment was 10 days before the visa expired. I’d have to pack fast if they turned me down.
Oh, the appointment was in the morning at the office in Lisbon, 3 hours away. Why would I want an appointment at the Porto office when I can have a fun getaway, right?
Off to AIMA Lisboa! Two hours and 200 dollars later, I had a receipt and a promise that my residency card would arrive in 60 days. It wasn’t clear whether that was 60 calendar days, 60 business days, or 60 birthdays. So, 75 days later, I have an expired visa… which means I can’t leave Europe without being accused of overstaying… no residency card… and no travel plans.
I thought I might buy the Comboios de Portugal Passe Ferroviário Verde, that’s the green rail pass from CP, the national rail company. It costs just €20.00/30 days of travel. Really, just one round-trip per day, but that’s a pretty good deal. Unfortunately, I need a CP Card for that, which requires proof that I live in Portugal, which is entirely satisfied by the residency card, which is coming sometime in the next 3 weeks to 59 years. Of course, I could use a different proof of residency, but I am not organized enough for that.
Instead, I researched the United States Postal System’s international mail services. Guess what? It works. For $1.65, I can get a new bank card in only 2 weeks. So, I’ve got the going for me, which is nice.
What’s up in 2025? First, I dedicate myself to speaking the local language. I promise I have studied—Portuguese no longer sounds like Russian—but the Portuguese people speak really, really, really fast and swallow half their words. Second, look into buying an apartment, or what the locals call an apartamento. Maybe I’m getting the hang of the language after all. And I’d really like to get a residency card.