26 Comments

Three months ago, my husband and I were blessed to come across your VFS preparation blog. We used your template as a guide, and "lo and behold" within 34 days out of San Francisco, our visas arrived via Fedx. We were elated!!! I just want to say to you guys, thank you very much for that imperative information. Fun fact: As we were preparing our accordion folders, I would have conversations with my husband referring to Carol by name, "Carol did this and Carol said that". LOL Once again...thank you!

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Samantha,

Thanks for your comment. And congratulations on getting your Visas - that's great news! I'm honored to have been a part of the process. Thanks again and best wishes on beginning your own Portugal journey! - CW

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Hello Dyann,

We both had appointments on the same day with back-to-back appointments. I'm still not sure how we pulled that off but I guess we were just lucky.

This was back in June, 2021, so Covid was still on everyone's mind and we weren't sure if VFS SF would accept us if we stayed overnight. There was still some talk about needing verification of not staying in San Francisco before the appointment.

So, to not take any chances, we flew in from Phoenix, AZ to San Francisco on the same day as our appointments and then flew out the same day. It was both physically and emotionally draining, but we did what we had to do to make this happen.

I'm sure that things have loosened up since then, so wherever you decide to stay in SF, just make sure you're close enough to get to VFS on time without any traffic delays.

Good luck!

Carol.

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Hello Carol. Love the blog, thank you. I'm currently in the process and have experts assisting. When you flew into SF, was your appointment for the same day or the next? And would you mind sharing where you stayed (if you liked it)? Logistically, it seems pretty straightforward but I'm curious what others have done. Thank you and congratulations!

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Hi. I’m Thomas in Tucson. I just found your blog. As I read this entry I was excited that you mentioned a time line and working backwards from the date you want to be living there. I loved all the great info and I do follow the Am & Friends PT Facebook group. But no one anywhere actually shares their time line. We, like you, need to sell our house and belongings and we do have a friends place to stay while we complete the process. We just returned from a 3 week scouting vacation and know we want to be in the Algarve. But… we don’t know how long each step will take so we don’t know when to rent an apartment so we have the lease available for VFS but aren’t paying for unnecessary months. And when to schedule at SF VFS. They are currently booked about 6 weeks out and booking for 2 week intervals. So if we made an appoint today for end of August we could get our visa by end of October. My question is can we get a NIF Bank account FBI background check and a lease all in about 6 weeks. Or should I get the NIF and Bank account now and then get the appointment in SF and then get the other items? We would love to be there no later than mid November early December Thank you any input you can give me. Thomas

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Hello Thomas,

Thanks for your message. Timelines are tricky and I suggest you keep things as fluid as possible and give yourself enough wiggle room to made adjustments along the way. That's what we did - we modified our timeline as we needed to. We wanted to be in Portugal by August 28th (really, it was just a random date based on how long we thought it would take to get our documents in order for VFS while keeping the validity of those documents in mind). Then we worked backwards with trying to time the validity of the documents that we would need. We modified the timeline a few times - it's not a perfect science.

Some timelines to keep in mind for a D7 Visa:

If you are submitting your application to a VFS Global office, you can submit your application no earlier than 3 months of your intended date of arrival in Portugal.

This means that most of your documents cannot be dated any later than within the last 90 days of your Visa application and cannot be any older than 6 months for your SEF appointment in Portugal. Financial statements cannot be any older than 3 months and the FBI reports cannot be any older than 6 months.

To break this down as an example, we had our VFS appointments on June 2, 2021. We indicated on our application that we planned to arrive in Portugal on August 28, 2021. Our temporary (4-month) Visa stamp showed that the temporary Visa was valid from August 28, 2021, to December 25, 2021. Within that 4-month timeframe, we each had appointments with SEF in Portugal, where we received our temporary resident Visas (good for 2 years and renewable).

Some tasks took longer than we thought. For example, our bank application was lost in the shuffle when one banking rep left and another one took his place, which delayed starting our documentation process by a couple of months.

VFS SF is known to process Visas in as little as 3 weeks and as long as 2+ months. so you can't rely on booking an appointment now for August and assume you'll get your Visa by the end of October. Of course, you can try to do that and make an appointment and cancel if you don't have everything ready - it's your choice. A lot depends on VFS' workload (and summer is vacation time not only for people in the US but August is very much a vacation month in Portugal with many services closed or with limited staff), as VFS not only processes documents for Portugal but for many other countries. Personally, I think a 6 week lead time is too tight.

Keep in mind that we had already sold our house (in early 2020) and we were renting a smaller home in our community, so we had downsized quite a bit before we even began the process for a D7 Visa.

Regarding the lease – Your lease/property deed must have an effective date of on or before you plan to arrive in Portugal. In our case, we leased a condo with an effective date of June 1, 2021. We were required to pay one month security deposit and three months advance rent (normal terms for rentals in Portugal). So effectively, we were paying for a rental that we didn’t plan to live in until nearly the beginning of September (we landed in Portugal on August 30th).

We did not do any scouting trips to Portugal beforehand. Covid was still a serious concern and we felt that if we went on a scouting trip, we’d probably get even more confused. Instead, we chose an area that we felt would be a good place to land, and then, once we were in Portugal, we would have the time to explore the entire country to see where we ultimately want to live. We also felt that by being “boots on the ground” and meeting other expats and Portuguese citizens, we’d have a better idea of living in this country (this has benefitted us by doing just that).

So, we hired a relocation person in Portugal to find a suitable apartment based on our criteria (understanding that we would have to make some compromises). We saw virtual showings (they walked the rooms and showed us everything by video) of about 8 furnished apartments/condos and we found one that we thought would be a good fit (we’re still in this condo and just signed another 12-month lease as we’re still exploring this country). Our relocation person handled the lease agreement with the landlord's realtor (we did hire a Portuguese attorney to review the lease on our behalf). She also set up the utilities in our names for us before we arrived, arranged for the condo to be cleaned, and purchased some necessities for us (we didn’t ship a lot) such as a Smart TV, hair dryer, fan, iron/ironing board, house cleaning supplies and a 3-day supply of food/wine just before our arrival. The process for finding a property and signing and executing a lease took us in total about 3-4 weeks. With rentals now at a premium - especially during the summer in the Algarve - you may have to give yourself extra time to find something.

As far as a delayed start date on a lease, I think you’ll have a difficult time finding a landlord who would be willing to hold a place until you arrive or closer to your arrival. I know that our landlord was not willing to wait and that was last year when rents were a little cheaper and the market was not as tight as it is now. I’ve heard of people bidding up the asking price of a monthly rental just to get it. So, if I were you, I would be prepared for this.

Rental laws are a little different in Portugal than in the States. You can terminate your lease I believe after 120 days with advance written notice. I do know people who didn’t like what they rented once they arrived and did this. A Portuguese attorney can assist you (or even a relocation specialist or realtor).

My humble suggestion would be to try to get as many of the critical documents taken care of first. Definitely the NIF. The Portuguese bank account may be a bit more difficult as recently some Portuguese banks are refusing to give foreigners a bank account until they see some proof of residency (such as a 1-year signed lease). Items like the Passport pages, FBI report, US bank statements, proof of income, etc. can be done after you make a VFS appointment. There is risk involved and expense. It’s not cheap nor risk-free to move to another country.

I know it's confusing. Try not to rush it and take it a step at a time and I think you'll be okay.

If I can answer any other questions, feel free to reach out anytime. - Carol.

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Thank you so much. This is all brilliant information. I know they won’t hold a lease for me I was just wondering when to start looking. Maybe Sept 1 and yes. Just accept that we will pay rent for a place we aren’t using. Thank you again T

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as i read this, i am putting the final touches on our 2 month 'look/see' trip to portugal. this is my first time reading your blog and looking forward to other entries, and for sure asking questions. thank you for the time and effort! hope to meet you in portugal!!!

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Time does have a way of racing on. Your time of leaving must of had some fortune teller helping you. I agree with the person mentioning politics and gun violence and now run away inflation in this country.

So glad for you reaping a wonderful time from all your hard work!! Enjoy💕

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Your timing with this post is perfect. We are about to mail our packet into D.C. in just about 10 days, so we are currently deep in the "freak out" portion of this whole thing. LOL. (But seriously... I'm freaking out.) We, too, have read everything we could, asked tons of questions, and wondered whether we'd bitten off more than we could chew, but we're pushing forward. Portugal is making us work, but we're pretty sure it will all be worth it in the end.

I just recently found your site and it has a lot of great information. Now you've provided some well timed encouragement. Thanks for all of it. And Happy Anniversary!!

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Your feelings are normal - we experienced the same thing. You've got this!

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How adorable are you two? Thank you for this lovely and encouraging post. We JUST got started with paperwork and it seems overwhelming. But onward and upward we go! Happy anniversary!

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Thank you! Take the paperwork a step at a time and you'll get there!

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Happy Anniversaries!! And well done! At some point, I may take you up on your offer. Although I love where I live, the more unsettling things become politically and the more lives that are taken by gun violence in this country, the more frequently I think about moving. And if/when I get to the point of knowing I have to do so, I will be in touch. Know that I so appreciate your offer! Best wishes!

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Thank you Barb! We'll be here if you need us.

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Thank you so much!

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Happy Anniversary...Happy Anniversary. 🥂

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Thank you!

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It’s very encouraging to read your story. Thank you for sharing. Can you post about your experiences with the language? What did you do before moving to prepare (if anything) and how are you doing with the language now?

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Thanks for your comment, Christine. I think your suggestion for a post on learning the language is a great one! I'll be sure to write a post about this soon. Obrigada!

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Thanks for sharing your 9 months there with FB, I for one have enjoyed your daily jaunts about Portugal and look forward to reading about your next venture-enjoy and congratulations on your 42 wedding anniversary 🍷🍷

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Thanks Ellen for being a loyal subscriber. Thanks also for the congratulations on our anniversary - can't believe 42 years have gone by. Much appreciated!

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Thanks for sharing! I’m sure your experience will help others streamline their process and ease their stress!!

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Happy (double) Anniversary!!! I appreciate your words of encouragement, Carol, as we are facing an understaffed consulate and an unknown amount of time to get our visa. Our house is going to be on the market in two weeks, and at this point, it's all just faith driven that we will eventually end up in Spain. Or maybe this is divine providence telling us that we should be considering Portugal?

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Thank you, Maggie! I've been seeing your FB posts about Spain and the lack of understaffing in the consulate. I can understand how you might be feeling. There are a few of us who would love to see you in Portugal - but you have to follow your heart. Keep the faith, my friend!

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Happy Anniversary you two!!!!!! Great pics!!!!!

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