Portugal four month residence visa application form

Open 'Handy Tools' at the top of this page and open the expat guide which has a visa section.

Thanks, Stumpy,

Sad to say, this section only brings us back to the Schengen Visa. We are looking for the long term Portugal residency Visa. As I understand, the short term Schengen Visa application does not cut it.

Hi
You can go to the website www.americansinportugal.org and open the residency information and you get the details
I hope it helps.

Thanks so much.  You are correct that this site has tons of information.

Sadly, this site also leads right to the Schengen visa.

Makes me wonder whether that just might be the correct form. But I still do not think so.

Thanks again

The Schengan Visa is the first step. You get a 4 month Visa then you must appear at the SEF in Portugal for long term. It is a process. You need to read the complete documents for long term stay.

sewright wrote:

The Schengan Visa is the first step. You get a 4 month Visa then you must appear at the SEF in Portugal for long term. It is a process. You need to read the complete documents for long term stay.

THIS IS INCORRECT!!  As a married couple (American) going through this right now, the first step is the 4 month temporary residence visa.  You DO NOT not need the Schengan Visa as either American or European Union members, you already have the right to visit for 90 days (same as the Schengan Visa).

I speak from experience as we tried the process trying to get the Schengan Visa using VFS first and we were turned away at their office and sent directly to the Portugal Embassy were we were also told that we didn't need the Schengan Visa.  What is probably confusing you and others is the the application for for the Schengan Visa is the same form that you use for the Temporary Residence Visa.

I hope that this helps clear up the matter.

Sadly, the above is incorrect. There are several different Schengen visa forms. The ordinary short term visa form that is all over the web is NOT the correct one. I am not sure what would happen if you showed up at your consular appointment with it, but it has no box for 'long term' on it.

However, there is a Schengen form that includes a box for 'long term visa'.  We finally located that form online, and when we got to the consulate found that was indeed the correct form.

Best advice. Do not bring a filled in short term visa application to the consulate - you will be applying for a short term visa, which you do not need if you are from the US and which cannot be converted ito a residency permit.

Ok good luck. As also a married couple we are living in Portugal and purchased a home.  So we are doing fine with the process.
S

What I said is correct and is what my wife and I went through.  We filled out the Schengan Visa form, made appointments in DC at VFS to get the Schengan Visa, showed up for our appointments, were turned away as the Schengan Visa was not needed, went directly to the Portuguese Embassy (10 minute walk), talked with the person who did the visas, and had all of our paperwork verified as complete and correct by the employee at the embassy.  We filled out nothing new.   Maybe this Embassy (Washington, D.C.) is different from what the above poster went through, but that is the process my wife and I encountered.

PS.  We are living in Portugal for three months now on a two year rental contract.

Fair enough. Different consulates have different actual requirements. Nonetheless, the ordinary Schengen Visa application does not have provisions for a long stay  visa. There is a Schengen application that does. I suggest being on the safe side and using the Visa application form for the Visa you are requesting. I personally know of a couple who used the ordinary Schengen Visa and were turned away by the New York consulate.  A word to the wise.

Since you used that process, and have found a different version of the application, why don't you provide a link or copy of that application for others to help them in their endeavors?  I'm not arguing with you on the process, I was arguing with the other person that said one needed the Schengan Visa first.  That is incorrect, and I know first hand because of the process we went through being turned away when trying to obtain one.  We wasted time and money trying for something not needed, and I was trying to help someone from making the same mistake.  If you have access to something better/more correct, why not share it with others to help them in their travails of becoming residents of Portugal?

I live in the SF district and I have been told many times that the D.C. Office is much easier.

I have found the following  link to contain most comprehensive and up to date  info. Than any other site, including the  embassy: http://www.expatexchange.com/ctryguide/ … aper-Trail

For most of you whose income is not as low as my own, these 2 paragraphs may be irrelevant:
I followed the link posted by Kayalaoui and saw that the financial requirments are quite different than is in the Portuguese consulate site. This is from the article:.In accordance with article 2, number 2 and article 5, paragraph 6, letter b), of the Administrative Rule no. 1563/2007, of December 11, each application must have the following amount as means of subsistence for the 12-month period:
- first adult: 6,960 euros;

This is a 2017 update which describes the financial requirments as different from posted above: Proof of Financial Means / Proof of Sufficient Funds: What constitutes 'sufficient' varies. A few years ago, the threshold was 50,000 euros per applicant, sourced from any combination of investments, income and savings. In the last two years, the consulates are pegging the amount to the Portuguese minimum wage data. This reduces the threshold to about 16,000 euros for the first family member

This site has the most comple info I have found anywhere else.
http://www.expatexchange.com/ctryguide/ … aper-Trail