AIMA Appointment (personal experience)

Would you please go over all the documents you needed to bring with you? what social security document do you mean?

@corithyme

SEGURANÇA SOCIAL. I have edited the original post with all the documents I presented to AIMA. Hope that helps

@bloggerblogger,

Thanks for sharing this

What kind of visa was yours? D8?

And where did you applied from?

    @bloggerblogger,Thanks for sharing this What kind of visa was yours? D8? And where did you applied from?        -@JohnnyPT

It was the DR visa according to the Portuguese Ambassador or consulate who interviewed me back in my home country. As far as I know, it's simply a long-term variant of the D8 visa (seems like digital nomad visa). Technically I can't really see any difference. Just nomenclature and the fact that DR is literally Residential.

Applied from Nigeria

VFS visa nomenclature for D8: The digital nomad visa is classified into 2 types:

Temporary (ER) and Residential (DR)

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1006006

    VFS visa nomenclature for D8: The digital nomad visa is classified into 2 types:
Temporary (ER) and Residential (DR)
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1006006-@JohnnyPT

Thanks for the clarification. That makes sense.

couldn't reach AIMA by phone (triend few numbers)

do you have any available number of them please?

@lior vanono

Hi lior, thought I 'd help you. I hate  to break this to you but if you are wanting to reach out to AIMA, then its a dead end. The phones do not work at all, they never reply emails.

I invite you take a look at portal da queixa. type entity AIMA to track the complaints lodged everyday. Its a third party website where people complain about anything in Portugal and often times they do get resolved but not when it comes to AIMA.

@lior vanono,

Try one of the CLAIM service points. Maybe you will get some info / solution to your case:

https://eportugal.gov.pt/servicos/centr … tes-claim-

Select city / CLAIM office:

https://plim.acm.gov.pt/contactos/contactos-rede-claim

@frescura,

Hi, complaining about AIMA on the plortal da queixa won't solve anything. And if you receive a reply from AIMA, it's purely evasive, with no content whatsoever.

@bloggerblogger

Hi

My husband and I are in Portugal on a D7 visa from the UK. Our AIMA appointment is mid July.

We have all the appropriate documents to use that you listed except the 'Utente'  can you tell me how you acquired yours?

We have a UK global health insurance card and have a temporary number from our local doctors.

We have read on some threads that this COULD be enough to get our 1st year residency approved at our AIMA interview/appointment and others say we NEED to have a private health care policy each (or as a couple)......which we can't find for less than around 5000 euros a year and that's for the most basic policy! Can you tell me the difference and what is ACTUALLY needed regarding healthcare/ health insurance?

If we need private healthcare can anyone suggest anything MUCH cheaper (and yes I understand that you shouldn't cut on healthcare but if there is a cheaper way then we need to take that).

Any helpful suggestions and an understanding of acquiring the Utente will be appreciated.

Oher than this, I think we are ready for our AIMA appointment.

Thanks

@fotheringhamdiane,

Some help here:

Evidence that the applicant has travel insurance with health coverage

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 42#5168245

(Post #9)

Experience sharing about Visas to Portugal (D7 & others)

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=971460

(D7 / UK - post #3)

Número de utente is the national health service ID.  We got ours after getting temporary residence cards, which of course was after the first SEF appointment.

I don't know which stage bloggerblogger was at in the process.  I assume not the first interview, because I've never heard of anyone getting social security and national health IDs on just a visa, but I guess anything can happen in Portugal.

So I would forget about that, but for your information anyway - we dropped by the local SNS center and got the forms.  Then they told us we need social security IDs - Número Identificação Segurança Social - so we went to the loja da cidadão and applied for that.  That's pretty easy, and I guess there's  no reason not to, but in most localities it apparently isn't required for Número de Utente, only in ours.  Then we handed in our forms and waited for a long time.

We needed them because we wanted to exchange our US driver's licenses for Portuguese, and we're over 60, so you need a doctor to transmit a form to the motor vehicles department that testifies you looked more or less alive, and that doesn't work with out the número de utente.

It's all pretty time consuming, so whether AIMA wants it or not, if it's convenient to drop by the local SNS center, it wouldn't hurt to check on whether a visa and passport is enough to sign up.  One thing I don't know for sure about, but might be a consideration, is that when you sign up for these IDs, they're linked to a personal ID document, that for natural Portuguese will be the Carta de Cidadão.  I have the option of a passport or resident ID, and it will be interesting to see when this all falls apart.  I will get a new resident permit in a year or so;  will it be a new number?  Will I have to start over from scratch on things linked to that number?  What if you use a passport?  Etc.  In the absence of any clue about this, I use the resident ID because I carry my resident permit card but not my passport.

@donn25,

You can only access the NHS if you are a resident/have a residence permit issued by AIMA.

A residence permit is not a visa!

I don't understand what the fuss is about. Nor do I understand remarks like "anything can happen in Portugal". When you don't know or don't understand, you should inform yourself better before throwing remarks like that into the air...

@donn25 when you get your renewal card it will be a new temporary resident card number, yes. The NISS (social security number) seems to now be regularly required/asked for even in VFS appointments sometimes, although it's not been a major issue. It was not previously needed, like three years ago when I moved here or even much more recently with other people we've assisted. Things change, but yes and technically people are SUPPOSED to (by law) be able to have SNS coverage with an AIMA appointment, but that has become near impossible for most areas in PT from reports of people's experiences. I had to wait and in fact go there seven times, but thankfully they have changed that process and it's now simple! So, things are improving and are MUCH better than lots and lots of other places without the amazing warm Portuguese people and gorgeous land! Congrats on where you are at!

Hi Guys,

Thank you for your replies and the info links.

The temporary number that I have received from my local health centre is on a document called "Documento de identificacao do Utente"  and the first line of this document is:   "Inscricao: No. de identificacao do Utente: ********.

The rest of the document has parents details, health subsystem, who pays for treatment, medical history etc. the A4 document is 1.5 pages long. Is this the Utente that blogerbloger took to AIMA? If we take this to our appointment along with a global health card and travel insurance (not healthcare or health insurance) is this sufficient to get our 1 year visa?

The health centre told us to return after we are given our 1 year residency and they will then assign us a doctor! Does this mean that although we have an enrollment id number, we are not actually part of the health system?

We had planned to have a quote ready to accept when e are at the AIMA appointment for private healthcare/insurance but again can anyone tell me if 5000 Euro for a couple ages 62 and 54 is expensive.... I've read that couples can get this for around 80 euro a month (1000 is much more pleasing to me than 5000 euro).

Johnnypt can you tell me what our residential status is? Currently we are in Portugal on a D7 visa. What is our status at this point? We go to AIMA in July to get the first of our residency visas which lasts a year - at this point can we be called residents if not, what is our status? Then if i understand the process correctly, we then re-apply for  an appointment at AIMA with all the same paperwork to get a 2 year visa and then after our 3rd year here we apply again to AIMA for another 2 year visa and then after having 5 years of residency visas we can apply to be full residents (and then i can get a national insurance number and a job)..... Is it only after 5 years of visas we can call ourselves residents?

Sorry to ask this again but I'm just looking to understand and for a bit of clarification.

1.So, do I already have the Utente?

2.Can anyone tell me if I NEED private healthcare/ insurance?

3.Is private healthcare/ insurance approximately 5000 euros a year for a couple?

4.Am I classed as a resident once I get my 1 year residency visa and if not what is my status?

Thanks again

When you got your Atestado...did you have to find 2 people who live in the same parish to act as witnesses?  Did they have to actually physically have to go to Junta with you to sign the form in front of a Junta officer? I think this is one of those awkward requirements that I dread because you won't know anyone yet in the parish having just moved in.    So any help on how you got this done would be awesome.

@fotheringhamdiane

Hi,

I will be applying in London for the first stage of the D7 visa in the Autumn. Please let me know what you mean by "We have a UK global health insurance card"  - did you use this for the first stage of the application please.  Looking forward to responses to your request for affordable insurance.

Thank you,

S

Hi,

We are fortunate that we have had a holiday home in a lovely wee village for a couple of years and have visited when we could.

The village has a social club and anything we've needed help with, we have asked someone in the club. One of the locals took us to the local parish office and acted as a witness for us. She had to sign the form and give her full name, address and NIF number. She had a local friend with her but he took no part in anything. So it seems you need just 1 witness. This is how I acquired both my NIF no. and my Atestado de Residencia.

My husband acquired both his NIF number, his Atestado de Residencia and his bank account when he bought our house.... The estate agent sorted them all out for him on a 2 day visit.

I hope this helps and If I can help further please let me know. I believe there are companies out there that advertise that they can get you all 3 of these things for a small fee (£100ish) and it takes approximately 2 weeks. It's something we considered doing.

@Toshiro123

Hi Toshiro123,

Getting the global health card was the easiest thing we needed, however, they did not ask to see it and when we showed them it along with our travel insurance (which needs to be active at the date of your appointment) they only glanced at it and didn't take any details or copies of it..... HOWEVER, we DID need it today to register at our local Portuguese health centre, so get one..... Also it's useful to have if you are travelling outside the UK.

This card replaces the European health card that has been around for ages (they re named it when we left the EU).

I'm not good with computers so I can't add a link but if you look up GHIC card on the internet and click on the govt.uk website you can apply for one. It arrives in a week or so and if memory  serves, I believe it is free.

Hope this helps.

@Toshiro123

Hi Toshiro123,

If you read the link that Johnnypt sent to me today at 16.32hrs, especially the top one, it contains some gems about the D7 application process and the follow on from Adam outlines his D7 journey in 2021. Mine was very much the same in Feb.2024.

Hope these help.

Dx

> 1.So, do I already have the Utente?

Yes!  It's a miracle, because as pointed out above you need resident status to get it, but as we say, almost anything can happen here.

4.Am I classed as a resident once I get my 1 year residency visa and if not what is my status?

Yes.  Well, D7 is a resident visa, and what you will get is a residence permit.  You will read in some places that it's good for one year, but mine expires June 2025 and I got it in the mail June 2023.  What exactly changes in your status, other than possession of that permit, I am not too sure.

[edit]  One thing I'm pretty sure still depends on the residence permit, is becoming a fiscal resident.  Until then you need, and I suppose have, a fiscal representative associated with your NIF.  The process and implications should be abundantly documented. [/ edit]