Applying as a UK resident for D7 visa

Hi,

The short answer is no: a standard campsite pitch, caravan, or mobile home contract is generally NOT accepted for a Portuguese D7 visa.

Potential Workarounds & Strategic Options

If your goal is to live on a residential campsite in the Algarve for the community atmosphere and accessibility, consider the following strategies to navigate the visa requirements:

Step 1: Rent a small, cheap traditional apartment or studio in Portugal with a formal 12-month contract registered with Finanças strictly to fulfill your visa application requirements.

Step 2: Once your AIMA appointment is complete and your residence card is issued, you can move onto your preferred campsite full-time while maintaining your official administrative address...

@JohnnyPT

Thank you very much for your information. But from the bit of research I’ve done so far I will need assistance from AIMA for assistance with social care and if I do what you are suggesting then they will have my wrong address for me and the campsite I move to might end up in being in a different AIMA area? There’s so much conflicting information out there with some people saying that as long as you buy on a residential registered campsite and the campsite is happy to give you a 12 month rolling agreement then you will be ok but not if you buy on a tourist registered campsite? I had really spent the last couple of years looking into the non lucrative visa in Spain because I already have a holiday caravan there on a tourist site and usually the Spanish consulate would refuse your application but because of where it is the local council accepts the amount of money the campsite community brings into that area as long as you can provide the consulate with a minimum of 12 months of continuous campsite invoices then they accept that but only in that area. But it was when I was narrowing it down to the medical side of things such as healthcare, prescriptions and social care Portugal wins hands down. I know in the early days when I was researching Spain with an immigration solicitor that they even offered me to use their address as proof of accommodation if I chose them to assist me through the non lucrative visa process but I don’t know how? Can you advise how much I would be looking at to rent an apartment in a costal area with access to all of the services locally in case I need to use them in my circumstances. I was looking at Albuferia mainly because it was costal and again because I won’t know anyone initially that area I believe has a few gay bars which is a good opportunity for me to make friends. Thank you very much for your reply.

I know in the early days when I was researching Spain with an immigration solicitor that they even offered me to use their address as proof of accommodation if I chose them to assist me through the non lucrative visa process

In Portugal, no. Checks on false declarations – such as providing lawyers’ addresses for visa applications – are completely absurd these days, as AIMA now checks all information you provide. And false declarations lead to visa refusals.

Open-door policy is over, and the criteria for assessing visa applications are now much stricter....

But it was when I was narrowing it down to the medical side of things such as healthcare, prescriptions and social care Portugal wins hands down.

Become a resident in Portugal – even if, hypothetically, at a campsite – and to subsequently receive medical care is, in itself, ethically questionable. But as I have already told you, to prevent such abuse by those who have never contributed to the NHS, AIMA has become more careful in its assessment of visa applications. Portugal already has far too many immigrants who are abusing the system – the poor and others too. It doesn’t need any more...

I realise it may be difficult but shirley it would be a sensible idea to spend some time at some various sites/areas to experience things first hand to see if they fit your personal requirements and whilst there contact agents directly to find and view what they have available to rent/buy in your preferred areas.