How long is the anticipated wait to go from application to approval in Portugal? I want to move my family to Portugal as soon as possible. Is the Portuguese government doing anything to tackle this backlog I heard about?
For applications filed before 2022, the online stage is taking 5-6 months. After that, is necessary to wait for a notification to collect biometric data (this is made by chronological order and the Immigration Office is still dealing with the backlog so applicants since the second quarter of 2021 are waiting for it). After the biometric collection, the final approval to receive the residence card may take place within 3 to 9 months.
The backlogs from SEF have impacted all Golden Visa applications. That being said, it is very difficult to say with precision how long it will take from the application until the final approval, but you should not expect less than 8 months.
It will certainly delay your application significantly. We do not know, specifically, for how long, because SEF does not provide any information as to foreseeable dates for the rescheduling.
If you have already come to Portugal, submitted your file and your biometrics data during an appointment at SEF’s facilities, your application might suffer a bit of a delay, but it will be processed by the authorities. However, if you have still only applied online onto SEF’s platform after fulfilling your investment, most likely it will take a few months for the scheduling of a biometrics appointment to become available as, at this point, their appointment system is blocked, which makes it impossible for you or your legal representative in Portugal to freely schedule a desired date to execute it. As the official information released by the public authorities regarding this matter is, at this point and at best, very scarce, there is no foreseeable time period in which this situation might be resolved.
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