Being US citizens, we are allowed 90 days unrestricted travel in the Schengen Area (26 European states that have common passport requirements and open borders between). This is shorter than we are planning for so we have applied for visas through the Portuguese consulate. This has proven to be more difficult than we expected. We still have not received our visas, but hope to soon! Here are the steps we took and recommendations for anyone attempting the same!
First, select the type of visa you need and find the consulate in your area. For us, this was a residency visa through the Portuguese consulate in San Francisco (Covers the Western half of the US).
The type of visa was difficult for us. There is a list of visa types here and also the golden visa program. We did not fit into any of the categories. We don’t have pensions, are not working, and are not buying our way in through the golden program. The ultimate reason for visa programs is to ensure immigrants contribute to the economy rather than being a burden on society. A residency visa can be obtained without fitting in one of the types. The consulate uses forms meant for other visas making it particularly difficult.
Tip: The first thing to do (at least for the Portuguese Consulate in San Francisco) is to contact them via email. Send a concise statement of your plans, including how you intend to fund your stay. The consulate will reply (usually takes 1-2 business days) with details of what you need to do. Pay particular attention to the housing and money requirements. A guarantor (someone who will guarantee funds and/or a housing for the duration of your trip) can help if you don’t meet the requirements specifically.
I made the mistake of relying on what I could find online when I got started. In hindsight, contacting the consulate first would have saved a fair amount of time/effort. When we did contact the consulate, they sent this:
The link provided for application form is primarily for our tourist applicants, but is repurposed to suit the needs of our long term applicants. Please prepare online, print out its three pages. Schedule appointment for visa – Portugal at portugalinsf.com. As for the FBI summary check, it can be from the FBI or authorized channeler as long as it is the paper original mailed to you. No electronically sourced versions appropriate for our purposes. Apply up to 90 days before intended arrival allowing at least three weeks for processing. Bring all material, the passport and its copy, one color passport photo, your processing and issuance payments and prepaid return envelope.
Attachments: Residence visa requirements.pdf; Formulário_REQUERIMENTO DE CERTIFICADO DE REGISTO CRIMINAL_11_2017.pdf
These were the requirements for th Portuguese consulate in San Francisco as of December 2017. Details of the application process can change based on circumstance. Our intent was to spend about 6 weeks in the Algarve area of Portugal getting our bearings before we settled into a more permanent location near Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese). The challenge was that we did not want to commit to the more permanent location sight unseen. The 6 weeks Airbnb in Lagos, Portugal does not meet the housing requirement for application. We have a friend who was willing to (happy to!) guarantee our stay to meet the requirement.
Tip: I recommend finding a guarantor if there is any question in meeting any requirements. Using a friend/relative would be the preferred method. I think it can be anyone living within the Schengen Region (citizen or resident). If you don’t know anybody who can help, ask for help from your real estate agent, housing host, or other individual you are working with. Forums can also be helpful. Be aware that there are people offering letters of guarantee that are illegitimate (some even claiming to be attorneys).
The other circumstance that differed slightly for our application was with the visit to the consulate. First we were hoping that we could skip the visit because we were 2 states away. No luck. They did allow me to go to the visit without Leslie and Theo. A copy of their applications needed to be notarized. I signed mine at the consulate. This is what I took:
- Letter of intent
- A clear concise statement of your plans
- I included how we met any requirements that were non-standard (e.g. our guarantor for the accommodation)
- Applications
- Filled out online and printed
- Notarized for the family members not going to the consulate
- FYI: The application is meant for short term visas, so the maximum number of days you can enter is 90. We put 90 days on the application, but described our intent to be longer in our letter of intent.
- FBI background check
- I used an FBI channeler (idvetting.com)
- It must be the original mailed document
- Copies of our passports, including all stamped pages
- Leslie’s and Theo’s copies notarized for good measure
- Passport photos
- Proof of international health insurance
- Letter of reference/guarantee
- Notarized in Portugal
- Portuguese criminal check authorization forms
- Bank statements proving available funds
- Processing fees (money order or cashiers check)
Tip: Start the FBI background check right away. An FBI channeler is much faster, bit still takes time. We had to get our fingerprints taken at the local sheriffs office, and mail them to the channeler. Then, after processing, the results are mailed back on special paper (reads void when copied). Including making an appointment for fingerprinting, it took about a week and a half for us. There are faster services available, but only in certain cities.
After the application is filled out online, you are allowed to make an appointment with the consulate. I flew to San Francisco from Seattle, took BART into the city, UBER to the consulate, went through our application with the consular official, then reversed the order. Leaving Seattle at 5:25 am, I made my appointment at 10:15 am, and I was able to make it back to Seattle by mid-afternoon. The appointments take about 15 minutes (I would definitely leave extra time as the waiting room can fill up quickly. When I was there, there was only one person handling visa applications of all types.
Tip: If you have any questions about your application or the consulate visit, be sure to email the consulate. Their guidance for special circumstances was very good. Just remember it often takes two business days for a response.
After all is accepted by the consulate, they send the application packet to the final decision makers (I assume in Portugal). A couple days after our application was sent to the next phase, we received an update that the decision would be made in about four weeks. Again a waiting game. The consulate did tell us that any question that came about during this phase must be resolved within two weeks or the application process would need to be re-started.
Good Luck!
Update, 2 Apr 2018: We have been accepted for residency visas! We still have to send our passports in for the visa stamps. [They require a postage paid, return envelope (addressed in the US) and the visa fees (currently$112.34)]. I will add more details if there is any complications involved.