Schengen Visa Extension - Portugal ONLY.

We had found that this was possible a couple years ago. But we just tried and did not find that we could. You can get a 4 month visa only after starting the residency process. And you must do this from your home country. So no real way that we found to extend our stay while we were there/

Hi Slugsurmamates,

The Schengen visa is intended for those who will travel to Europe for leisure or business and grants a maximum total stay of 90 days per entry, every 180 days.

https://eportugal.gov.pt/en/servicos/pe … ta-duracao

If you want to stay longer than 90 days in Portugal/Schengen area legally as a tourist, there is a way. Just visit (Portugal / the countries in Schengen area) for 90 days, then stay another 90 days in countries outside the agreement, completing the six months that will allow you to return to Portugal/Schengen area with a new tourist stay permit for another 90 days...

Thank you for the reply.
Yes, this is all very curious.
The Immigration official who first mentioned this to me, related the position around 3 years ago maximum.
This video is very recent.
The people, apparently, using this method have, and are, using this method ongoing.

Thanks again for that, Johnny.
Yes I am aware of the 90 in 180 days clause which is the issue.
More info:.
I am Portuguese NHR and registered pre Brexit, so fortunate in that respect.
My partner, Asian, non EU , but she has a 10 year UK Visa which allows her to stay up to 180 days - per visit! .
All very well, although presently, in order to retain residency status I require to be in Portugal 184 days, but cannot be in UK for more than 90 days.
My partner, however, is the reversal of that.
Allowed to remain in UK for 180 days, yet only 90 in Portugal (via Schengen Tourist).
As you can imagine, it is virtually impossible to remain together for at least 90 days a year.
We have spent many hours , visits and communications with Portuguese Consulates and Embassies in Asia, Manchester and Lisbon trying to find a workable, legal solution.
We don't want to go down the temporary work visa route and we have been informed that doing this - transition from tourist to work visa whilst in Portugal - will cause issues in future.

Now, what is interesting to me that after talking to a local lawyer who briefly contacted SEF, we were then informed that if we returned to SEF with following evidence then a further 90 days would be granted to her visa:

1. Passport showing the Visa was still current (the sticker had an end date that would not be breached even with this extension).

2. Evidence of a sum in bank to cover expenditure for another 90 days.  I cannot recall the sum, maybe €1000.

3. Evidence of medical travel insurance specifically with large sum assured for medical emergency repatriation.

4. Evidence of flight return tickets.

Now, the lawyer charged handsomely for no more than an hour meeting/calling/SEF confirmation.
He knew the personnel at SEF Office and it was the same office which rejected our first attempt.
I've kept the entire audit trail including the details and fees for advice but then I couldn't extend the visa because Covid hit around March 2020, SEF offices closed , lockdowns and partner was forced to stay until her planned exit in early July anyhow!
Fortunate and unfortunate.
Having paid the fees then I'd rather have had the extension to then allow me to repeat every year as the solution to our issue.

The annoying thing is that we already had all these details - and far more - when we attended the first SEF appointment but they refused to look or consider any of this, simply advising us to "go see a lawyer".

So, it appears there is a route to extending visas that isn't outlined uopn website which, the cynical side of me suggests, is dependent upon crossing hands with silver.

Apologies for long explanation, I thought it may be helpful to all to understand the challenges and position with visa extension applications.
It looks far from the exact science it ought to be and I am personally very uncomfortable with the standard " it's up to the individual immigration officer to decide".

Your case is very specific, you should talk to SEF indeed.

I don't know if this helps:

EXTENDING STAY IN PORTUGAL
https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/prorrogar-permanencia/

EXTENDING STAY IN PORTUGAL - SCHENGEN VISA
https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/prorrogar-permanencia/vs/
("Limits to the extension of stay: up to 90 days, which can be extended for another 90 days")


Why doesn't your partner apply for NHR in Portugal? She only needs at least 184 days in Portugal (+ 180 days in the UK on her visa).

It is very likely that NHR status will be extended in 2022 for digital nomads, I don't know if this could be useful for her:

https://jornaleconomico.sapo.pt/noticia … ais-793427

Thanks again, Johnny.

Firstly, the NHR isn't an option in this case as my partner isn't an EU (or UK) citizen.

Second,. within these links there is great ambiguity IMHO.

Ex.  When following links in extending visa "Choose Visa" the there are a few choices.  The first two are:

1. Schengen Visa
2. Short Term Visa

When following Schengen Visa then the "Motivation" reasons listed to be able to extend are very tight and would this restrict the application to extend.

When following Short Term Visa Visa Extension, then no such Motivation reasons are listed, which is encouraging.

However, as the way my partner travels is via a SCHENGEN Tourist Visa...  So when does a Schengen Visa become a Short Term Visa to allow an extension request.

I've been through SEF website listings and definitions many times and they appear to my simple mind to be riddled with anomaly and confusing descriptions, wording and detail.

I'm still confused and if you consider her travel from Asia, via UK, with each leg under accomodation, return flight verifications, travel insurance, police checks etc...then the cost of booking, rebooking flights etc is costly and time consuming, not knowing if or when an early return is required, together or alone, all in an attempt not to infringe each nation's visa requirements, let alone be denied boarding because your paid for and confirmed return flight maybe 6 months down the road but your visa is only for 3 months and you don't know if it is going to have an extension application accepted or denied.

The NHR status can be applied by any national of any country (EU and non-EU), as long as they have not been tax residents in Portugal in the last 5 years.

Another thing, for the Schengen Visa, one of the reasons is: "While visiting family, documentary evidence of the family link is mandatory"

Even if you are not married, you can prove this relationship/Union (*):

https://eportugal.gov.pt/cidadaos/casar … o-de-facto

____

(*) Como se prova a união de facto:

As uniões de facto podem ser provadas através de uma declaração emitida pela junta de freguesia. Para pedir essa declaração, o casal deve apresentar:

- uma declaração de ambas as pessoas, sob compromisso de honra, de que vivem em união de facto há mais de dois anos

- certidões de cópia integral do registo de nascimento de cada uma das pessoas.

I for one am grateful to Slugsurmamates for pursuing this issue and seeking a resolution within both legality and practicality.

After all, for Heaven's sake, it should not be THAT difficult to obtain an extension ( by all means limited to Portugal only ) for 90 days ( ie on top of the original 90 days thus equalling 180 days max in a year.

That, after all, is what the UK grants automatically to Portuguese and other nationals who wish to visit the UK. [ There are signs stating this in the arrival, pre passport check, areas of UK airports.]

The Portuguese Government appears to have decided that it is in the national interests of Portugal to encourage foreigners with financial means to spend time in, even reside in, Portugal.

If that is the underlying Governmental mindset, then there is no logic at all in erecting barriers of legality or practicality to the  simple extension ( for tourism / rest and recreation purposes why complicate it )  of the standard 90  day  Schengen visa for persons who can provide proof of  X amount in the bank, Y amount annual income,  health insurance,  and either a rental contract or proof of ownership of an abode.

If this situation were reversed, and the UK were self harming in this illogical way, one could write to an MP with chapter and verse.  And the MP would argue the case with the relevant officials in the relevant Government department, and also with the Minister of State for that Department of Government.

Sometimes the rules do actually get changed  via this mechanism.

But what would be the Portuguese equivalent of this ?   

Do local MPs make such representations to the relevant Government ministers ?

Slugsurmamates is perhaps in the best position to make such an approach ( to his local Deputado/s ) ,  being Portuguese and now knowing  more about how the system is actually working than any Government official or elected representative.

Olá. Following up on this, can you share your experience? Did this process work out for you, and if not, what did you choose to do instead?

Thank you.

This is a great way probably to live there for 90 days and experience the actual day to day living environment and have a way of extending your stay for another 90days just by exiting to other Schengen countries. Hopefully the 6 months period will give you enough time to make a decision if Portugal is the right country for you. great idea and thanks .

Hi,

Interested to know how you navigated this in the end if you did at all? I am in a similar situation where I want to stay with my partner who is a resident in Lisbon but my 90 days are almost up.

Thanks,
Charlie

TBH, I think this was incorrect information
Why make a public video without checking and re-checking the information, I cannot fathom.

I had never heard of this "method" before, and had consulted SEF, a specialist solicitor, and a publicly funded immigration help centre in Albufeira
None of which alerted me to this particular route.

I've asked a few ex pat's also, none of whom could confirm the possibility, one of which thought it WAS possible in past, but no longer was.
The issue with Portugal immigration is that official information frequently appears ambiguous at best and conflicting at worst.  SEF personnel also appear to have some flexibility in the reading of the rules whereas if (in my case) consulting a solicitor magically makes the paperwork that SEF previously disregarded offhandedly, now the basis of a positive decision.
Not that I believe there was anything untoward between SEF and local solicitors that I was urged to consult!!!
Ca-Ching.


There maybe a loophole in SEF procedures where, if you apply for an extension and thereafter move over the 90 days, that you are allowed to remain until a decision or an interview is scheduled.
I am not 100% certain of that but it does sound plausible to me.  Knowing the delays currently in soliciting a response, making an interview, or even having anyone answer a telephone call to SEF, then that delay could be quite beneficial as a loophole.

All I can offer, unfortunately.

Yes, I was getting nowhere trying to contact SEF and so decided to go to the office instead. I got told that my Schengen visa, which is due to expire in a week or so, is actually valid until 30th June and they gave me a print out of the decree. I can only assume that this is because of the backlog of applications/appointments they have to get through as a hangover from brexit etc. apparently they aren’t taking appointments until July! Not sure if you had heard this too about the visas being extended to 30th June?

That still has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic which delayed a lot of work. And weirdly, it anticipated by a few days, the SEF's additional work to issue visas for Ukrainian refugees.... (the decree law is from February 18 and the war started on February 24)...

https://lamarescapela.pt/en/government- … documents/


Decree-Law No. 23-A/2022 of February 18, extends until June 31, 2022 the validation of expired documents, namely the Citizen’s Card and visas related to stay in national territory.

“Documents and visas relating to stay in national territory, whose validity expires from the date of entry into force of this decree-law or within the 15 days immediately preceding it, are accepted, under the same terms, until June 30, 2022″ according to the statement of the Council of Ministers.

____________

Decree-Law No. 23-A/2022 of February 18
GOVERNMENT EXTENDS UNTIL JUNE THE VALIDATION OF EXPIRED DOCUMENTS

https://dre.pt/dre/detalhe/decreto-lei/ … -179327569

Artigo 2.º
....

8 - Os documentos e vistos relativos à permanência em território nacional, cuja validade expire a partir da data de entrada em vigor do presente decreto-lei ou nos 15 dias imediatamente anteriores, são aceites, nos mesmos termos, até 30 de junho de 2022.

9 - Os documentos referidos no número anterior continuam a ser aceites nos mesmos termos após 30 de junho de 2022, desde que o seu titular faça prova de que já procedeu ao agendamento da respetiva renovação.

Great thanks, do you know if this decree will allow me to leave and return even if I am over the 90 day limit?

Not sure, although I suspect that you may have difficulty returning if you do that.
Immigration will notice that you have already used up your "90 in 180 days" Schengen quota and, probably deny you access.
A privilege has been set for those already in Portugal where their applications cannot be processed in time.
My guess is that privilege won't extend if you have already left Portugal.
I wouldn't attempt it if you have any other options.