News from afpop

Good afternoon to you all and first of all thank you to those Members who visited our BLiP Expo last weekend and welcome to those new Members who joined afpop at BLiP. This will be your first News from afpop mailing and you will receive one every second Friday from now on. 

Since our last mailing the new EES system has come into force across the Schengen Area and, as probably expected, it is not without its teething problems. (Please note that these restrictions do not apply to EU citizens, or those from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). You will no-doubt have seen more reports in the media of delays at the airports for non-EU visitors and in fact in Faro the electronic system had to have manual inputs from the police on duty, so not a great start. We were also told that some non-EU citizens who are Residents in Portugal had been denied access to the EU passport booths and I have checked with the airport police, who confirmed that non-EU citizens who hold a valid Residency document in Portugal CAN use the EU booths to enter Portugal. The police commander has assured me that he will reinforce that message with the security staff. I’m not sure how this is all working in other countries, but the Portuguese system does seem to have had its issues in the first days.

A word of warning about some groups of men in white vans travelling around and offering to clean driveways and walls of houses. Their MO apparently is to do a square metre or so and then when the property owner declines, they demand large sums of money for the ‘work’ they have already done. Please be wary of anyone offering to do such work unless you have specifically requested that they undertake it for you. Apparently the men are not averse to offering violence to get their way.  

Finally from me a note about our BLiP Expo last weekend, which was very well attended and thoroughly enjoyable for exhibitors and visitors alike. Thank you again to those who were able to make it and the dates for next year are set, so put the 10^th and 11^th of October in your planner.  

That being said, with information about a change to extensions for Residency document validity, here is this week’s information for you:

Residency documents (non-EU) expired between 22/02/2020 and 30/06/2025
We have reported in our extraordinary Briefing that AIMA will be contacting people whose Residency document expired between 22/02/2020 and 30/06/2025 and many Members have already been contacted and have begun the process for renewal. If you have NOT YET been contacted by email, there is now an option on the AIMA website to inform them that you have not received their email. If that is your situation, go to the link below and click on “I wasn’t notified”. This will take you to another page where you fill in your Residency number, Residency expiry date, mobile phone, e-mail address and the district that you live in, complete the CAPTCHA and click submit. Once successfully submitted, you should wait to be contacted by e-mail by AIMA to start the renewal process. https://services.aima.gov.pt/renovadc.php?la=en 

Residency renewal for EU citizens and family members
AIMA has added an option on their contact form for Residency renewal applications for EU citizens and their family members’ Residency cards and Certificates (CRUE). This option is for cards and certificates that have already expired or are due to expire in the very near future. The contact form also has the option to apply for family reunification under article 15 (which grants non-EU family members of EU citizens the right to a Residency card, allowing them to live and work in Portugal). You can find the contact form here: https://contactenos.aima.gov.pt/contact-form 

Choose: “Topic Type” Community Residence Card and then the “Subtopic Type” that suits your specific request. If the English version gives you issues, perhaps try the Portuguese version.

IMPORTANT NOTE about Residency CARDS: People who have the 10-year-old (or older) Residency cards (cardboard/plasticised), that have expired or are due for renewal, may find that the contact form gives some sort of error. We are not sure why, but we will keep an eye on it and keep Members informed.

End of automatic validity extension for expired Residency permits
After 15th of October 2025, Residency permits that have expired will no longer be valid if the holder has not yet started the renewal process online. After that date, legality in the country is proven by possession of the expired Residency document, together with proof of submission of the online renewal application and payment of the respective fee. The proof will be valid for a maximum of 180 days. 

For Members who have not yet been able to start the Residency renewal online, for whatever reason, perhaps not being able to add a Social Security (NISS) number, problems with the AIMA renewal portal and the AIMA contact form, we advise you to save screenshots, e-mails and any error messages from failed attempts to start an online renewal or to book an appointment. These can be useful if you need to prove your efforts at some point in the future.

Train tickets Portugal
The CP – Comboios de Portugal inform customers that the entities “Rail.Ninja”, “Kiwi” and "Firebirdtours" are not authorised agents for the sale of CP tickets, nor is there any contractual link between CP and those companies and declines any responsibility for the information disclosed by said entities or for any losses arising from purchases made with them.

You can find the official means of purchasing tickets on their renewed website:
https://www.cp.pt/en/detalhe-aviso/venda-de-bilhetes-cp

For more information, please consult: Customer Service Line 808 109 110, Customer Support Offices and CP Ticket Offices.

Wintertime
Yes, it’s that time of year when you can sleep, or party, for one more hour next weekend. The clocks will go back one hour at 02h00 (2am) Sunday morning the 26th of October in Portugal mainland and Madeira (for the Açores this will be at 01h00). Enjoy the extra hour.

Foreigners’ law
The new foreigners’ law has been approved by the President of the Republic.

The new decree limits visas for looking for work to only "qualified work", restricts the possibility of family reunification for foreigners with a Residency permit in Portugal - not including refugees - and changes the conditions for granting Residency permits to citizens of the CPLP - Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries. As soon as the law has been published, we will inform Members through our briefings.

Seasonal vaccination campaign - reminder
The Seasonal Vaccination Campaign Autumn-Winter 2025-2026 runs from 23^rd of September 2025 to the 30^th of April 2026 in health units of the National Health Service and in pharmacies.

All eligible patients will receive an SMS with information about the vaccination process.

Patients aged 85 and over, or those with certain health conditions, will be scheduled for vaccination by their local health unit (via SMS or phone call), but they can also choose to arrange their vaccination directly with their health unit.

Patients aged 60 to 84 can book their vaccination themselves, either at their local health centre or through the online booking system of Portuguese pharmacies.

Doctors’ strike
The FNAM - National Federation of Doctors has declared a strike for the 24^th of October for all doctors of the SNS - National Health Service, on the mainland and the islands. The FNAM is demanding better working conditions and fair wages for doctors, in a context of "risk of collapse" of the SNS, with health units closed and emergency rooms overcrowded.

Strike public administration services - reminder
The CGTP-IN – Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses – Intersindical Nacional

announced a 24-hour strike of Public Administration workers on the 24^th of October. Public Services might be closed; please make sure you check before travelling to an appointment. 

The strike will be cancelled if the government improves its proposal and reaches an agreement with the union.

PSP speed ​​cameras in October - reminder
The PSP has just released the list of speed cameras in Portugal for this October. See all locations and times HERE. The Public Security Police warns that this is an indicative list and is subject to occasional changes. It should also be noted that unannounced speed checks may occur. It's best to adhere to all speed limits and drive safely.

Satellite offices
If you need advice or assistance, wish to introduce a new Member to the Association, if you need to renew your subscription or just have a general query, please pass by and see us. We ask you to make an appointment and to inform us about your enquiry, so staff can come prepared to assist you. Please contact the afpop office to make an appointment on 282 458 509 or info@afpop.com.   

The next dates of the Satellites are: 

• Almancil - Tuesday 28^th of October between 10h00 and 12h30 (premises of MEDAL Seguros)

• Lagos - Wednesday 29^th of October between 10h00 and 12h30 (premises of MediLagos on R. José Ferreira Canelas, which is behind the Câmara building)