Portugal SEF Appointment Complete! | Get our D7 Visa guide

All about our Portugal SEF appointments on August 29, 2021. Our appointments were in the Algarve (3 hours from where we live), our appointments were on different days, and we somehow filled out the wrong form! We're sharing how all of that went, which documents we brought, and which documents we actually needed.
Plus, we're launching some documents to help you with your D7 Application process!
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// ABOUT US //
Dan and Michelle are the owners of HoneymoonAlways.com, a honeymoon and couples travel website, as well as CabinCritic.co. Dan is a former SEO specialist, and Michelle recently left her job as a digital product manager. We recently sold our home in Austin Texas to live in Portugal and work full time on our travel website.
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[@moniquebird4358]

I am in Portugal I live in California . I’m so glad that you are doing what you do for foreigners who want to move to here

[@marcussharpley5654]

Another great (useful) video. Thank you so much for putting these videos out there. I used your videos to put my paperwork together (San Francisco office) and the process was very smooth. When its approved (thinking positive) I am gonna use this video for the immigration appt once I arrive in Portugal. Again, thank you for another great informative and useful video.

[@msbarb1]

You guys are Lucky, I'm in SFO and the Embassy here required 2 years of Portuguese minimum wages about 24K, put into your Portuguese bank account before the interview (the good news is you can buy health insurance cheap after you open your bank account)....plus they do nothing on line you have to go in in person for you Visa interview. I ended up hiring a local Portuguese firm that specialized in D-7 Visas. They put everything together quickly, and very professionally. Not cheap, borderline expensive. I believe if you go through the SF office it's tough, but possible to do without professional help, you might have to try more than once though :( as some people told me they had to do. They also didn't allow using AirB&B or hotels you had provide an actual rental agreement...This is SFO heard it way easier everywhere else.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

SF seems to be the most strict, with the other embassy’s following after that.

[@shahbazkhan7957]

Which local firm you hired in Portugal for complete services ?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Moving to Portugal? We're adding more resources here: www.honeymoonalways.com/moving-to-portugal-resources/

[@musicianslife360]

Congrats, guys! Sounds like we had our appointment about a week after yours. It went smoothly too. Parabens as you continue your adventures!

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@ade2666]

Congrats, quick question. when does your 2 year residency permit start on the Physical permit. Is it from the date you arrived in Portugal with your 4 months visa, or from the date you were approved after your SEF interview? Thank you

[@JBSpecialMusic]

Bem-vindo a Portugal! Happy, happy dance!

[@JenShea]

Happy for you both! Parabéns 🍾

[@snailtravelers]

This is a great video with very helpful information. Thank you!

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Glad we could help!

[@nicoleenesse]

Make an online course..kind of like how Our Rich Journey did

[@lucchese20]

Consider the Pursuing Timeless channel video on the D7 process (~45 minutes and free)

[@dg883]

Congratulations! Great news.

[@fredwang2004]

Great account of the SEF appointment . Thank you for sharing ! Our appt is next week in Setubal, we hope it will be as smooth . Did the agent speak English ?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

I just spoke Portuguese, but did overhear another agent speaking English.

[@fredwang2004]

@@HoneymoonAlways good for you ! Can you do a video sharing your Portuguese learning experience ?

[@ProjectFrugal]

Very useful info - thanks from New Zealand :)

[@machellep1]

Congratulations !

[@user-di9ts1hf7v]

Has anyone here used SEF Booker, to book an appointment with SEF?

[@Alfablue227]

I think what you meant was the Certidão de Residência, which is done by the Junta de Freguesia or City Council, in other words, it's an attestation of your Portuguese residency address.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Yes, that sounds right!

[@perrie77]

SEF is a nightmare and the call centre is terrible in lisbon

[@bharatbharti7587]

Good information

[@elvirashobbies448]

Thank you so much!

[@anadossantos1429]

Enjoy Portugal 💚😊

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Obrigado!

[@user-rk8mr8ux5s]

You have given such great information 😊🙌🏼🙌🏼. What company did you go with for your travel medical insurance?

[@tinasoccoli8033]

Parabéns!!! Could you please tell me if we can choose the SEF appointment location? Thanks/Obrigado

[@HoneymoonAlways]

We were assigned the location

[@borderless_adventures]

Congratulations on your visas! Me and my husband are starting ours soon! When you go to SEF, do you need to have the large savings you need for the D7? Or is it okay to use that for living expenses when you arrive into Portugal?

[@Viennaadvantage]

Do you need a background check or police clearance certificate from you home country at the Sef appointment? It was already submitted once at the embassy but was wondering whether that's required again. Thanks

[@karatyler8684]

That sounds like a much better/quicker than any experience I’ve had at the DMV. Do you need to get a special license to drive or is that just your residency card and they assume that if you have a US drivers license then you can also drive in PT?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

After getting residency we have 90 days to trade in our US license for one in Portugal otherwise we can’t drive here after 90 days. And if we wait till after 90 days we would have to take a driving course.

[@msbarb1]

@@HoneymoonAlways Thanks for letting know about this, I heard the test is only in Portuguese to LOL

[@esgee3829]

@@HoneymoonAlways thanks for another comprehensive yet concise video. helpful as always. if you are swapping driving licenses within these 90 days, any concerns about paying higher auto premiums if you were to return to the states since you'd no longer being continuously insured with the car being insured rather than the driver in PT (i'm not sure how much of a penalty one incurs in the states by not being continuously insured)?

[@rudingnamijeno9375]

hello can you help to make a resident card for me sister. and what's the note.

[@trave7644]

can you talk about how you guys transfer money from the US to your Portuguese bank account? What are fees if any? Which bank in the US do you use to transfer money. thanks.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

We use Wise, it has some fees but has the least amount we could find. wise.com/invite/spu/danielb6627

[@trave7644]

@@HoneymoonAlways how much do they charge per 1000 dollars?

[@Jayb_ventures]

so can you take us through how to socialize and making new friends in portugal?? do i have to go to clubs/ churches to get friends😁

[@HoneymoonAlways]

That’s a good video idea. We are trying to build our community by hanging out in local parks and cafes, taking group classes, Facebook groups and groups on meetup.com

[@ade2666]

Congrats, quick question. when does your 2 year residency permit start on the Physical permit. Is it from the date you arrived in Portugal with your 4 months visa, or from the date you were approved after your SEF interview? Thank you

[@sherillfranke1846]

Thanks guys. So is it your understanding that for the SEF appointment, you need a year lease that has been registered with the tax authorities? Also, how did you obtain the document from your neighborhood and can you tell me the name of this document? Thanks

[@HoneymoonAlways]

I have heard different things about whether your lease needs to be registered or not. For duration it should be a 6 month lease. Our landlord did not register the lease, so we went to our Junta and received the atestado de residencia. This is helpful whenever someone wants proof of address. You have to go to your local junta with 2 people from the neighborhood. They didn’t even look at our lease because we had that.

[@arturjcrebelo3275]

To obtain the "atestado de residência" you can go to 2 different places, the city hall of your city (where you live) or your parish council (in Portugal is call Junta de Freguesia), need to have your lease or any bill for exemple (electricity, water, insurance or even your internet provide) that come from mail with your name and the address in it (need to have your postal code in that mail). There are people that receive all the bills in their email and not by mail and the only way is a lease or if the house is yours you need to show them the "escritura da casa" (house propriety deed) to show that you are the owner. If i'm co0rrect the owners of this KZbin channel live in Campo de Ourique, they needed to go to the "Junta de Freguesia de Campo de Ourique" (Campo de Ourique parish council) if they dont change the place is in the back street of the biggest church Santo condestável church, because i use to live in Estrela (was the same parish county).

[@arturjcrebelo3275]

The parish council is very helpful to the people that live there, in Pontinha (Odivelas) my council i remember go there to give my old books they accept them to be put in the local library (when i change to a small apartment) and in the board i see all the services provide from them, they have lawyers for free (only for consultation) if you have any problem you can go there ask for advice (they dont help you in court, only for advice), every Thursday they had food baskets to give to old people and single mothers with financial difficulties and even help unemployed people to find jobs. They at night even had one class for foreign that want to learn Portuguese, they help a lot their "residents".

[@ValerieKachkova]

When you initially applied for residency on SEF website, did you have to submit your FBI Background Check from US? If so, did it have to be Apostilled? Doesn't specify on their website and I've heard mix things. Thanks a lot!

[@sogooish]

How can i appointment for d7 visa for my first step , what should i do?

[@UzairKhan-zo6yp]

I want to ask when a person goes to sef for extension for d7 visa , so how can he travel to his home country during the process of the card which can take about a month ? d0 they give you any temporary document to travel ? while the d7 visa is expired which is on the passport

[@rolandotoulon3926]

Hi guys! You are awesome! I’m a little confused about traveling thru the EU on a D7 visa. Does traveling for a week or two at a time to EU countries not count towards “leaving Portugal”? Can we travel freely thru EU with D7 visa? Or Is it just travel to USA or outside EU that counts towards time outside Portugal? I appreciate any clarification to this. I can’t find anything online that clears this up. They just say you can’t leave for 6 months. Thanks for all you do.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

You could be talking about a few different things. When you come to Portugal on your D7 Visa, you can only leave to go back to the US twice until you have your SEF appointment. Then you can travel freely. We did go to Spain during this period because the borders within the EU are open. The other requirement is you need to be in Portugal for 6 consecutive months or 8 non consecutive months. I think time outside Portugal but in the EU would count as time outside Portugal, but since you don’t go through customs or border patrol when you travel within the EU, I am not sure how they would monitor this. It seems to be an unenforceable rule in that sense. Also, if you are out of the country for longer periods there are exemptions, for work or a sick family member and things like that.

[@rolandotoulon3926]

@@HoneymoonAlways Thanks so much for the quick reply. That helps a lot. I was just wondering because it would suck to be retired in Portugal and be stuck and not be able to travel around Europe! 🤣 You guys are so inspiring. My family and I should be in Portugal within the year! Can’t wait. Just need to sell my business and I’m out! Thanks again.

[@cabelodefogouk]

@@HoneymoonAlways Hi - this is a great video, thanks. My Portuguese lawyer has said, according to the rules, you need to be in Portugal for 2 of the 4 months during that initial temporary visa period. I can't find anything about this, however, online. Do you happen to have any insight? Lawyer did say they're not extremely strict about it (unlikely to count the exact number of days) but that it's still a risk to consider. I ask because, having gone through the torturously long and stressful process of applying for the visa and now, hopefully, being a matter of weeks away from receiving it, I face needing to be back home for personal reasons for a good chunk of time when, according to the lawyer, I need to be in Portugal waiting for my SEF appointment... Thanks in advance!

[@HoneymoonAlways]

@cabelodefogouk I’ve never heard anything like that before.

[@cabelodefogouk]

@@HoneymoonAlways Thanks - good to know. I guess I'm not going to worry about it then. Thanks again.

[@kathykaz3027]

I could hardly focus on what Dan was saying because of that incredible view. How long is your residency for - 1 year or 2? And is it from the SEF appt date? Thanks!

[@HoneymoonAlways]

It really was a great view! Residency lasts 2 years and it is from the date of the SEF appointment

[@kathykaz3027]

@@HoneymoonAlways thanks guys! Hope to meet up some day in Portugal.

[@jamesaquino9439]

I live in Oregon. Is it possible for me to go through DC for D7 visa? 🤞🏻

[@HoneymoonAlways]

No, you have to go to the one assigned to Oregon.

[@BreadTherian666]

Be nice and say "im American!" and all be well :P

[@zuchs1969]

Thank you for making this video. When you made your appointments was it a long wait for the date? Or were the dates within a few weeks?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

When we received our Visa the appointments we assigned to us. Those were about 2 months after arriving.

[@julieschreck7669]

@@HoneymoonAlways Hi! Just wanted to clarify timing of when you received your SEF appt date…Did I interpret your response as saying that your SEF appt was scheduled about 2 months after your residency D7 visa started ( in your case from the date you flew into Portugal)? And what happens if your SEF appt date gets scheduled beyond the time of your 4 month visa? In the rules of the D7 visa it states that you have 2 entries allowed on that visa…I assume that is within the 4 month visa time frame….Is that correct? Thanks for your clarification and guidance! Julie

[@HoneymoonAlways]

@@julieschreck7669 Our Visa started in June and our appointments were at the end of August. Your SEF appointment should be within the 4 months your Visa is valid for, but if not I think you just need to stay until you have your residency.

[@sergeiusa]

What do you guys mean by the paper from the neighborhood? Who do you go to to get it? Your neighbors? Lol )

[@HoneymoonAlways]

This is a proof of residency from the "Junta de Freguesia"

[@chadandalicehervey738]

Yo Moon Crew!, Lame question,where did they mail your sef cards too?You obviously get mail to your house or a newly registered post office box? We got our approved visas back and noticed the appointment is set for like 6 months after we arrive?WTF kinda freakin out because it seems the visa is good for 3 months into which the sef was to be completed within that time stay?ugh… I wrote the issuing Consulado and hope they get back with the answer.Great vid btw…. Chad and Alice

[@HoneymoonAlways]

They sent the card to our residence in Portugal. Your visa should have an expiration date 4 months from when it is valid. If you are in Portugal waiting for your appointment I don’t think it would be a problem, but wouldn’t want to leave until you get residency.

[@chadandalicehervey738]

@@HoneymoonAlways I know,Thankyou… my problem is my sef app is 6 months from my visa start date…ugh…maybe I can get a sooner sef app. Through the sef websight I believe you stated in beginning of video

[@davidlguerr]

SEF is going to be replaced by SEA, but it is not going to be any different.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Do you know when that will happen?

[@davidlguerr]

@@HoneymoonAlways I do not have an exact date, it already has been decided by the government, some of the SEF's jurisdiction is going to be absorbed by law enforcement.

[@antoniof9756]

@@HoneymoonAlways Nobody knows.

[@alexandrgantverg6487]

Very informative. Thank you. If you still have a strength to reply: Can you make your SEF appointment online yourself or do you get the date set with your D7 visa? Did you pick Algarve office or was it selected for you by consulate based on your intended relocation area

[@HoneymoonAlways]

We went with what was assigned on our Visa. Portimao was the location we were assigned to even though it was 3 hours away from us. You cannot make an appointment on line for your first appointment. You can try to get a new appointment by calling or emailing SEF but our understanding is this will push your date back further.

[@huili9484]

@@vickirio @Honeymoon Always I have the same question, how do you get your SEF appointment date, is it written on the D7 visa? or you need to visit SEF in order to book an appointment?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

For us there was a URL on the visa

[@vickirio]

@@huili9484 mine was not in my visa- went on line and made my appointment

[@yuzi8693]

@@vickirio please advise which website to assign. Thank you!

[@HeathClose]

What was the name of that Facebook group? I can’t find “America and friends PT”.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

facebook.com/groups/americansandfriendsPT/?ref=share

[@MrKrishluv]

Did you get 2 year RP Card ??

[@alexandrgantverg6487]

Do you know if your USA income (including any capital gains not deductible under NHR) for 2021 will be taxed in Portugal for entire calendar year or only from the day you became the residents? Thank you

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Sorry, I am not sure about this.

[@alexandrgantverg6487]

Thank for the reply!

[@adamputh1090]

Can i get a D7 visa if i have a freelance contract?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

I believe so.

[@ustradingdiary]

But if you show them the investment account, will they want to tax you on your capital gain taxes if you profit from stocks????

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Tax is a totally separate issue. Our understanding is if you pay capitol gains in the US, you will not owe anything to Portugal

[@ustradingdiary]

@@HoneymoonAlways Im from Singapore. We do not pay capital gain tax there.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

@@ustradingdiary that’s nice, we’ll under the NHR, you shouldn’t be taxed, but I would speak to a tax professional to confirm

[@bliss2167]

Hello Dan & Michelle, how did you set up your SEF appointment?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Our visa had a url on it that went to our appointment time and place.

[@bliss2167]

@@HoneymoonAlways Thank you so much, we moved to Campo De Ourique 2 days back , we love it so far thank you for all your honest content 😊

[@HoneymoonAlways]

@@bliss2167 well hello neighbor!

[@bliss2167]

@@HoneymoonAlways hello hello just wanted to say thanks again for your detailed video on the neighborhood, we thought we will choose this one based on @ourrichjourney neighborhood guide video but your video confirmed and it is every bit as we expected and we love it. Appreciate all the effort you both put on channel to help people 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@tinasoccoli8033]

Hello guys, like you we’re selling our house in Florida and at the same time applying for D7. We speak Brazilian Portuguese so we’d appreciate if you could share the contact of the Brazilian person who helped you with BancoBest account. Looking forward to hearing from you. Obrigado

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Hi Tina, unfortunately our contact can’t help open bank accounts anymore.

[@tinasoccoli8033]

Thanks for replying and muito obrigado

[@turkeytraveltips]

Hi i am Tanzania living in Turkey am I eligible for D7

[@HoneymoonAlways]

I have no idea.