色花堂

Hi @novamahala, Welcome.

No problem, since you've already made the appointment with AIMA.

Some help here about the AIMA interview (AIMA = former SEF) (post #23):

/forum/viewtopic.p 鈥� 42#5388099

Regards

Hello @JohnnyPT, thank you for your prompt response. I am relieved.

I have been following this forum since I decided to start my D7 process and I truly benefited a lot. Especially during the process of renting a house in Portugal, the information you shared in detail made the process smoother. It helped me a lot to know which issues to pay attention to. I take this opportunity to thank you for that too.

Best,

@novamahala

hello,

im also from turkey and got D7 visa, i鈥檒l in lisbon in mid february, started sending and calling Aima for 2 days now, but couldnt get an appointment, funchal office told me to come in person to their office. Could you please let me know how was your experience getting aima appointment?

thanks,

regards,

emre

Hello Emre,

The link to my appointment details was printed on my visa. So unfortunately I cannot tell you anything that might help you how to contact AIMA and make an appointment. I too have read that many people have difficulties in getting an appointment, so I hope you can make an appointment ASAP.

Best,

@emre

That's something I haven't understood yet. Some visas have a link to the appointment, while others don't. Have you checked that your visa doesn't have a link, even in small print?

If it doesn't, try to make the appointment by phone (+351) 217 115 000, or go in person to the Aima shop in Funchal. It's not easy to make an appointment by phone, you have to insist several times and at different hours of the day...

@JohnnyPT

Sorry for late return,

i have no appointment at my visa and the aima call center (the Numbers you gave) is not accepting call due to high demand. Only way is to go to aima office personally i guess..

Hi All

I would like to ask people out there if they are having difficulty with AIMA visa appointments and the over all process as I am?

I have to say, I鈥檓 dissatisfied with the process of visa appointments, I鈥檝e done everything the AIMA have asked. I wouldn鈥檛 like to calculate the amount of hours spent visiting office鈥檚, filling and sending continuous emails and making phone calls.

With out a recognised email in response why I have to ask?

We were told that all the necessary equipment and man power would be in place and all the backlog would be brought into line. I have been contacting them continuously all last year, I had a funeral to attend back home UK, last week went down to the AIMA to request a letter to allow me to go home I was advised that you may or may not be allowed back depending on the border police at the desk? I didn鈥檛 go, but I鈥檓 beginning to feel like a prisoner just because I want to stay here!

not happy

Davej

@Dave,

Last year was very bad for AIMA indeed. This year things should be better only after June. What do you want specifically? Forget email. For appointment, try to make phone calls at different times of the day. Nowadays they can handle with 6000 calls /day.

JohnnyPt

Happy new year to you all at expats 鈥渟hould have done this on the first email sorry鈥�

Thank you for your response I鈥檓 here on D7 visa that I received in Manchester last February, we communicated a few times over the year apologies we were advised not to phone as much the response on the phones was poor it鈥檚 better to email as they will only reply to you by email?

So still continued to call, emailed a bunch聽 more without any improvement including calling at different times of the day 20 calls today at different times doing this continuously most days?

sending emails to geral@Aima.gov.pt 3 times a week calls at least 80 per week looking on The Sef pages to see if appointment are available, my question to anyone are they doing something other than what I鈥檓 doing would appreciate any helpful advice?

and I鈥檝e been told previously from the AIMA offices you just have to be patient and wait on them to contact you by email?

anybody help help help I鈥檓 fed up doing the same thing and get no where?

davej

@Dave,

I understand your anger. The problem was caused by the previous government, which at the same time as it dismantled SEF and replaced it with AIMA, let in thousands of immigrants in an unregulated manner. The current government wants to solve the 400,000 outstanding cases by June this year. Hence the extension of the deadlines. Please read this:

Documents and visas relating to stay in national territory, which expired from 22 February 2020, are valid until 30 June 2025 and are accepted by Portuguese public authorities, for all legal purposes,

In the meantime, try making phone calls. Maybe you'll be successful...

You've probably done this but just in case - check your temporary visa for some very tiny text beginning "Agendamenta... etc" .聽 If you have this and it has a number then enter the website in the text up to the end of the number - this will be an appointment.

I got my D7 temporary visa through London VFSGLobal then the Portuguese Consulate (I kept my passport and took it to the Consulate to have visa put in the same day).聽 At that point I was given a printout with date and place of AIMA appointment and my first name hand written at the top.

Good luck

@JohnnyPT

I recently (March 2025), registered with local Junta de Freguesia and showed them my appointment with AIMA in August and they printed me a letter confirming I was living there.聽 They told me to come back a few days before my appointment to renew this letter as it's only valid for a month.聽 They were not bothered by my temporary visa (ending 29/06/2025) as I have an AIMA appointment.聽 Appointment given by Consulate thank goodness...