corleycraig147

Thank you, much appreciated.

qianh

You can register at SOME cameras before 90 days. The regulation says you must register after 90 days but doesn’t say you can’t before 90 days so it’s up to individual camara and officials. Me and my husband both did before 90 days. In my husband’s case the official frowned slightly but still issued registration. Many Brits just want to get it done with before end of this year to avoid confusion and hassle.

bons

Which Camara did you go to?

qianh

We did in Setúbal.

bons

Thanks for that.

cfs

Today I picked up my residency certificate. It was just under the 90 days. It has been a struggle.

Here's my timeline, maybe it will help somebody:

29/06/2020 arrived in Portugal
03/07/2020 requested Atestado de Residência in Porto
06/07/2020 given appointment to pick up Atestado de Residência in Porto on 08/07/2020
08/07/2020 got Atestado de Residência in Porto
08/07/2020 requested appointment with Camâra Municipal in Porto - booked for 28/07/2020
28/07/2020 physical appointment with Camâra Municipal in Porto - was told that because I had moved address to the Municipality of Maia I had to make another appointment with the Camâra Municipal in Maia
28/07/2020 phoned Camâra Municipal in Maia to request Certificado de Registo como Cidadão de União Europeia - was told to make request by email
28/07/2020 sent email requesting Certificado de Registo como Cidadão de União Europeia from the Camâra Municipal in Maia
03/08/2020 called Camâra Municipal in Maia as I hadn't received a response. Was told that they couldn't help me as UK was no longer part of the EU.
03/08/2020 sent an email to Camâra Municipal in Maia quoting the SEF website that said Camâras were still responsible for issuing certificates until end of Transition Period
03/08/2020 received reply sending me form to request certificate and asking me to attach scanned copy of passport, scanned copy of rental agreement, scanned copy of Portuguese bank statement, scanned copy of NIF
10/09/2020 sent reminder email to Camâra Municipal in Maia asking if there was a problem with my application as I has not received an answer
10/09/2020 sent an email to the British Consulate in Lisbon telling them the Camâra Municipal in Maia was not responding to my request for a Certificado de Registo como Cidadão de União Europeia
10/09/2020 received a phone call from Camâra Municipal in Maia making an appointment to collect the certificate on 15/09/2020 and informing me that they would send me the payment slip on the same day so I could pay the fee
15/09/2020 sent an email to Camâra Municipal in Maia saying I had not received email with payment slip
15/09/2020 went to Camâra Municipal in Maia at the specified time and then had to wait for nearly 2 hours at reception and the only person I could talk to was the security guard. Eventually 10 minutes before they closed I was informed by the security guard that the payment slip had now been sent by email and I had to make the payment and pick up the certificate
15/09/2020 I received the email which included an apology for the delay
15/09/2020 I took my phone with the email to the payment desk, paid the 15 euros and walked out with a temporary resident certificate valid for 5 years

Success at last!

bons

Well done! That's one camara I will not be going to.

cfs

Thanks Bons, yeah, I wouldn't recommend it

bons

Nice feeling for you now though. We're at lest 6 weeks away from even coming to Portugal.

Red Eric

If I might make so bold, I think you would be best advised to choose on the basis of what you are looking for in terms of a place to settle long term, somewhere you can establish a base from which to do some exploring of the surrounding area, as opposed to choosing on the basis of the fabled ease or difficulty of getting a registration certificate in any particular place.

Did the Embassy not put your mind fully at ease on that score - I thought they'd given you, specifically, the answers you were looking for, in amongst a lot of other useful material in response to questions from other people?

bons

Of course, but I'm not going to piut myself at the mercy of a Camara who will make it difficult when time is of the essence am I?

campos

Can I ask what you did to request the attestado? Get 2 neighbours to vouch? Is there a pro forma one completes online? All info welcome

qianh

It's really difficult to say tho, we both did our residency before 31/01/2020, the UK hadn't officially left the EU yet. I don't know if there is any situation change since then, although I feel the lady works in Setubal camara is quite helpful and cheery. I think COVID made things much much more difficult, usually if you can go there and speak to person face to face, things are easily to get sorted, now with the appointment system, it's a nightmare. We were still waiting for email for making an appointment for exchange license.

Rambling archer

Bons - but Eric is entirely correct. You really cannot chose the Freguesia and/or Camara as you have to apply in the place where your address in Portugal is. Of course if you are only renting to begin with, you may then move again (re-registering of course in the new Freguesia/Camara!) but I think you will find that since July when cfs started his run-around, things have eased a bit in most areas for personal contact and ease of access. Probably avoid the hot-spots for Covid and otherwise you should be fine. And the Embassy will help if you get stuck ...

cfs

Campos, to get the Atestado I had to send the Junta de Freguesia an email and they sent me the form by email and an appointment time. I had to take my passport and copies of the Citizen's Card of 2 Portuguese residents who lived in the same municipality. I was staying in an Airbnb and I got the owner and her husband to do it. They gave me photocopies of their cards and signed the form for me, so I did not have to physically take the owner and her husband to the appointment. In the end I never used it as by the time I got an appointment I had signed a long term rental agreement in a different municipality and from that point on I just used the rental agreement.

My initial problem with the Atestado was that my local Junta was closed because of COVID. But there was a note on the door telling you the closest one that is open and that is dealing with lots of different freguesias at the same time. When I went there the first time I never saw the note on the door so I contacted CNAIM by email (https://www.acm.gov.pt/pt/-/cnai-cen...o-ao-imigrante) who are an organisation that helps foreigners with immigration and they gave me all the correct details of who to email at the Junta.