Does this mean we can wander down to the AIMA office and get our ID cards renewed? The story was in the Portugal News but I’ve no idea how to link it to these posts

hiya sportpix..............I dont know about 'wander down mate'.......... we have been waiting for our new cards since April the 1st, we live in Porto district, our interview was in Guarda, and the cards arrived in Coimbra AIMA .............. work that one out eh !!!

anyway the cards are still in Coimbra, we have asked Porto to ask Coimbra AIMA to send them to Porto for us, that was 3 weeks ago and still no phonecall to go and pickup the cards, that is the 'back story' ok..............

I visited the AIMA loja in Porto 3 weeks ago, and told my story to the security guard (once I had fought me way through the scrum of folks seemingly just hanging around outside) it turns out they were not just hanging about, they had arrived early that morning to be in a queue to hopefully get a ticket for an appointment that day, the security guard explained that the apps started at 9am, the tickets for said apps were doled out at 8am, and advised me that it was on a first come first served basis, and the best chance of getting a ticket was to arrive about 4-5am on the morning that you wanted to attend in order to stand a chance of getting a ticket........... I explained that it would be impossible to get my wife there for 4-5am in a wheelchair recovering from major surgery whilst undergoing ongoing treatments, and since Oct 15th our data was out of date on the SNS and it is causing us serious problems with prescriptions etc............ he took a bit of pity on me and invited me into the loja, took my details and said he would do his best, fair play to him that afternoon I got an email informing me that the cards where available to be picked up from Coimbra 220km away................ergo the brief explanation in the short paragraph above.

So I dont think 'wandering up' is really an option mate, it is chaos and a farce, as foreigners we are charged 180 euro for the first 2 year card, this new card is for 3 years at another 180euro, then I think its a 5 year card probably also for another 180euro, so 3 x 180 = 540euro, whilst a PT national pays 20euro for a 10 year card............ you would think that for 540euro it would be a top class service, expect to be dissapointed.................. on the plus side on a completely different subject we will always be eternally grateful to the SNS here who where absolutely superb and literally life savers......... so it aint all incompetence and doom and gloom here, just some depts work well and some dont work very well !

Sep 20th 2024 our last residency cards expired, Dec 2nd 2025 we finally picked up our new cards ................. servico muito rapido , and they only got a wiggle on once I explained our now extenuating circumstances, but at least they did get a wiggle on in the last 4 weeks though

5 years or so ago it took me 6 months to get my address changed (including the usual ping pong phone calls between two departments who both considered that their colleagues were from another planet and should be dealing with the issue), so it doesnt seem to have got much worse, considering

Thanks for the ongoing intel, Andywally. Always gives me a chuckle as well as much needed advice. Still haven't swanned into the AIMA office in Lagos about my ID card renewal yet but nice wife, who arrived exactly one month ago, and then spent four hours in said AIMA office in Lagos to apply for an appointment to continue her D7 residency application two days later, received an email two days ago to say she now has an appointment at the end of January 2026. Joy!

But it's in Lisbon...!

Anyway, we don't plan to miss it so will take the train the day before and spend the night there as the appointment is at 9:30am. Anyway, although it's Lisbon it's somewhere called Loja de Cidadao de Queluz, which looks on the map as being in the suburbs. If anyone on BE actually lives in Lisbon and has any knowledge of this area it would be good to get further intel. It looks like there is a railway station next door so do we stay in a nice hotel in the centre of town and just get the train (or an Uber), or should we stay close by if there any decent (boutique) hotels in that area.

When said wife had her appointment with the Portuguese Consulate in Macau they kept all of the documents she was required to submit, except her passport. As such she was given a certificate (it says Certificado De Residencia). She was not asked to take any further details with her so we are guessing (hoping) the appointment is just to get the biometric data (I did mine in Lisbon four years ago but at an office in town).

Any intel on the above would be most welcome 👍

No idea where you got that idea, but that office is not in Lisbon. Clue is in name "Queluz", which is small village west of Lisbon.
All offices are clearly listed on aima website.
Going to aima appointment with just a passport, is very silly idea. You will find more details on aima website.

bit short that.............. but he does have a point sportpix, I do not understand why the office in Macau kept all of your wifes docs tbh, in Manchester they took copies of ours then gave us the originals back, they where then sent to what was then SEF for a kind of pre-approval, once pre-approved as long as we could produce the actual docs at our initial SEF meeting and they match what SEF had on file sent to them via the consulate then it was a gimme...............even for our renewal in April with AIMA this year we took the caderneta predial, social security payment proof, tax payment proof, passports, old residency cards, atestado de residencias, marriage certificate, birth certificates, bank statements, certidao permanente for the business........... and a load of bumpf that our accountant gave us that I did not understand and still do not understand, proper belt and braces approach, you have to give them absolutely no excuse to refuse your application....... please do not take any chances, cover all bases, take the kitchen sink with you............. and good luck !

Mmmm. Not sure, but my wife is "guessing" that the residency document they gave her in Macau is in some way proof of the validity of the documents she submitted for the application. We did all this through a Portuguese lawyer in Macau so I think I will get wife to contact him and ask questions. Would hate to go all that way (200km) and be told they need a piece of paper.

ask all the questions you can think of of the lawyer in Macau, but still my advice would be take everything that you have, its a long drive back for the sake of a piece of paper............ I am not a lawyer or an immigration consultant.......... but I have learnt not to expect anything here to go to plan, dont give them any excuses to refuse you on the day, take absolutely everything that you have that is a legal doc that you think might be of use, inc birth certs and marriage cert........everthing.

Absolutely 100% this. Take all the documents you have
You will also need a Parecer signed in blood by the Pope

Well, contacted the lawyer and he said she doesn’t really “need” any further docs as this app is for biometric collection. However, he did confirm that it’s wise to take copies of all paperwork submitted and if there’s room in the car to shove in the kitchen sink
as well! He didn’t mention anything about whippets, black pudding or other such things that seem to only pervade up t’north…

One time, I handed over a thick lot of paper; I told the bureaucrat that if he wanted more, just say the word, I have 40kg in my filing cabinet at home and I can go get it.

He thought about it...

Good luck, I think you will be fine if you have an email stating it is in Queluz and for Biometrics (and you take a Morcela bribe)
Region Lisbon
Subregion Greater Lisbon
District Lisbon
Municipality Sintra
I dont know Queluz, but it does have the palace there
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Queluz
Trouble is, its close to Amadora and other less salubrious places so you have to choose where you stay well, perhaps get a place close to the palace?

You’ve got me worried now. What’s wrong with those places? I thought this was Portugal, a land where crime and violence are low… there is a fine looking hotel that faces the palace and from what I can see is about a 1k walk through a park to the AIMA office. I always try to avoid dodgy or dangerous places

Those statistics depend on how well they are reported by the police and government and how much the economy relies on (actually, 'is') tourism, and how they are reported in the press. If I believed the UK press I would not ever go back and would avoid anyone not in a Union Jack weskit.
Apparently there was virtually no Covid in China

But, Amadora has a bad press, but it cant all be that bad, when I first arrived I lived in Damaia de Baixo and really close to Portas de Benfica Shanties, but never had any problems (except for with the feral dogs). Mind you, I have been mugged 3 times in Bairro Alto, once being threatened with a needle & syringe. Did I report it? I have 0 confidence in the police here, and that extends to 'you never know which type of corruption and with who'. Personal experience confirms the anecdotal reports I hear about that.

Never been victim of any crime in UK, despite working for years in my dad's little car workshop in Basildon amongst a range of rogues of Dickensian proportions
I have to say, those Essex People were so cool, a good few more than 'a little bit werrrrrr', but all with big hearts and a really, really good laugh

That sounds perfect, Queluz palace bit looks lovely - I'll have to visit it sometime

Remember to take a good long book, provisions, lots of fluids and a change of clothes for your stay in the AIMA
Seriously I'm sure it will be fast with an appointment
But good luck!

The plus side of living here is that everything is an adventure
oh and the climate
and the friendly helpful Hobbits

How do you distinguish between a Spaniard and a Portuguese?
The Spaniard will be the one smiling