Adventures With Jack and Karen: Home Again in Portugal

The D-7 Resident Visa for Portugal is lengthy, frustrating, confusing, challenging and frustrating. Did I mention frustrating? Some of you may be interested in how to apply for a Visa. We started the process in May 2021 with several emails, zoom calls and WhatsApp calls to Portugal to obtain our Fiscal Number (identification number used for most everything).

We needed to establish a Portuguese Bank Account (we have a "Personal Banker" with Millennium Bank that we call directly), search for housing online (lots of emails back and forth with the rental agency) and finally consult with the lawyer to help us word the lease to meet the Visa requirements. After gathering a few more documents - three months of bank account statements, notorized driver's license (we used an online notary because the person needed to be certified in our state of residence, Texas, and we were not there. Works great by the way!), FBI background checks (in an unopened envelope), travel health insurance (expensive due to our age) and a funded Portuguese bank account (that means moving dollars to euros and sending to Portugal).

Portuguese Embassy Washington D.C.

Whew! Once all this was assembled, we overnighted our packets to VFS Global, the international service to the Portuguese Embassy in Washington D.C. VFS checks to be sure we have all of the required documents to support the application, and of course charge for this. Then our application is sent to the Embassy where is sits.

We changed our flights twice while waiting and since our lease started October 1 we decided to fly to Portugal before our Visa was approved, using just our tourist passports. The Embassy has 60 days to approve or deny the application and ours took 58 days!

Wouldn't you know our Visas were approved 5 days after we arrived! The next step was to send our passports to the D.C. Embassy so they could affix the Visas inside. We debated on sending the passports from Portugal but figured it is basically illegal to be without a passport in a foreign country. So....another "quick" flight to the U.S.A. Since we have relatives in New Jersey that we didn't get to see before we left, we booked a flight and prepared to visit for 5 days while waiting for our passports to be returned to us by FedEx.

(Nephew) Rick & Emily Cotton

J.C. doing his infamous jumps

Bradley Cooper- Mr. Cuddles

We had a nice ferry ride into New York on a very windy Saturday.

World Trade Center Memorial

But more frustration....Five days turned into 8 and we tried to call and email people who never answer....

FINALLY-SUCCESS!!

OK! Ready to fly back to Portugal....

Our Portuguese Visas

Then our flight from New York was marred by a 4-hour delay causing us to miss our connection from London to Faro, Portugal. After being rebooked and sitting in the airport for 5 hours, we were denied boarding because the results of our Covid tests had not come through. We had to stay overnight in London, get rapid Antigen tests at 6 a.m. and finally board an 8 a.m. flight to Lisbon (with another 5 hours layover) then on to Faro. Yikes! Flying sure is more difficult these days.

Olhao

Ria Formosa (between the land) and the Atlantic Ocean

It feels very good to be HOME and back in our comfortable bed, our Portuguese TV channels and getting into the routine of life here.

Saturday Produce Market-Jack getting a fresh deep fried churro

to share with me (50 cents)

raspberries are still in season

Karen buying fresh shrimp for dinner-6 jumbo shrimp for $4.00

Our shopping for the week

popular O Preoco Certo (Price is Right) game show (that's the host with suspenders he is a comedian and has been on this show since 2003) of course only in Portuguese (but it is easy to follow)