My Portuguese still sucks

I'm from Colombia, and I've been living in Lisbon for 2 years. I have friends from all over, but it's been hard for me to make (and generally find) friends of Latin America.

Honestly, I really miss hanging out with people who understand my culture, so are there any events or communities of Colombians/Latin Americans in Lisbon?

AIMA Santarém – Artigo 15.º | 4 meses de espera

Olá a todos!

Gostaria de saber se há mais alguém na mesma situação que eu.

Entreguei o meu pedido de cartão de residência ao abrigo do artigo 15.º da Lei n.º 37/2006, na AIMA de Santarém, no dia 11 de junho de 2026.

Hoje, dia 11 de outubro, passaram exatamente 4 meses desde a entrega do meu pedido, mas o estado do processo continua a aparecer como «Em análise», sem qualquer alteração desde então.

Gostaria de saber se há outras pessoas que apresentaram o pedido em Santarém, especialmente em junho de 2026, e que continuam na mesma situação.

A quem se encontra na mesma situação, gostaria de perguntar:

Há quanto tempo entregaram o vosso pedido?

O estado do vosso processo continua a aparecer como «Em análise»?

Quanto tempo demorou até o estado do processo mudar ou até receberem uma decisão?

Há alguma atualização recente de pessoas que tenham apresentado o pedido em Santarém durante o mês de junho?

Ficaria muito agradecido se alguém pudesse partilhar a sua experiência. Gostaria de perceber se este tempo de espera é habitual e quanto tempo poderá ainda demorar até haver alguma atualização.

Obrigado a todos pela ajuda e pela partilha das vossas experiências!

Hi everyone,
I recently moved to Lisbon and am waiting for my residence permit appointment with AIMA. In the meantime, I need to open a bank account in Portugal.
I’ve tried applying online with several banks, but they seem to require a Portuguese Citizen Card or residence card, which I don’t have yet.

Has anyone in a similar situation managed to open a bank account using their passport and other supporting documents while waiting for their residence permit?
I’d appreciate recommendations for banks in Lisbon that accept applications from foreigners in this situation, preferably with an option to apply in person at a branch.

Thank you!

Hi,

I m an EU citizen moved over to Madeira last year and I have officially get the CRUR from Funchal Municipal. However I have not been able to get a NISS nr. I have already been to Serguranca Bureau and Loja Cidadao in Funchal separately, and was told that I couldn't apply a NISS nr if I do not have a proper work contract. But recently I have heard that PT government seems a bit to be more relaxed for foreinger to apply a NISS without contract in order to stimulate the immigrants to integrate into the society and make contribution to the social system. Just wondering if anyone here in Madeira has the same problem / or has experiences similar situation? Any advice would be much appreciated!

G.

My father submitted his application on 23/05/2025 at Arquivo Central do Porto. From the data i collected from forum.cidadaniaportuguesa.com, and taking the average time it takes to progress between stages 1 to 2 is around 9 to 12 months specifically at porto. My question is, how long do you guys think it would take for this application to progress from stage 1 to 2 if you guys have a similar case.

Obrigado

Hi

My 4 year old is awaiting aima card and has no sns.

Is there a way to get cheaper or free dental appointment and filing in PT?

Applied for sns 2 months ago but got no response. Pvt clinics are too expensive.

Thanks

Does anyone know where to buy specific species of potatoes in Portugal eg Maris Piper, King Edward, etc. All I see on the shelves is generic White and Red with no indication on what species they are.

I’m sorry if this is a repost, but stumbled on this post on IG and I believe it deserves to be echoed here

Hello folks,

I recently exchanged my national driving license for a Portuguese one, and I am considering taking practice lessons here in Lisbon.

Does anyone know if it’s possible to hire a driving trainer? And the rate per hour?

Thank you very much!

Hi! I wanted to share my travel experience for anyone in a similar situation. I will preface by saying I am NOT an immigration expert or lawyer. This is just my experience.

I am a US citizen and my husband is a Portuguese citizen. We moved to Portugal to live 4 months ago. One month after moving, I applied for my article 15 resident card through AIMA. I applied on Sunday, July 12 by submitting my passport, marriage certificate (certified in Portugal as we were married here), and my husband's Portuguese citizen card. I did NOT translate the page into English, I kept it in Portuguese. I successfully submitted after a few tries (I had to fix a few things and just refresh the page to get it to work). I received an email the next day with an appointment (in Porto and I was in Évora, but no complaints here) for Nov 11.

On Oct 9 I traveled to the US (I was past my 90 days in the Schengen zone). I had a DIRECT, TAP flight to LA. I returned on Oct 13. On my way OUT of Portugal, I had to show my passport, a printed email of my AIMA appointment confirmation, and my Portuguese marriage certificate. They let me leave without issue after that. I had no problems getting back into Portugal and did not need to show anything except my passport (maybe they made a note of my immigration status when I left? Not sure how that works). I did also bring ALL of my AIMA paperwork just in case they needed to see it (rental contract with my name on it, NIF tax residence document, copies of my husband's citizen card, etc).

Posted this because I was looking all over for someone in my specific situation who traveled while waiting for their AIMA appointment and had difficulty finding a lot of similar experiences.

I'm with Português citizenship, so does our kids, my husband is British, no PT citizenship.

After nearly 2 years of wait we got the family reunification appointment in June 26, went, did the process and sent home to wait.

I understand that for foreigners married to Português AIMA are supposed to provide the citizen card within 90 working days.

90 working days later the status is the same "under review".

We consulted our lawyer to check if we can sue AIMA for the delay, she said it's pointless as she didn't see it helped anyone so far.

Hoping to hear if anyone tried this option of suing AIMA for this delay and if it helped, so we will know if to put the effort or just keep with the endless waiting.

We didn't go outside of Portugal as a family as he's worried he won't be allowed to enter back without the citizen card.

Appreciate any insights.

Hi. I need an urgent Portugal E6 Visa appointment in UAE. Trying since 2 months but not getting any slot on VFS website. Is there anyone who can help me out?

Boa noite a todos! 😊

​Gostaria de tirar algumas dúvidas. Tenho agendamento na AIMAno porto 2 ,dia 26 desse mês já, pedido ao abrigo do artigo 15.º, uma vez que o meu marido é cidadão italiano, agendamento para o final deste mês de outubro. Tenho certidão de casamento em inteiro teor e apostilada do Brasil. Não vai dar tempo de transcrever o casamento na Itália .porque não atualizou o endereço do aire de sp para Lisboa ainda .estou preocupada 🥹

​Só para confirmar, gostaria de saber se, no dia do atendimento, é necessário levar documentos adicionais aos que já anexei. Quais documentos são necessários

I submitted my D4 student visa application through TLScontact in Thailand on 5 August 2026 and am still waiting. My classes have already started.
Has anyone who applied in August received their visa? How long did it take?
Thank you!

Hi all!

I submitted my father's application for citizenship by decent exactly one year through the Vancouver consulate but am feeling uneasy about it because 1) they cannot offer a case number to track progess, and 2) I have heard that applications from within the country are prioritized over those submited from abroad (unsure if this is true?) and than Van is particularly slow.

I had three different legal constultations this week and upon explaining the situation all of them offered go to the conservatory and check the status of the application. However, I am intrigued but also suspicious of how two of them who, in addition to checking on the app, one offered to "liase with the conservatory to speed things along" and another said he could go to the conservatory digitize the materials I sent them himself because this is a reason mail-in apps can take longer. Needless to say that costs were hefty, $1100 and $800 CAD respectively.

I am wondering - do you think these are legit offers with the potential speed up the application/rectify my mistake of submitting through the consulate or are they just trying to get me to pay for a bit of nothing?

Hi everyone!

We are a Cuban/German family living in Portugal (Familia Wunderbar). Between home, school, work, and daily life, we constantly switch between Spanish, German, English, and Portuguese—often changing languages mid-sentence without even realizing it (and don't get me started on the challenge of raising kids in an environment like this!).

I was really curious to know how people in the community navigate this:

1. If you live abroad (or live with a partner from a different culture), which languages ended up becoming your main "home" languages compared to the local language of the country you live in?
2. Do you also catch yourself mixing languages or accidentally inventing a "hybrid" language at home?

We actually made a video showing how our daily "language system" works at home (where, ironically, Portuguese is the language we speak the least inside the house, even though we live here 😅). If you're curious to see the chaos or want to share your feedback and experiences, you can check it out here: [https://youtu.be/-lqvOAtJjGo]

Looking forward to reading your stories!

Hi folks, for some reason, I got an email a few days ago saying I have an appointment at AIMA on October 17th at 11:30. It's in a city near Coimbra, but I am in Lisbon. This is a two-hour journey early in the morning that will cost time and money. I was approved in March and my card was printed in September 2026. Is it a chance that they have my card there or was this just a glitch in the matrix??

This is maddening considering the amount of people trying to get appointments when they could have just sent me that in the mail as they said they would.

**Edit: Found a pretty plausible explanation and it appears to be what was suggested, biometrics

https://revistaentrerios.sapo.pt/processo-deferido-na-aima-mas-recebeu-agendamento-presencial-advogada-orienta-o-que-fazer/

Hi! I’m Thai, living in Madeira with my German partner, who has a CRUE. We’ve lived together for over 2 years. I’m trying to book an AIMA appointment for a residence card as a de facto partner, but the online form keeps showing an error.
My tourist visa expires on 1 November 2026. Has anyone faced the same issue? How did you get an appointment, and what should I do next?
Thank you!

I’ve been on way too many dates and wanted to share my insights. I’m a straight 28 F, from USA, dating dudes around my age and up to late 30’s in Lisbon.

So this is a short list of what I’ve noticed from having on average 3-5 dates each with different Portuguese men. Obviously I don’t have the best sample size but I hope this gives some insight!

•Some take their sweet time trying to make a move lol. I’d say on average it’s around date 3 that a kiss will happen. But sometimes it takes longer, I’ve waited until about date 5 from a guy I really like. I’ve learned if I want a kiss and just to playfully ask. I’ve also learned (at least from the men I’ve asked) they wait because they don’t want to be seen as a creep and really value my comfort, but they tell me they want to kiss me from the first date! (Which honestly I think is very sweet:)

•There also isn’t really much flirting in the sense of overwhelming amount of compliments or smooth lines. They’ll compliment you for sure but it’s more subtle. For example, I was talking about buying new glasses and showed my date the ones I picked and he told me that he thinks I look amazing in glasses. Another example, I borrowed a jacket and my date told me how good it looked on me. And ANOTHER example, I had made a joking comment about how i don’t love photos of myself because idk if I’m that photogenic, and my date (who’s a photographer) tells me that he thinks I’m very photogenic and I look better in real life than my photos. So it’s really subtle compliments that one could miss. I learned from talking about these later that my date was really trying to tell me how beautiful he thought I was but again didn’t want to sound creepy or like it was a pick up line.

•So once you give them the OK to say the things that are exactly on their mind and give permission to touch you, expect it way more often 😅 But I’d say it’s not an overwhelming amount. I think overall the Portuguese man is more comfortable showing his admiration through acts of service vs sweet nothings.

•The dates themselves are pretty laid back. Especially first dates. It’s usually something like a quiosque or miradouro or a local wine bar or grabbing a beer and walking along the river. I find that depending on the time of the date and the vibe, my dates and I grab a bite as well. There seems to really be an emphasis on getting to know the other person vs trying to impress them with a fancy night out. Not that they don’t happen, just the first dates I find that are more lowkey. Outside the city I think there’s more outdoorsy type dates (like in Ericeira for example) but even in Lisbon dates tend to be outside as long as the weather is nice.

•Similar to the kiss thing, they tend to keep their hands to themselves at least until you give them the signal that you want to be touched. I’ve had to initiate light touching on all my dates to show them that it’s OK to touch me back. In public the touching is more modest and still very respectful. They’ll usually do the more gentlemen things like open doors, walk on the car side of the street, pay for the first date (depending on the guy it’s I think common to split subsequent dates), help you up if you need, hand on your knee or back, etc.

•Portuguese people in general like people who have depth and can speak about different things and are respectful about it. Like it’s ok to have different opinions as long as you can back up your opinions with rational and do it in a way that’s respectful to the other person. I find that some people almost debate on dates but it’s not to be rude, it’s a way to connect intellectually. Lisbon is such a cultural city I find that conversations can go deeper into the history, arts, politics, just anything culture related.

•They also know how to laugh and don’t take life so seriously. They have their moments of being pessimistic and sometimes I’ll be honest miserable but with the current reality in Portugal I don’t really blame them. I’d say the majority of the time, a Portuguese guy wants to have a good time with you and if he likes you he will make sure to do what he can so you have a good time too.

•Ok maybe this is a stereotype but Portuguese men LOVE food. And the ones I’ve been with are very big sharers. Especially if you’re new to Portuguese food it’s perfectly fine to order a few things and share. They all have their favorite dish and probs a favorite tasca to eat at and will proudly take you there if you ask.

That’s I think all I have! It’s definitely a slower process dating Portuguese men vs the American men I’m used to. It’s something I took some getting used to but I really appreciate the more intentional view on dating here. I’m only in the beginning stages with dating, but I assume once I get serious with a guy then I’ll be introduced to the family/friends and their opinion of me will hold some weight on a guys decision to date me.

But yeah, lmk if y’all have any other insights you’ve noticed! I’d also love to hear from Portuguese men if you think my observations are correct!

The city is planning to ban rental e-scooters, so there should be fewer of those infernal scooter squawks.

If you've been to this sub or r/Portugal you have probably seen many variations of a post complaining about Portuguese dogs barking and disturbing the peace. My neighbor is no different - she has two dogs and they bark constantly day and night and are set off by anything on my busy street.

Well, I was walking in front of her house and this time there was a third dog, the cutest puppy ever! Usually puppies bring happiness but this made me really sad. Her other two dogs live their entire lives on a concrete patio, I have never seen them be walked. There are parks close by but they probably touch grass once a year if they're lucky. And now another dog will live in these conditions for another decade or so. Not to mention another dog to join the barking. I wish I had the Portuguese ear that can filter the noise out like many seem to have

Hi everyone!

A few weeks ago, I shared Terminus here, an independent Lisbon project I was looking for people to try. I’ve continued working on it and wanted to come back with an update as I launch it publicly.

For anyone who missed the original post: I’m Miguel, born and raised in Lisbon, and I’m building and funding Terminus independently.

It started with a difficulty I had myself. Finding out what was happening meant checking venue accounts, promoter pages, ticketing websites and group chats. After leaving Instagram, I realised how much of the city’s cultural life I’d relied on it to discover.

Terminus brings concerts, cinema, exhibitions, theatre, markets and nightlife into a free calendar, available in English and Portuguese. You can explore events by date and category.

Browse the Terminus calendar

I want it to be useful whether you’ve recently arrived or have lived here for years. You shouldn’t need an existing list of venues and promoters just to find something you’d enjoy.

If you tried it when I first posted, I’d love for you to take another look. If it’s new to you, give it a go next time you’re making plans.

I’m still the person building and running it, so feel free to ask questions here. I’d also like to hear which parts of Lisbon’s cultural programme you find hardest to discover.

Open to feedback and suggestions

Thanks everyone!