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Jun 21, 2022 4:18 pm
Hey, I am a resident of Dubai and I am applying for a D7 visa. Yesterday I went to the VFS with all the required documents, and VFS refused to accept my application because my residency in Dubai expires in 7 months, January 2023.
The VFS said that in order to apply for the D7 visa, I need to have at least 8 months left in my residency. They said that the approval needs at least 2 months, and when traveling on the D7 visa, my residency in Dubai should be valid for at least 6 more months even though the D7 visa is valid for 4 months only.
The VFS told me that this is a requirement by the Portuguese immigration, and even if the VFS accepts my application, the embassy will certainly refuse it.
I have contacted my lawyer in Portugal and she confirmed to me that there is no such law that states that my residency in Dubai should be valid for 8 months in order to apply, but just my passport should be valid for over a year which isn't the case.
Did anyone face any similar problems when applying from the country of residence where the residence permit was valid for less than 8 months on the day of submission? In Dubai or anywhere else.
I have tried to search online on the VFS and Embassy websites in several countries, and I didn't find anything related to the expiry date of the residence permit, but just the passport expiry date.
1 Reply
Aug 08, 2022 5:32 pm
My suggestion is you try a different VFS office or Portuguese consulate in Dubai . Each Consulate or VFS has different rules for applying for the D7 visa.
Annie
