SEF appointments in 2 different places for a couple

@londonfolk - Hello london Folk - I do not want to sound lacking in empathy - but you are lucky they booked you it in the same city. I work in this area and I have had families booked all over Portugal - mother in one city children in another. The best way is to keep calling them to try to sort out having the appointment at the same place on the same day. My experience in the last 48 hours -  I changed three appointments yesterday - one that was in the north of Portugal - the other two in the centre of Portugal -  Cacem - the family lives in the Algarve - their appointments were for February/March 2023, same family - I managed to change them all for the Algarve but for June 2023 first available appointment. So if you are able to change the chances are that the new appointments will be in mid 2023. Keep calling - get an autoredial free app and use that - you will go through.

@londonfolk,

Try this email:

[email protected]

https://www.sef.pt/pt/pages/conteudo-de … spx?nID=52

Or the SEF service centres where you have your appointments. Try email or phone, maybe a kind soul will answer you...

https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/balcoes-atendimento/

A random suggestion - may or may not work. 🤔

If you live in Porto, can you simply go to local SEF office without an appointment and try to reason with one of the staff?

That worked for me once in Algarve.

If you reside locally, not too much risk or effort - the worst that can happen is that you a referred back to the call line although SEF staff are very aware how frustrating and near - impossible it is to get through on those lines, and has been for, literally, years.

Interesting. Isn't it possible that you go to your appointment and your wife goes to the other appointment. Or do you have to show up as a couple for both appointments? If you can go on your own that might be a solution.

It seems to me that this only have happened because you have made 2 separate visa applications at VFS, is that so?

And probably both attended separately on the same day at the consulate in London... and not as a couple.

14 October 2022 we just experienced the same situation. However, we didn't even try to mess with the scheduling.  We live in Faro area and travelled to Lisbon. We were both in and out in about 15 minutes with no issues. My wife was happy since her location was in a shopping mall.

So we live in Lisbon. We are travelling to Porto for one appointment and there isn't even a name on the appointment letter so we don't know which one of us it's for. The appointment is in one area one hour outside of Porto and the other appointment again with no name so we don't know if it's for me or my husband is 2 1/2 hours away from Porto on the same day at the same time and we only have one car. They don't pick up their phones. I have emailed, but they don't seem to know what I'm talking about, and I just really confused as what to do

so we are not even in the same city that's the problem but have appointments at the same time same day

It seems to me that this only have happened because you have made 2 separate visa applications at VFS, is that so?

we did make two separate Visa applications. I didn't know that you could make it as a couple, but when we went for the appointment the interviewer could quite clearly see we were a couple.

So one appointment is at POSTO DE ATENDIMENTO SEF LOJA DO CIDADÃO DE AVEIRO and the other at

DELEGAÇÃO REGIONAL DA GUARDA

What I suggest is, try to get an answer to your problem, through these emails:

[email protected]

[email protected]

https://www.sef.pt/en/Pages/regional-di … enter.aspx

with this written in portuguese:

____________

Bom dia,

Tanto eu (your name) como o meu marido (his name) candidatamo-nos a um visto no Consulado Português em Londres. O consulado tratou os 2 processos de forma individual, sem que fossemos considerados como um casal. E nada nos foi perguntado sobre isso por quem nos atendeu. Não entendemos este procedimento por parte do consulado.

Agora estamos os 2 presentemente em Lisboa, com agendamentos marcados para o mesmo dia e hora, em locais distintos. O meu marido tem de estar no SEF Aveiro no dia (day) e hora (time), enquanto eu tenho de estar no SEF Guarda no dia (day) e hora (time). Seria possível tratar dos dois agendamentos no SEF de Aveiro ?

Por favor, agradeço resposta com urgência.

Muito obrigado

(Your name)

____________

If you get no answer, both of you should go to SEF Aveiro. It is impossible for both to be in different places at the same time, without the letter indicating the name of the person who should be where. I think SEF Aveiro can attend to both of you, I don't see what the problem is. Besides that they can contact the SEF of Guarda and explain that both processes were attended there...

Johnny you're amazing thank you.

After I wrote my last post I looked at my D7 Visa and on there it has a number which if you put into the website tells you who's appointment it is so I now know my husband is in a Aveiro so one of the things that we're thinking of is either to go to the Lisbon SEF and try to talk to them or to pop into the SEF in a AVerio and see if they can resolve it a day before our appointment. But I'm going to use part of your email above first and see if that works. Thank you so much for your help.

@londonfolk,

I have already rectified the email above. If you need anything else written in portuguese, just post here or send me a private message.

@londonfolk Well, isnät it an option that each goes to his appointment. One to Aveiro and the other to Garda. Under normal circumstances each of you could be in a different place at the same time (I assume). For the next appointment this culd be rectified.