Tiago
Lawyer · Viseu, Portugal
- 472 cases handled · 6 in this service
- 7+ years in practice
- Speaks: English, Portuguese
- Law, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul
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4.98(42 reviews)
Temporary Residence Card (TRC) in Portugal
The temporary residence card is the permit a non-EU resident receives from AIMA after arriving on a Portuguese residence visa, and renews from Portugal; English-speaking lawyers handle the first application, renewals, lost cards and the problems caused by delays.
About Temporary Residence Card (TRC) in Portugal
The temporary residence card, often shortened to TRC or simply called the Portugal residence card or residence permit (in Portuguese autorização de residência temporária, the card itself being the título de residência or cartão de residência), is the document that proves a non-EU citizen's right to live in Portugal. Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “TRC (Temporary Residence Card) Portugal”. It is issued by AIMA, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum that replaced SEF, after the holder has entered Portugal on a residence visa: the D7, the D2, the D8, a work, study or family visa, or under the golden visa programme. Permanent residence comes later, with its own card.
The first card
The residence visa is only the entry ticket. Inside Portugal the applicant attends an appointment at AIMA, presents the passport, the visa, proof of address, income and health cover, gives fingerprints and pays the fee; the card is then produced and posted. Since the end of the “expression of interest” route, people who entered without a residence visa can no longer start this process from inside the country, apart from transitional cases filed before the change.
Renewal, status and lost cards
Renewals are requested before the card expires, now mostly through AIMA's online renewal portal, which opens in windows according to the month of expiry; the proof of the request keeps the holder's status while the new card is produced. For a long time expired cards were extended automatically; those extensions have been wound down, so an expired card without a pending renewal is a problem. A lost or stolen card is reported to the police and replaced through AIMA. Checking the status of a file, getting an appointment and dealing with a card that has not arrived are the questions lawyers hear most.
What to watch for
- Delays at AIMA are long; a residence permit that has been requested but not issued still has to be documented for travel, work and the bank.
- Spending too much time outside Portugal during the card's validity can cost the renewal; the limits are set by law and checked.
- The years counted towards permanent residence and citizenship run from the card's issue, which makes the first appointment date important.
- A change of address, employer or civil status is reported to AIMA.
What a lawyer does
A lawyer prepares the AIMA file so that it is complete at the first attempt, obtains appointments, files renewals in the portal, requests replacement cards, follows up stalled files and, where AIMA stays silent beyond the legal time limits, uses the remedies available, including court action. If a renewal is refused, the lawyer handles the appeal.
Questions and answers
Can I travel in the Schengen area with a temporary residence card?
Yes, a valid Portuguese residence card allows short stays in other Schengen countries. While waiting for the card, travel is riskier and is planned with care.
What if my card has expired and my renewal is still pending?
The receipt of the renewal request is the key document; a lawyer checks what the current rules say about the card's validity in the meantime.
How long is the first card valid?
The first card has a shorter validity than renewed ones; the exact periods are set by law and have changed, so a lawyer confirms them.
Can my family get cards too?
Yes, through family reunification once the main holder has the permit.
Schengen 90/180 Calculator
Open the full tool →Count your days in the Schengen area or Turkey under the 90-in-180 rule: days used, days left and how long your next trip can be.
How it works
Using the calculator
- Choose the Schengen area or Turkey — Turkey counts its own 90 days separately.
- Enter the entry and exit date of each trip in the last six months (add as many trips as you need).
- Pick the day to count on, and — if you are planning one — the entry date and length of your next trip.
The figures update as you type: the days used and left on that day, any overstay in your trips, the last day you could stay on the next trip, and the earliest date a stay of the length you want fits.
How the 90/180 rule is counted
Visitors who do not need a visa for the Schengen area — British, American, Canadian and Australian citizens among them — may stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The period is rolling: for every day of your stay, look back over that day and the 179 days before it. The days you were present in any Schengen country within that window may not add up to more than 90.
- The day you enter and the day you leave both count as full days.
- All 29 Schengen countries count together — moving from Spain to France does not restart the count. Bulgaria and Romania have been full members since January 2025; Cyprus and Ireland are not in the Schengen area and apply their own rules.
- Days spent under a national long-stay visa or a residence permit of a Schengen country do not count towards the 90 days. Leave them out of the trips.
- Since 10 April 2026 the Entry/Exit System (EES) records every entry and exit electronically at all external borders, so an overstay is visible at the border even with a new passport. ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, is not in operation yet and has no start date.
Turkey's own 90/180 rule
Turkey is not part of the Schengen area. Its law limits a stay on a visa or visa exemption to 90 days within 180 days, for all foreigners and across all their passports, and to stay longer you need a residence permit. The days are counted separately from Schengen; choose Turkey above — the calculator counts them the same rolling way. Some nationalities have shorter stays (Russian citizens 60 days) or a window counted from the first entry; check the rule for your passport.
Staying longer than 90 days
To stay longer you need a long-stay (national) visa or a residence permit of the country — a non-lucrative or retirement visa, a digital nomad visa, a golden visa or a work permit, depending on the country and your situation. A lawyer can tell you which route fits and prepare the application.
This calculator gives an estimate for planning. It does not cover the bilateral agreements some Schengen countries keep with individual nationalities (New Zealand, for example), the different rule for Brazilian passports (three months within six from the first entry) or limits printed on a short-stay visa; the border authorities decide on entry.
1Your details
Your trips (entry and exit days both count)
2Your result
On 8 Nov 2026, in the Schengen area
35 days left
55 of 90 days used since 13 May 2026
Entering on 8 Dec 2026, you can stay until 10 Feb 2027 (65 days).
A stay of 30 days fits from 8 Dec 2026.
An estimate for planning, not legal or tax advice. Figures checked 26 Oct 2026. Sources: Schengen Borders Code, Regulation (EU) 2016/399, art. 6, European Commission — short-stay calculator manual, EU — Entry/Exit System, Türkiye — Law 6458 on Foreigners, art. 11, Türkiye, Ministry of Foreign Affairs — visa information.
Ask a lawyer about your case5 lawyers who provide Temporary Residence Card (TRC) in Portugal
Sorted by experience in this service. Write to any of them — the reply comes from the lawyer, without obligation.
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Elsa
Lawyer · Lisbon, Portugal
- 640 cases handled · 3 in this service
- 29+ years in practice
- Speaks: English, Portuguese
- Law, Autonoma University Lisbon
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4.88(11 reviews)
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Jorge
Lawyer · Porto, Portugal
- 116 cases handled · 1 in this service
- 9+ years in practice
- Speaks: English, Portuguese
- Law, Coimbra
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5.00(6 reviews)
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Teresa
Lawyer · Faro, Portugal
- 948 cases handled
- 16+ years in practice
- Speaks: English, Portuguese, French
- Law, Coimbra University
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4.99(60 reviews)
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Nuno
Lawyer · Seia, Portugal
- 20 cases handled
- Speaks: Portuguese, Spanish, English
Contact form · a chat with a lawyer
Talk to a lawyer about Temporary Residence Card (TRC)
5 registered lawyers provide this service in Portugal. Describe your situation in a short chat — what happened, where, and how to reach you. Your enquiry is reviewed and passed to a lawyer who handles exactly this kind of case, with no obligation.
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Enquiries are answered by lawyers of AdvocateAbroad. This site provides legal information, not legal advice.
- EU Blue Card
- Citizenship Application
- Convert Student Visa to Work Visa
- D2 Entrepreneur Visa
- D7 Visa (Passive Income)
- Digital Nomad Visa
- EU Citizen Registration Certificate (Residency Certificate)
- Family Reunification Visa
- Golden Visa
- NIF Number Application (Portugal Tax ID)
- Residency Rights after Divorce or Separation
- Return Authorization (Re-entry Permit)
- Self-Employed Visa
- Visa Refusal Appeals
- Work Visa
What our clients say about our service in Portugal
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The lawyer and her team responded to our inquiry straight away and stayed just as responsive for the entire service. Her team clearly grasped our needs and objectives, and thanks to their network of established local contacts they achieved our goals on time, with professionalism and competence. She always offered to be available, herself or through her team, for any questions or concerns we had, and she has kept in touch to support us throughout the visa process, in English that was flawless. She clearly exceeded our expectations. We are completely satisfied, and we will no doubt have further legal matters in the future and have no hesitation in asking her to help us with all sorts of Portuguese legal questions. All in all, a fantastic job, and a huge thanks to the team and the service.
— Edwin04 Oct 2022 -
He is excellent at what he does, and I really appreciated the opportunity to use remote services. He answered all my questions and helped solve my problem, and his English was perfect.
— Patricija01 Apr 2022 -
I have worked with this lawyer and have nothing but the very best to say about him. Very professional and friendly service and unseen dedication. A recommendation from the bottom of my heart!
— Lidija18 Jan 2022 -
She finds positive solutions and made the process smooth and stress free, in flawless English.
— julia29 Aug 2021 -
The lawyer helped me complete my residency promptly and efficiently, even though the remote-working policy of the government departments made things quite challenging at times. Her service was good value for money, and the help was excellent throughout. I would readily recommend her to my friends.
— Gregory07 Jan 2021 -
He was extremely helpful at every turn, and more than once he gladly spent a long time on the phone explaining things to me at no additional charge. He speaks excellent English, is very friendly, and the service offers great value for money.
— Jason12 Aug 2020TIE Card for UK Citizens (Brexit Withdrawal Agreement), Portugal -
I was happy with the service and very satisfied overall. I do have one suggestion: an email I was sent was written for Americans and used terminology that differs from British usage, which could be fixed in future correspondence.
— Lydia20 Sep 2022 -
My lawyer is a Godsend. He is trustworthy, diligent, knowledgeable, persistent and sincere, and punctual when it comes to replying to emails. I wholeheartedly recommend contacting him if you need legal representation in Portugal.
— Gregory31 Jan 2022 -
The lawyer and a colleague were excellent right from the start. She answered my numerous questions very quickly and kindly explained the procedures she handled, taking trouble to answer everything I asked. In an otherwise confusing situation she was an extremely valuable helper, and her English made it all easy to follow. The quick, effective service was also great value for money. Thank you again.
— Peter07 Jan 2021 -
Our lawyer has been outstanding in guiding and leading us through the whole visa process and giving legal support with buying the property. He is responsive, committed and friendly, and always goes the extra mile to get things done. We count ourselves lucky to have him as our lawyer and as a good friend in Portugal.
— Roy05 Sep 2022 -
The lawyer gives very useful advice and is good and responsive on emails. I will definitely turn to her for any legal matters in future.
— Rachel05 Jan 2021 -
The lawyer was easy to reach, friendly and quick to reply. I recommend her.
— Lenita16 Nov 2021