News from afpop

State of Calamity
The Government has extended the State of Calamity until 15th of February, following the damage caused by Storm Kristin, and the extreme risk of flooding forecast. You can find a list of areas most affected HERE

The Government is monitoring the situation closely and calls for compliance with instructions from the authorities, in particular the Civil Protection Authority.

The declaration of a State of Calamity allows for the adoption of exceptional measures, namely:

1. Providing emergency support to affected populations deprived of access to basic necessities, housing, and healthcare

2. Support for families of victims who have lost their lives or suffered disabling injuries

3. Repair and reconstruction of affected municipal infrastructure and equipment

4. Adoption of measures to contain environmental impacts and restore cultural and natural heritage

5. Allocation of financial support, in a subsidiary and complementary manner to insurance coverage, for the recovery of primary and permanent housing, business and vehicle parks, and agricultural holdings, under the terms to be defined by decree of the members of the Government responsible for the areas of finance, economy, infrastructure, civil protection and agriculture.

You can find the calamity support guide HERE (in Portuguese, but you can use browser translator to change the text into the language of your choice).

Flood hub
Google has created Flood Hub, a platform that works as an ultra-accurate radar system for floods. It predicts where in the next 7 days floods can be expected. It has a Map and a Hybrid function.

Lisbon alcohol rules
Lisbon bans the sale of alcohol for takeaway during the night to reduce noise and street drinking. These rules apply city‑wide and affect shops, cafés, bars and fuel stations.

Sunday-Thursday

• No alcohol takeaway sales from 23h00 to 08h00 

Friday, Saturday and Holiday Eves

• No alcohol takeaway sales from 00h00 to 08h00 

It is still permitted to drink inside bars and restaurants, on seated terraces, have home deliveries and during Festas de Lisboa.

Rental contracts, household and e-Fatura communication deadlines
This is the time of the year where Members need to consult and update data relating long-term rental contracts (Arrendamento de Longa Duração) on the Finanças Portal, the deadline for which is 16^th of February. 

Changes related to their household (Agregado Familiar) can be made to any personal information that has occurred, such as new children, marriage, divorce etc. until the 2^nd of March.

Hopefully you will have made several visits to the e-Fatura platform to validate expenses registered in 2025. If you haven't, then please bear in mind that the deadline is also 2^nd of March. Tax invoices for 2025 that are not validated/confirmed by the taxpayer will not be considered by the Tax Authority and this will have an impact on your IRS declaration.

Currently, the categories/sectors included in the e-Fatura where tax payers can deduct expenses are: General family expenses (such as supermarket, fuel expenses, etc…) Health, Education, Housing (Real Estate), Care Homes, Car Repair, Motorcycle Repair, Catering and Accommodation, Hairdressers and Beauty Institutes, Veterinary Activities, Collective public transport (monthly passes or tickets), Gyms, Newspapers and Magazines and Domestic work.

The process is simple, and you only need to allocate the expense to the category correspondent (if it has not already been allocated automatically by the portal). 

Postal tariffs
CTT has announced an increase in mail prices by 6.2% from 1^st of February. You can download the tariffs HERE.

Segurança Social portal
Soon, to log in to the Social Security Portal with your NISS + Password, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) will be required (similar to the Finanças website). In addition to your Password, you will be asked for a temporary code sent to your mobile phone or email.

To activate 2FA you:

• Access the Portal

• Activate Two-Factor Authentication

• Confirm your mobile phone and email address

If you use the Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital), you don't have to worry, you can continue to use it to log in to the Portal.

Metro Porto disruptions
Metro do Porto services are currently being affected by a strike involving CP maintenance workers, who are responsible for maintaining part of the metro fleet. Although Metro do Porto is not participating in the strike, the lack of maintenance capacity means some vehicles cannot operate.

As a result, passengers may experience:

• Cancelled services on several lines

• Reduced capacity, with single units replacing double units

• Irregular frequencies, especially at busy times

The impact is expected to continue for several weeks, and Metro do Porto is prioritising the busiest routes and periods to minimise disruption. The company apologises for the inconvenience and is working to mitigate the effects as much as possible.

Free companion ticket
The Portuguese Government has approved a new Decree‑Law establishing a free ticket for the companion of a person with a disability. The aim is to improve cultural accessibility by ensuring that individuals who require assistance can attend cultural activities without additional financial burden. The measure applies to public performance venues and cultural facilities, as well as those managed by public entities. Companions obtain the free ticket simply by accompanying a person with a certified disability and presenting the required proof at the cultural venue. The key requirement is that the person with a disability must hold a valid Atestado Médico de Incapacidade Multiuso showing a permanent disability of 60% or more. For events with online ticketing, venues are expected to provide a way to select the free companion ticket or to validate it at the entrance.

UK Electronic Travel Authorisation - reminder
Launched in October 2023, the measure has not been strictly applied to give travellers time to adapt to the new rules. This is expected to change this year, according to the British government.

ETA is a digital authorisation for short-term stays in the UK; It is not a visa or a tax. It only applies to travellers who do not need a visa, such as those from the EU, Canada, and the USA. It allows you to stay in the UK for up to six months to visit family or for tourism.

From February 2026, most international visitors to the UK will need an ETA or eVisa, with only British and Irish citizens exempt or people with permission to live, work or study in the UK. 

Transitional advice is in place for dual nationals, and transit-only passengers at certain airports won’t need one. However, dual nationals are advised to carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement from 25 February 2026, to avoid boarding issues.

More information: https://www.gov.uk/eta

Where to apply: https://www.gov.uk/eta/apply

AIMA contact form – BREXIT option
AIMA has launched a “BREXIT” option on their contact form for scheduling appointments for transitioning from temporary to permanent Residency.

UK citizens and their family members, beneficiaries of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement with temporary Residency and who meet the legal requirements to obtain permanent Residency in Portugal, can request an appointment using the BREXIT option.

The appointment will only be formalised if the beneficiary meets the following requirements:

Legal and Continuous Residency
UK citizens and their family members holding temporary Residency who have resided legally and continuously (for 5 years) in Portugal from 01/01/2021 until the date of application.

Stable and Regular Resources
The applicant must have stable and regular resources sufficient for their own subsistence and that of their family members, as well as health insurance.

For consideration of the application, the following evidence that best suits the particular situation must be presented:

• Valid identification document (Passport)
• Residence document under Article 50
• Bank statements showing transactions in Portugal (cash withdrawals, purchases, etc.) for the last 5 years (6 months per year)
• Employment or service contract with Portuguese company(ies)
• If the employer is British, they must declare under what regime the citizen performs their duties, namely, whether the function performed by the citizen is compatible with teleworking and whether it can be done remotely from Portugal
• If self-employed, submit a certificate of professional activity issued by the respective professional body or association
• Certificate of contributions made to Segurança Social for the last 5 years
• Income Tax Return for the last 5 years
• Domiciliation of pension with tax domicile in Portugal for the last 5 years.

Note: Application forms that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.

AIMA contact form: https://contactenos.aima.gov.pt/contact-form?sfnsn=wa

Choose the following options:

Once you have entered your e-mail address, you will get a code by e-mail from AIMA. Enter this code and the form will expand (scroll down) and have a section to fill in certain personal details and a place to attach the necessary documents (min. 4 and max. 9 attachments and each attachment must be in PDF format and be max. 1 MB in size).

Once you manage to submit the application successfully, you will get a confirmation e-mail from AIMA and subsequently you should get another e-mail with the appointment place, date, and time. Remember to check your spam/junk folders.

If something is missing in the application (documents), in principle you will get a special e-mail from AIMA requesting the documents missing.

Changing from temporary to permanent Residency now is not obligatory, it is simply an option. If your Residency document under Article 50 is still valid (generally until 2027), you can renew in 2027, and you will get the permanent Residency then.

AIMA Renewals Portal (non-EU): March 2026
The Renewals Portal is now also available for Residency Permit renewals expiring in March 2026. See further details on the renewal process in our previous briefings. The Portal is only available for residencies that have expired or are due to expire between July 2025 and March 2026.

Residency renewal for EU citizens and family members – reminder
AIMA has added an option on their contact form for Residency renewal applications for EU citizens and their family members’ Residency cards and Certificates (CRUE). This option is for cards and certificates that have already expired or are due to expire in the very near future. 

You can find the contact form here: https://contactenos.aima.gov.pt/contact-form 

Choose: “Topic Type” Community Residence Card and then the “Subtopic Type” that suits your specific request. If the English version gives you issues, please try the Portuguese version.

Choose: “Tipo de Assunto” Cartão de Residência UE and then the “Subtipo de Assunto” that suits your specific request.

Annual General Meeting (AGM) - reminder
A reminder the 38^th Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday 21^st of March 2026. Members will be able to download the AGM paperwork and voting forms at the afpop website afpop.com or request them from the afpop office soon. Postal votes and proxy nominations are to be received in the afpop office by the last postal delivery on Thursday 19^th of March 2026. There will be more information in the February edition of UPDATE magazine.

Carnaval 17^th of February
A reminder that the afpop office will be closed on Tuesday, 17^th of February due to Carnival celebrations. While Carnival is no longer included in the government public holidays, the government does allow public and state offices to close for the celebration, which also includes schools. In order for the team to enjoy the day with their children, the office will be closed and reopen on Wednesday 18^th of February.

Satellite offices
If you need advice or assistance, wish to introduce a new Member to the Association, need to renew your subscription, or just have a general query, please pass by and see us. We ask you to make an appointment and to inform us about your enquiry, so staff can come prepared to assist you. Please contact the afpop office to make an appointment on 282 458 509 or info@afpop.com.   

The next dates of the Satellites are: 

• Almancil - Tuesday 24^th of February between 10h00 and 12h30 (premises of MEDAL Seguros)
• Lagos - Wednesday 25^th of February between 10h00 and 12h30 (premises of MediLagos on R. José Ferreira Canelas, which is behind the Câmara building)