# Travelling with Residence card



## ladylr

Hi all,
Does Portuguese residence card replaces a visa to the UK?
What i'm trying to find out is if it is possible to travel to the UK with residence card 
How is it in practice? 
Thanks a lot for the answers!


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## silvers

Mrs Silvers did just that a few years ago, maybe 5 years ago.


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## John999

ladylr said:


> Hi all,
> Does Portuguese residence card replaces a visa to the UK?
> What i'm trying to find out is if it is possible to travel to the UK with residence card
> How is it in practice?
> Thanks a lot for the answers!


Hi Ladulr
If by residence card you mean a Portuguese ID card, the answer is yes. You can traveller to any EU country on a Portuguese ID card


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## siobhanwf

There are no longer any frontier controls at the borders between 22 EU countries. This is thanks to the Schengen rules which are part of EU law. These rules remove all internal border controls but put in place effective controls at the external borders of the EU and introduce a common visa policy. All EU countries are full Schengen members except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom. You will therefore need to present a valid passport or ID card to travel to those five countries. Iceland, Norway and Switzerland are also Schengen members but are not in the EU.



This site gives the full EU rulings... a bit long winded though

Right of Union citizens and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States

When entering or leaving the EU at the external borders you will need a valid passport or an ID card.

It is best to have your passport or ID card when travelling in the EU because you may be required to prove your identity. If public order or national security so require, checks at the internal borders may be carried out for limited periods.

Make sure that any children travelling with you either have their own passport or ID card or are registered on your passport.

Agreements with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norwayand Switzerland enable their nationals to be treated in the same way as EU citizens and to travel with just an ID card or passport in the EU.


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## travellingwu

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## notlongnow

A friend of mine who only has a PT ID card and no passport recently travelled to the UK and back with no issues.


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## canoeman

But if you were a UK National you wouldn't be able to do the same, your paper Residency or the Buff Permanent Residence Cards are not acceptable as travel documents into UK you might get away with most of mainland EU but should really have you UK Passport as it's the only legal issued UK ID


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## notlongnow

Agreed, the friend I referred to is a Portuguese citizen.


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## canoeman

Understood that as you said a PT ID Card one of the benefits most EU Citizens enjoy travelling in EU no passport requirement


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## imona

*procedure of getting card*

i live in purtgal last one month i want to know how long it take to get a residecnce card and on that card how long we can stay in dubai.


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## canoeman

You cannot use the Resident Card to travel it only makes you legal to live in Portugal, providing you are entitled to a Residence Card as opposed a Residence Visa which again can't be used to travel outside EU.


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## genialgeorge

Note: A Portuguese 'residencia' is not an ID card.


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## canoeman

genialgeorge said:


> Note: A Portuguese 'residencia' is not an ID card.


The Buff Permanent Residence card (the one with Photo & Fingerprint) is an ID card and can be used* Internally * within Portugal so you don't need to carry a Passport but cannot be used to travel to UK or outside EU


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## Maggy Crawford

We carry both "residencia" and passport when we travel outside Portugal but internally we have on us the residencia and a photocopy of the relevant passport page. The difference between Portugal and the UK is that the Portuguese have an ID card with photograph which serves as a travel document and we have a passport, both of which are proof of nationality. The "residencia" is not.


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## canoeman

I agree just to clear up confusion with anyone if there is any, 
The first Residencia is a A4 printed sheet of paper that is normally valid for 5 years, when you have legally lived in Portugal as a Resident you should go to your local SEF office and apply for the Cartoa de Residencia Permanentete, this is a buff coloured folded card that includes, name, address, nationality, passport number & carries a franked photo and fingerprint that like a Passport is valid for 10 years, then requires renewing.

We find and have been told this is totally acceptable ID within Portugal, we use within EU as proof of Residence in Portugal but it *cannot* be used for travel to UK or outside the EU


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## bisect

A word of caution... always have the buff "Residencia" with you, especially when traveling outside of Portugal within the EU (which, yes, includes the UK... not sure why some people think it's not). The Spanish Guardia Civil detained an immigrant for 4 days just a few months back for not having their Residencia and a passport with an expired stamp. It required SEF getting documentation to the Spanish before the poor guy was released. 

During our holiday trip to/from the US, I was prompted in Madrid, Amsterdam and even when trying to depart Los Angeles for my Residencia (the last was a new one on me, though they didn't want to accept my wife's Citizen's card as being legitimate either... so go figure).


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