# Round Trip Ticket requirement for Long Stay Visa to Portugal?



## Nspires1 (Oct 3, 2019)

I'm applying for a Long Stay Visa to Portugal and there is a requirement that I submit proof of a Round Trip ticket. The greatest amount of time I've found to reserve a flight for in advance is one year out from the date I buy the ticket. The Long Stay Visa app needs to be submitted about 3 months before my departure date. How do you buy a RT ticket if you're applying to be in Portugal for a year, but have to buy the ticket 1yr and 3 months before your return? For instance: I want to be in Portugal from around Jan 2020 to Jan 2021. The earliest date I can currently find a return ticket for is Oct 2020, which gives me only 9 months in the country. 

And if you don't want to return or want to travel onward, then what?

Should I buy a cheap RT ticket and just cut my losses on the return portion?
Should I buy one for the sake of submitting it with my application then get a refund and buy what I really need?
Is there something I am not seeing here?

Thanks for your help
*I am retired and can demonstrate my ability to support myself.
*I am applying and traveling from the US.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

You say long stay visa but don't refer to exactly what type of visa but I'm guessing you probably mean one of the Type Ds & perhaps Type D7 for retirees & each one has slightly different criteria. 

To complicate matters further the latest stage of Simplex is kicking in so what is required today may no longer be required tomorrow or next week & as an example of that, until recently the first part of the Type Ds had to be applied for in the country of residence but several have been issued from within Portugal to applicants already here on Schengen Visas so to some extent, any application now is going to have to be a case of suck it & see. 

More info on the links below.

https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/ 

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/index_en 

https://www.simplex.gov.pt/


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

Nspires1 said:


> Should I buy a cheap RT ticket and just cut my losses on the return portion?
> Should I buy one for the sake of submitting it with my application then get a refund and buy what I really need?
> Is there something I am not seeing here?


Or you could buy a RT with some flexibility in the conditions that allows you to change the date of the return flight on payment of an administration fee plus possible difference in fare. 

I would be interested to know where you are finding a bookable fare for October 2020, as most airlines only allow you to book 11 months ahead. I'm not saying you have got it wrong, but the information would be useful to me for planning my own future travel. The latest bookable flight date I can find at the moment is 23 September 2020.


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## Nspires1 (Oct 3, 2019)

Thanks for the response. The problem is I don't know specifically which type of visa I need, but just followed the labyrinth to the place that mentioned retirees and started there. And yes, I think it might be a type D, though I'm not certain. I am still trying to make sense of it all. The application I'm working with says: "Pedido de Visto de longa duração (residência e estada temporária)". So I am assuming that's "temporary residence". 

The other challenge I can foresee is figuring out how to show I have lodging there... before I have lodging there.  

I can reserve an AirBnB from here in the states, but not for more than 3 months. I have heard I may need to show a year's rental contract there as well. 

So lots of Catch 22 situations. I'm sending the 'Help Line' emails, one question at a time.


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