As many as 19,000 golden visa renewal requests are pending, according to Portugal’s Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), amounting to 60% of the total.

Golden visa renewal is mandatory every two years, and the Border Service has clarified that “the admissibility of documents and visas related to the permanence of foreign citizens in the national territory has been extended until December 31, 2022.”

A number of travellers have experienced difficulties as the expired visas are not being accepted at international airports, and certain visa holders are banned from entering or leaving the country.

According to a Politico report, the Foreigners and Borders Service has opened close to 7,000 vacancies for residence permit renewal, yet 2,000 have been left unoccupied.

In addition, the SEF said that most golden visa holders are not resident in the country and cannot present themselves at the scheduled time.

The golden visa program in Portugal, also referred to as the Residency by Investment program, allows wealthy foreigners to obtain residency in the country, as long as they meet certain conditions and invest a specific amount.

Portugal is one of the most popular European destinations for the golden visa initiative, which attracts a large number of HNW internationals, Schengen Visa Info reports.

Indeed, it has recently been reported that many Britons have been attracted to Portugal’s golden visa program. Director of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK, Christina Hippisley, said the mounting interest in the program by citizens in Britain follows on from the impact of Brexit.

“People who used to spend four months straight in their homes suddenly realise they can’t anymore. (…) Many Brits who had never thought about it are looking at the golden visa option to have unrestricted access to Portugal,” she stated.