The president of a real-estate agency association, Luís Lima, told Lusa on Tuesday that the Golden Visa system was at a stand-still and SEF was not booking any interviews until November.

The real-estate sector is one of the areas that benefits most from the Golden Visa system as many foreigners buy expensive houses so they get the right to a Golden Visa.

SEF said its Lisbon office was working fully and there were openings for investor and family interviews available in December in the Lisbon region.

The Border Service added that in other parts of the country, interviews can be booked immediately.