With the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 43/2021, dated from the 14th April 2021, the Foreigners and Borders Service’s duties were redefined, in order to achieve the restructuring of this body.
This resolution essentially seeks to separate the police and the administrative functions, hitherto concentrated in the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).
Therefore, the Foreigners and Borders Service will alter its name to Foreigners and Asylum Service (SEA), and it will have technical and administrative duties in the implementation of policies in migratory matters, such as the areas of documentation, database management, relationship and cooperation with other institutions, and external representation, namely within the scope of the Schengen Area, and with the European border and asylum agencies.
Thus, the Foreigners and Asylum Service (SEA) will not be a criminal police body, seeing as the powers of a police nature of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) will be transferred to the existing police forces (PSP, GNR and Judiciary Police).
Regarding the competence for issuing passports and renewing residence permits, this will be transferred to the Institute of Registries and Notaries, I. P. (IRN), with the resolution coming into effect on the 15th April 2021.
Now we have to wait for the implementation of these changes in the field, but we have high hopes that it results in the quality improvement of the services as well as in a faster case handling.