Immigration 23 July 2026

AIMA now lets you request permanent residency online, no in-person appointment

Since 1 July 2026, AIMA lets you request and renew permanent residency cards and certificates through its Renewal Portal. Who qualifies and how it works.

Good news for anyone who has lost a morning waiting at an AIMA desk: since 1 July 2026 you can sort out permanent residency without leaving home. The agency has opened up requests for permanent residency certificates and cards on its Renewal Portal, so an in-person appointment is no longer the only route.

What actually changes?

You can now request online the issue of the EU citizen permanent residency certificate and the permanent residency card for family members of EU citizens — whether they hold an EU nationality or come from a third country. The whole process, including uploading documents and paying the fees, is done on the portal itself, at portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt.

Who can use the Renewal Portal?

The portal is available for residence permits that expired or will expire between 1 July 2025 and 31 October 2026. It also covers Residence Permits for Investment (the ARI, the old golden visa) with validity expired from 22 February 2020 up to that same October 2026 date.

Why does it matter?

For months, the queue and the shortage of appointments were the biggest headache for people living in Portugal on a foreign document. Moving these requests online is part of AIMA’s push to clear its backlog and centralise services that used to require a trip across town. It does not fix everything — some processes still need you to show up in person — but for many families it is one less counter visit.

Before you start, check deadlines and documents on AIMA’s official portal. If yours is an investment case, see what changed with the funds eligible for the golden visa and the wider picture of the new immigration law.

By Juliana Castilho

Image: Rakoon / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

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