How to Check Your AIMA Residence Permit Status Online (and What to Do About Delays)

Last checked: 5 October 2026 · By Link in Portugal

You can follow most AIMA processes online, but there is no single status page. Where you look depends on how your process started. This guide shows which page is yours, how to use the contact-form lookup, what the statuses mean, how to get proof that you are legal while you wait, and what to do when AIMA is late.

Which status page is yours

The Estrutura de Missão that handled the older cases formally ended on 31 December 2025, but AIMA still lists Plataforma Services as an official portal. AIMA says its contact form is not for cases handled by the Estrutura de Missão.

Step by step: checking through the AIMA contact form

1. Open the official contact form at contactenos.aima.gov.pt.
2. Under Tipo de Assunto (subject type), choose Consulta e acompanhamento do processo (process enquiry and follow-up).
3. Choose the subtype about your process status. Guides from users describe it as Qual o estado do meu processo?; we couldn’t open the form on 5 October 2026 to confirm the wording.
4. Enter the email address linked to your AIMA application and ask for the verification code. Check your spam folder.
5. Enter the code and the identification or process details the form asks for, such as the foreigner identification number (NIE) printed on your receipt.

If the lookup shows nothing, it may be that your process runs on another portal (see the table), or that AIMA hasn’t linked your case yet. A status screen is information; it is not a residence document. If you need to write instead, our free AIMA email writer drafts a clear message in Portuguese.

AIMA announced planned maintenance of the contact form on 2 and 3 October 2026. If it doesn’t load, try again later rather than sending the same request many times.

What the statuses mean

The exact wording differs between portals, and AIMA hasn’t published one official list. These are the stages you will usually see:

Approved: get your approval certificate and track the card

• Approval certificate. AIMA says a comprovativo de deferimento (proof of approval) for residence permit grants and renewals is available only online, in your user area at services.aima.gov.pt, and isn’t issued at the counter (AIMA, 19 January 2026). It doesn’t replace the card where the card is legally required, but it shows your approval.
• CTT tracking. After approval, the card is produced and sent by post, which can take several more weeks. If AIMA gives you a CTT tracking code, follow it on ctt.pt.
• Still no card weeks after approval? See AIMA approved you but no card yet.

How long AIMA has to decide now

Since 11 September 2026, Law 62/2026 says a residence permit application must be decided within 90 days, extendable by 30 days in exceptional, justified cases, for example a complex file, and you must be told (Foreigners Law, article 82(5), as amended by Law 62/2026). Other deadlines in the law still apply: family reunification has 9 months. In practice, many people have waited longer.

Don’t count on tacit approval. Law 62/2026 revoked article 82(7) of the Foreigners Law (Law 62/2026, article 9(b)). People used that rule to claim that a renewal was approved automatically (deferimento tácito) when AIMA didn’t decide in time. The transitional rule in Law 62/2026 (article 10) deals only with asylum cases, so the law doesn’t say clearly how the change affects renewals already pending on 11 September 2026. Ask a lawyer about your own case, and see what Law 62/2026 means if you already had tacit approval.

Proving you are legal while you wait

• Proof of process status. AIMA says applicants for a residence permit or renewal whose case is pending can download a Comprovativo de estado do processo from their area at services.aima.gov.pt. It is a PDF with a QR code that shows the current status to anyone who scans it, and can be shown to any public or private body (AIMA information note of April 2026, republished by the Ordem dos Solicitadores e dos Agentes de Execução).
• Renewal payment receipt. Since 15 October 2025, documents for expired permits are accepted together with AIMA’s proof of payment of the renewal request, valid for 180 days from issue (Decree-Law 85-B/2025, article 2(2)). AIMA’s further administrative extension ended on 15 April 2026, as reported by Lusa.
• AIMA’s position. On 17 April 2026 AIMA told Lusa there is no irregular stay for people with a renewal or regularisation process pending a final decision, and that the process-status proof and, where it applies, the approval proof are enough (reported by ECO and Notícias ao Minuto). This is a press statement, not a law.
• The Regulatory Decree (84/2007, article 63(14)) also says your right of residence doesn’t lapse before 6 months after the card’s expiry date.
• Rules on travelling outside Portugal with an expired card are strict, and airlines and other Schengen countries may not accept it. Don’t travel without checking your specific case.

Police officers asked about this too: see what the Provedoria told the PSP. To plan your next renewal, use our AIMA renewal dates tool and read how renewal works in 2026.

Example: Ravi Kumar renewed on the Portal de Renovações in July 2026 and paid the fee. In September his employer asked for proof he is legal. He downloaded the process-status PDF from services.aima.gov.pt and kept his payment receipt and expired card together. When the portal showed “Deferido”, he downloaded the approval proof and waited for the CTT notice.

When AIMA is late: how to escalate

1. Answer every AIMA notification quickly. Missed deadlines are a major cause of refusals.
2. Keep your life in order: pay Social Security, file IRS and keep your address updated at Finanças. These records are checked.
3. Write to AIMA in Portuguese through the contact form, once, with your NIE and process details. Our email writer helps.
4. Complain through the electronic Livro de Reclamações or to the Provedor de Justiça (Ombudsman).
5. Go to court: an immigration lawyer can file an administrative court action. Since Law 61/2025, the urgent intimação is allowed only when AIMA’s delay seriously and directly harms your rights (Foreigners Law, article 87-B).

FAQ

How do I check my AIMA card status?

Use the portal where your process runs (table above). For processes started at a Loja AIMA, use the contact-form lookup. Once approved, look for a CTT tracking code.

Is there an AIMA status check by passport number?

We found no official public lookup by passport number alone. The contact form verifies you by the email linked to your process; the portals need your login.

How long does AIMA take to decide in 2026?

By law, 90 days for a new permit (plus 30 in exceptional cases) and 9 months for family reunification. Real waits are often longer.

My status says “Deferido”. Can I travel?

The approval proof doesn’t replace the card where the card is required. Check with the airline and the countries on your route before you book.

Can I call AIMA?

Yes, for general information only: +351 217 115 000, Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00, according to aima.gov.pt. AIMA says it does not book appointments by phone (AIMA, 8 May 2026). To ask for an appointment, use AIMA’s Contact Form at contactenos.aima.gov.pt. If no option fits your case, send one email to geral@aima.gov.pt.

Official sources

• AIMA – Contact form
• AIMA – note on how to ask for an in-person appointment, 8 May 2026 (Contact Form or email; “não são feitos agendamentos por telefone através do Centro de Contacto”)
• Público – “Quer fazer um agendamento para atendimento presencial na AIMA? Veja como é possível”, 8 May 2026
• AIMA – Portal de Renovações
• AIMA – Plataforma Services
• AIMA – FAQ, including the list of official AIMA portals
• AIMA – Contacts
• AIMA (official Facebook page) – Proof of approval available online, 19 Jan 2026
• Diário da República – Law 62/2026 (art. 82(5) decision deadlines; art. 9(b) revokes art. 82(7))
• Diário da República – Decree-Law 85-B/2025 (renewal receipt valid 180 days)
• Diário da República – Regulatory Decree 84/2007, consolidated (art. 63(14))
• Diário da República – Law 61/2025 (art. 87-B court action; family reunification deadline)
• Provedor de Justiça – Submit a complaint
• Livro de Reclamações (electronic complaints book)

This guide is general information, checked against official sources on 5 October 2026. Rules and portals in Portugal change often, so confirm the current rules with the official source before you act. It is not legal or tax advice.

Correction (26 October 2026): An earlier version of the FAQ answer “Can I call AIMA?” gave AIMA’s phone number without saying what the line is for, which could suggest that you can book an appointment by phone. AIMA says it does not book appointments by phone: its note of 8 May 2026 says “não são feitos agendamentos por telefone através do Centro de Contacto” (AIMA, 8 May 2026; also reported by Público, 8 May 2026). To ask for an in-person appointment, use AIMA’s Contact Form at contactenos.aima.gov.pt or, if no option fits your case, send one email to geral@aima.gov.pt. We updated the answer on 26 October 2026.