Last updated: 28 September 2026 · By Haider Shah, accounting technician in Portugal
Checking your status online
AIMA does not have one single portal for every process. Follow your case on the platform where you submitted it, or where AIMA contacted you:
- Renewals Portal (portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt): renewals of residence permits that expired or expire from 1 July 2025.
- services.aima.gov.pt: renewals of permits that expired between 22 February 2020 and 30 June 2025 (AIMA’s Mission Structure), and CPLP permit renewals.
- AIMA Services Portal: family reunification requests made online.
Log in with the account you used to submit, or with the details AIMA sent you by email.
Common statuses
| Status (Portuguese) | What it means |
|---|---|
| Submetido / Pedido submetido | Your request was received |
| Em análise | AIMA is checking your documents and requirements |
| Pendente de documentos / Notificação | AIMA wants more documents. Answer by the deadline! |
| Deferido | Approved. Wait for the card to be produced and sent |
| Indeferido | Refused. You have a deadline to respond or appeal, so speak to a lawyer immediately |
How long does it take?
By law, AIMA must decide an application for a new residence permit within 90 days. In exceptional cases, for example a complex file, it can extend this by 30 days, and it must tell you. Family reunification has a longer deadline: 9 months. In practice, many people have waited longer than these deadlines. After approval, the card is produced and sent by post, which can take several more weeks.
Is my expired card still valid while I wait?
Your right of residence continues for 6 months after the expiry date on your card. If you have asked for renewal and paid the fees, AIMA gives you a renewal receipt (comprovativo). By law this receipt is valid for 180 days from the date it is issued. AIMA says you should carry your expired card together with this receipt. AIMA has not published clear guidance on what happens if the 180 days end before your case is decided. If that happens to you, contact AIMA and keep proof that your process is still open. However, 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.
What you can do about delays
- Answer every AIMA notification quickly. Missed deadlines are a major cause of refusals.
- Keep your life in order: pay Social Security, file IRS and keep your address updated at Finanças. These documents are checked.
- Complain through the Livro de Reclamações (electronic) or to the Provedor de Justiça (Ombudsman).
- Go to court: an immigration lawyer can file an urgent administrative court action (intimação) to force AIMA to decide.
- Don’t count on tacit approval. Law 62/2026, in force since 11 September 2026, removed article 82(7) of the Foreigners Law. People used that rule to claim that a renewal was approved automatically (deferimento tácito) when AIMA did not decide in time. The new law does not say clearly how this affects requests that were already pending on 11 September 2026. Ask a lawyer about your own case.
Need help with this?
AIMA processes need tax and Social Security documents that are in order: NIF address, IRS returns, contribution records and no-debt certificates. I sort those out every day, and I work alongside immigration lawyers for the legal side.
Contact meOfficial sources
- AIMA – Clarification on the right of residence (17 October 2025)
- AIMA – End of automatic extensions (15 October 2025)
- AIMA – Permits expired between 22 February 2020 and 30 June 2025
- AIMA – FAQ, including the list of official AIMA portals
- AIMA – Contact form
- Diário da República – Decree-Law 85-B/2025 (renewal receipt valid 180 days)
- Diário da República – Law 62/2026 (decision deadlines; end of the tacit-approval rule)
- Diário da República – Law 61/2025 (family reunification deadline)
- Provedor de Justiça
- Livro de Reclamações (electronic complaints book)
This guide is general information, checked against official sources on 28 September 2026. Rules and portals in Portugal change often, so confirm the current rules with the official source before you act. It is not legal advice.
