Waiting years for a decision on your Portuguese citizenship, or for AIMA to decide your residence permit? An official report from Portugal’s Ombudsman, the Provedor de Justiça, explains part of the reason. The Ombudsman’s 2025 report to Parliament, delivered on 23 September 2026, records a sharp rise in nationality complaints. It also says the IT system the registry office uses to check applicants’ legal residence time with AIMA was fully stopped for about a year. Here is what the report found, what it means for you, and what you can do.
What the Ombudsman found on nationality
- Complaints jumped. The Ombudsman received 762 requests about nationality in 2025, against 275 in 2024 and 108 in 2023. That is 177% more than in 2024. By 19 August 2026 there were already 1,738.
- Very long waits. Using data updated to January 2026, the report says the most backlogged types of application were delayed by more than four years. Applications based on years of legal residence in Portugal were taking about three years to be analysed.
- The AIMA residence check stopped. The registry office (IRN) has to confirm with AIMA how long each applicant has lived legally in Portugal. The report says the platform for these official checks was totally paralysed for about one year. New checks could not be sent, pending ones could not be answered, and results already produced could not be accessed. The Ombudsman warns that the effects of these extra delays will inevitably last for some time.
- Other causes. The report also points to staff shortages at the IRN, technical problems with the new nationality platform (in use since October 2024) and poor coordination between services. It notes there was investment in more staff in 2025 and that the Ombudsman keeps following the issue.
The backlog has kept growing since: the IRN had 690,480 nationality applications pending on 30 June 2026, as we reported in Nationality backlog: 690,000 applications waiting.
What it says about AIMA residence permits
Delays at AIMA were again a major source of complaints in 2025. The report says the one-year period without a decision, counted from the in-person appointment, was often far exceeded, and that issuing the card itself also took a long time. The Ombudsman says AIMA created a way to prove that a case is pending, but that it does not cover important needs: there were reports of private employers not accepting it, and people with pending cases could not travel abroad.
What it means for you
The report does not change any rule or deadline, and it gives no date for any individual case. But if your residence-based citizenship application has been stuck for a long time, the AIMA check problem may be part of the reason. If you applied before 19 May 2026, your case still follows the old version of the Nationality Law; a long wait does not move you to the new rules (see our backlog article). The new Nationality Regulation was approved by the Council of Ministers on 29 October 2026 but, as of 2 November 2026, it has not been published in the Diário da República, so it is not yet in force (details here).
What you can do
- Check your status online with your access code: how to check your citizenship application status.
- Answer the IRN or AIMA quickly if they ask for documents, and keep copies of everything you send.
- Write to AIMA in a clear, polite way if your residence case is stuck: our tool AIMA Stuck? Email Them Free helps you draft the message. See also AIMA residence permit delays.
- Complain to the Ombudsman if a public service takes far longer than normal. According to the Provedor de Justiça, anyone can complain, whatever their nationality or place of residence. You give your identity and address and explain the facts, by letter, phone, email, the online form, in person, or through any Ministério Público office. Contacts: provedor@provedor-jus.pt, (+351) 213 926 600.
Key dates
- 23 September 2026: 2025 report delivered to Parliament (Provedoria note).
- 29 October 2026: Nationality Regulation approved by the Council of Ministers (not yet published in the Diário da República on 2 November 2026).
Sources: Provedor de Justiça, Relatório à Assembleia da República 2025 (sections 2.2 “Pedidos de nacionalidade portuguesa e pendências no IRN” and 3.1 on AIMA); Provedoria de Justiça, Como Apresentar Queixa; Diário da República (checked 2 November 2026).
Featured image: Branded graphic: Link in Portugal (original work; no third-party photos)
This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change often. For your own case, speak to an immigration lawyer or contact the IRN or AIMA directly. Link in Portugal is not affiliated with the Government, AIMA, the IRN or the Provedor de Justiça. Last updated: 2 November 2026.
