AIMA Extends Renewal Certificates Again as April 15 Deadline Looms for Hundreds of Thousands of Immigrants
Portugal's immigration agency AIMA has quietly announced another extension to the validity of renewal certificates for residence permits, just days before the current documents were set to expire on April 15. The move, first reported by Diário de...
Portugal's immigration agency AIMA has quietly announced another extension to the validity of renewal certificates for residence permits, just days before the current documents were set to expire on April 15. The move, first reported by Diário de Notícias, offers temporary relief to the hundreds of thousands of immigrants whose lives have been in bureaucratic limbo since the agency inherited a massive backlog from the defunct SEF in late 2023.
Separately, Portugal's intelligence agency has warned of a Russian cyber campaign targeting officials' messaging accounts.
But for those on the receiving end of this decision, the word "relief" may ring hollow. This is the latest in a long sequence of extensions that have become a defining feature of Portugal's immigration system -- a rolling series of temporary fixes that never quite address the structural problem underneath.
What Actually Changed
Under the new extension, renewal certificates already issued through AIMA's portal will remain valid for an additional 60 days, renewable until the final decision is made and the physical card is issued. The legal basis is Article 78(7) of Law 23/2007, which governs the renewal process for residence permits.
The extension applies to two main categories. First, documents that expired before June 30, 2025, which were processed through the earlier Estrutura de Missão task force. Second, documents that expired after June 30, handled through AIMA's newer renewal portal, where a downloadable receipt with a QR code serves as proof of legal status.
For applicants whose renewals have already been approved, a separate "comprovativo de deferimento" carries the same legal weight as the physical residence card itself.
The Paper Trail That Won't End
This is not new territory for immigrants in Portugal. Since 2020, successive governments have relied on decree-laws and administrative extensions to keep expired documents nominally valid. The problem has always been the same: the documents may be legally valid, but not everyone accepts them.
Banks, the tax authority, the immigration checkpoints at airports, and even other government agencies like the IMT (transport authority) and Social Security have repeatedly refused to recognise AIMA's renewal certificates. Portugal's Ombudsman has flagged this problem multiple times, calling the previous system of decrees "insufficient" in its most recent annual report.
AIMA sources told DN Brasil that the agency has met with major public and private entities -- including Portugal's banking association -- to push for broader recognition of the certificates. But acceptance remains inconsistent, and immigrants continue to face practical barriers when trying to renew work contracts, open bank accounts, or access healthcare.
A Backlog That Defines the System
The numbers tell their own story. AIMA has acknowledged more than 300,000 pending cases, ranging from first-time residence permits to renewals and nationality applications. The legal deadline for processing is 60 days. In practice, applicants regularly wait 12 to 18 months -- and many have waited far longer.
The agency says it is now issuing "thousands of cards per week," processing a mix of regular AIMA cases, legacy manifestations of interest, task force renewals, portal renewals, and CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries) cases simultaneously. A specific solution for CPLP title holders is expected next week.
Meanwhile, a DW report this week highlighted the human cost. African immigrants from PALOP nations are among those worst affected, with cases dragging on for years. One São Tomé-born woman described waiting four years to regularise her children's status. An Angolan worker with an approved application has been waiting since November 2025 for the physical card, unable to leave Portugal or access the national health service.
What Immigrants Should Do Now
AIMA advises all applicants to always carry a printed copy of their renewal certificate or QR code receipt. Those whose applications have been approved should download the "comprovativo de deferimento" from their personal area on the AIMA website.
For expats and foreign residents navigating this system, the practical reality remains frustrating. The certificates are legally valid, but their practical utility depends on which institution you are dealing with. If you face a refusal, citing the specific legal basis -- Article 78(7) of Law 23/2007 -- may help, though it is no guarantee.
The recent push to issue 20,000 cards was a step in the right direction. But until the gap between approvals and card delivery narrows meaningfully, AIMA's certificate extensions will remain a fixture of life in Portugal's immigration system -- a system that has been in "temporary" crisis mode for the better part of six years.
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Related reading: Moving Your Dog, Cat, or Ferret to Portugal: Pet Passports, Rabies Rules, and DGAV Paperwork Explained
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Background: See moving to Portugal with a dog, cat or ferret in 2026 — the practical guide to microchips, rabies and the DGAV Notice of Arrival. For foreign residents bringing family to Portugal, our 2026 guide to family reunification (reagrupamento familiar) in Portugal — the AIMA process, the Lei 23/2007 spouse, children and parent tracks, and the documentary chain to the cartão de residência sets the latest reference. On the driving-licence side, our 2026 guide to exchanging a foreign driving licence in Portugal (the IMT process, the EU vs Vienna-Convention vs third-country tracks, the 90-day window and the two-year practical-exam exemption) sets the latest reference. On the foreign-resident documentary-chain side, our 2026 guide to getting an Atestado de Residência at the Junta de Freguesia (Lei n.º 7/2001 framework, two-witness rule, ePortugal route, the AT/banking/AIMA/SS/school documentary chain) sets the latest reference. For foreign-resident families on the pet-and-veterinary-paperwork rail, our 2026 field guide to bringing a pet to Portugal — the SIAC microchip registry under Decreto-Lei n.º 82/2019, the EU Pet Passport under Regulamento 576/2013, the 21-day rabies window, the DGAV PEV third-country arrival notification and the annual veterinary calendar including leishmaniose prevention sets the latest reference. For the documentary side of property, marriage and POA acts, our 2026 field guide to Portuguese notaries — when you actually need a notário, the Documento Particular Autenticado alternative under Decreto-Lei 116/2008, the Casa Pronta scheme, the procuração and apostila chain, and what the cartório will check on the signing day sets the latest reference. For foreign-resident document recognition across borders, our 2026 Apostille and Consular Legalisation guide — the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, the Decreto-Lei 86/2009 implementing statute, the PGR-run service across Lisboa, Porto, Coimbra, Évora, Guimarães, Funchal and Ponta Delgada, the €10.20-per-act tariff and the non-Hague consular chain through MNE and destination embassies sets the latest reference. For foreign-resident document recognition inside Portugal, our 2026 Certified Translations guide — the no-sworn-translator model, the six authentication routes through advogado, solicitador, notário, conservatória, câmara de comércio and consulate, per-page rates from €15 to €90 and the EU Regulation 2016/1191 multilingual-form exemption sets the latest reference. On the legal-paperwork architecture, our 2026 Solicitadores guide — the Câmara dos Solicitadores e dos Agentes de Execução, the Estatuto under Lei n.º 154/2015, the Documento Particular Autenticado (DPA) route under DL 116/2008 and DL 76-A/2006 at €10-€20 per act, where the solicitador beats the cartório tariff on property transactions and AIMA stacks, and the agente-de-execução side that handles civil-court enforcement sets the latest reference.
