Family Reunification Vanishes From AIMA's Contact Form Without Notice, Leaving Residents Who Have Not Yet Applied Without a Clear Route

The family reunification option has vanished from the online contact form of AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, Portugal's immigration agency), the channel residents used to request appointments for relatives already living with them in Portugal. Público Brasil reported on Saturday that the option disappeared on Friday 30 October with no public notice, and that AIMA had not answered its questions about why, or when it would return.

We checked the form's live list of subjects on Saturday morning. It offers residence permits with a consular visa, permits for highly qualified workers, appointments for babies and children born in Portugal, address changes and Renewals Portal problems, but no family reunification subject. AIMA's news page carries no notice about the change; its most recent items about the form announce planned maintenance on 20 September and on 2 to 3 October.

It is not the first time. Público says the option was also removed on 5 August, when AIMA called the interruption temporary, and it soon came back. The lawyer Célio Sauer told the paper the cause could be an IT error, a move to another AIMA portal, or a view inside AIMA that the transition period for reunification is over. On the figures, Público reports that the Minister for the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, told a parliamentary committee on 7 October that AIMA had made 55,000 family reunification appointments in 2026 and granted 26,000 permits.

What the law says now

The rules are those of Lei n.º 61/2025, which amended the Foreigners Law (Lei n.º 23/2007) from 23 October 2025:

• You must have held a valid residence permit for at least two years before you can bring family members (Article 98(1)).
• The wait is 15 months for a spouse or partner who lived with you for at least 18 months immediately before you came to Portugal (Article 98(2)).
• There is no waiting period for dependent minor children, for a spouse who is the other parent of such a child, or for the families of people holding permits for teaching, highly qualified or cultural work, investment (golden visa) permits or EU Blue Cards (Article 98(3)).
• The minister responsible for migration can waive or shorten the wait in exceptional, reasoned cases (Article 98(4)).
• You must show suitable housing and enough income to support everyone without social benefits, and both spouses must be at least 18 (Articles 99 and 101).
• AIMA has nine months to decide (Article 105).

The 180-day window in which residents could apply for relatives already in Portugal under the transition rule (Article 6) has ended. The September 2026 amendment, Lei n.º 62/2026, did not change these articles.

What it means for you

• Other official channels: AIMA's contact centre is on (+351) 217 115 000, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 20:00, and its general email is listed on its contacts page. AIMA's pages for relatives already in Portugal and relatives abroad list the documents an application needs, and say it is made by appointment at an AIMA office.
• Keep a record: save dated copies or screenshots of every request you send AIMA and every reply.
• Complain: anyone, of any nationality, can complain to the Provedor de Justiça (the Ombudsman) about a public body. You must complain to the body first, give your name, and the matter must not be before a court.

Many families have already gone to court over AIMA delays, as we reported when AIMA turned three with about 89,000 cases pending. Renewals run through a separate channel: see AIMA's online renewal for permits expiring by 31 January 2027.