Portugal to Enforce Stricter Rules for Residence Permits Starting April 28
Portugal to Enforce Stricter Rules for Residence Permit Applications and Renewals Starting April 28
Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) has announced a significant change in the processing of residence permit applications. Effective April 28, 2025, only complete applications submitted under the Foreigners Law (Law No. 23/2007, of July 4) will be accepted.
Incomplete Applications Will Be Rejected Immediately
This change means that all required documentation must be included at the time of submission. If an application is incomplete, it will be rejected, and the applicant will be required to restart the process from the beginning, effectively moving to the back of the queue.
Previously, under the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), immigrants were given ten business days to correct missing or incomplete documents. The new policy revokes this grace period, a shift that has drawn criticism.
Legal Community Raises Concerns
Lawyers have raised concerns about the legal soundness of AIMA’s decision. Elaine Linhares, speaking to Público, described the change as “questionable”, arguing that it may contradict the CPA, which governs how public administration functions.
Catarina Zuccaro, another immigration lawyer, echoed this concern. She warned that the new rules will disproportionately impact foreign nationals with limited Portuguese language skills, potentially complicating their access to legal residency in Portugal.
AIMA Recommends Full Preparation Before Submitting
In an official statement, AIMA advised all applicants for new residence permits and renewals to ensure they are fully prepared at the time of their appointment, with all necessary documents in hand.
Reforms Underway to Address Golden Visa Backlogs
In parallel with these tighter immigration rules, AIMA is also working to clear a backlog of approximately 55,000 pending Golden Visa applications.
As part of this effort, the agency has:
- Begun automatically scheduling biometric appointments (since January 2025)
- Shifted to an electronic application system
- Started accepting documentation in English, French, and Spanish without the need for translations
- Allowed residence permit fees to be paid at the time of the biometric appointment
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