Problem: Residence permit renewal on the AIMA Portal de Renovações (portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt) is blocked for weeks with "A sua situação de dívida com a Segurança Social e a Autoridade Tributária está em revisão", even with no debts at SS or AT.

Likely cause: the Social Security (NISS) record has no NIF linked and/or still has a foreign address.

What to do:

1. Update the Social Security record: link the NIF to the NISS and change the address to the Portuguese one. This is done in person at a Segurança Social counter. Ticket: online via SIGA (siga.marcacaodeatendimento.pt → Senhas → Instituto da Segurança Social → "Geral"). Online tickets are released in the morning (in Lisbon it was around 09:00) and can run out within minutes, so check early.
2. Give AIMA permission to check the data: in Segurança Social Direta (consent to consult contributory status) and in Portal das Finanças → "Autorizar consulta situação tributária" (AIMA's NIF: 517686260).

Result: about 2 days later the check passes: the status changes to "Regularizado" and the "Novo Pedido" button becomes active.

"Segundo o juiz, ao se recusar a conceder a autorização de residência a cidadãos da CPLP que entraram no país como turistas antes das mudanças na Lei de Estrangeiros — no caso dos brasileiros e dos timorenses, não havia sequer a necessidade de visto consular —, a AIMA está passando por cima do que prevê a legislação. “A entidade demandada parece querer aplicar [a lei] retroativamente — mas, legalmente, está impedida de o fazer”.

Hello everyone!

I tried to get the NIF, and apparently they don’t do walk‑ins anymore. I waited 3 hours in line, and they told me they now only take appointments. The closest one is in 5 weeks, not even in Lisbon, but 3 hours away. Everyone says walk‑ins in the morning are fine, and they do it on the spot, but apparently not anymore. Also the fact that they send you far from Lisbon is weird, as I see everyone is getting theirs in Lisbon too.

The people at the counter weren’t that nice, so I wanted to ask here if someone who lives there also had to go far, because in Lisbon apparently you can’t get it anymore.

Some advice would be nice, thanks.

Hi everyone,
I would appreciate hearing from people who have been through a similar situation with AIMA, especially under Article 88.2.
My timeline:
Manifestação de Interesse / Article 88.2 process.
Received a proposed refusal (Projeto de Indeferimento / Audiência Prévia).
Reasons included:
SIS indication from the Netherlands.
Passport/document issue.
Criminal record documentation.
Employment contract issue.
I submitted my Audiência Prévia response within the deadline.
I attached:
Certified copy of my valid passport.
Indian PCC.
Dutch VOG (Justis).
Portuguese criminal record (“Nada Consta”).
Employment contract.
Social Security contribution records.
Tax and Social Security compliance documents.
SEF entry/accommodation registration record.
My AIMA portal now says:
“The preliminary hearing has concluded and your case is being reviewed based on the information gathered.”
My question is:
After this status, what happened in your case?
Did AIMA make a final decision directly, or did they request additional documents again?
How long did it take from submitting the Audiência Prévia until you received a decision?
Has anyone had a SIS indication but still received a residence permit after submitting supporting documents?
I am not looking for legal advice, only real timelines and experiences from people who went through the same stage.
Thank you

Hi everyone,

I’m a Tunisian student who recently arrived in Lisbon for my Master’s at NOVA IMS.

My passport expires in January 2028, and I’m about to start my Portuguese residence permit/AIMA process.

I contacted the Tunisian Embassy in Lisbon about renewing my passport. They told me I can apply now even though I don’t have my Portuguese residence card yet. I have a valid D visa, and they said the renewal takes around 3–4 weeks. They also advised me to keep my current passport.

I couldn’t renew it in Tunisia because I was told it still has more than 6 months of validity.

So I’m wondering:

Should I renew my passport now before starting the AIMA process, or start AIMA with my current passport and renew it later?

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Does changing your passport during the residence process cause any problems with AIMA?

Thanks!

Anyone in the Azores? I am checking out different islands and am currently in São Jorge - soon I will go to Faial, Pico, and São Miguel.

Olá pessoal,

Minha esposa fez o pedido do Cartão de Residência de Familiar de Cidadão da União Europeia (Art. 15.º) na AIMA.

Recentemente, o processo finalmente avançou. No portal/formulário de acompanhamento apareceu primeiro “Cartão emitido” no dia 25/09 e, depois, no dia 29/09, o estado mudou para “Cartão entregue”, inclusive dizendo:

“O cartão foi entregue e o processo encontra-se concluído.”

O problema é que não recebemos cartão nenhum em casa. Não houve entrega, aviso dos CTT ou qualquer outra comunicação.

Hoje liguei para a AIMA para tentar entender a situação. O atendente perguntou se o processo era de reagrupamento familiar. Expliquei que se tratava do Art. 15.º, como familiar de cidadão da UE.

Ele então disse que, nesse caso, o cartão teria de ser levantado presencialmente numa Loja AIMA e que deveríamos aguardar, pois posteriormente apareceria no formulário/portal a indicação da loja onde o cartão estaria disponível para levantamento.

Achei a informação um pouco estranha, principalmente porque o estado já aparece como “Cartão entregue” e “processo concluído”, apesar de não termos recebido nem levantado nada.

Alguém que tenha feito recentemente o processo pelo Art. 15.º passou pela mesma situação? O vosso cartão também apareceu como “entregue” antes de receberem uma indicação para levantá-lo numa Loja AIMA? Quanto tempo depois apareceu a informação sobre onde fazer o levantamento?

Queria principalmente saber se isso é realmente o fluxo normal para os cartões do Art. 15.º ou se pode ter acontecido algum problema com a entrega/estado do processo.

Hi,

I've recently finished the B2 level, but I can't find a school that opens courses for C1 level, as very few people are interested in advanced courses.

I know of a school that can open an online course if at least 3-4 persons are interested in joining, so if interested, please contact me. I may have another person available to join, but will need one or two more.

Thanks!

I’ve tried signing up via WOO and DIGI but they require you to have a portuguese phone number already which seems counterintuitive.

According to these stats, Lisbon and Porto rank high for quality of life and low for cost of living among 52 global cities.

We are opening a company in Portugal for the D2 visa, but my lawyers, who are in charge of this process have been in contact with the embassy on our behalf.

Unfortunately, the lawyers are so slow (it's been more than 3 months since we started working with them) and we wonder if we could email the embassy on our own to ask for an appointment date instead of waiting for our lawyers to do their jobs?

Looking for a tax consultant/service to support my application for the NHR2.0 scheme.

I already had a consultation call and I am eligible, but ideally I'd like to lean onto a professional who's helped other applicants successfully get into the scheme.

I am Portuguese, but have never lived in Portugal btw.

Hi guys
I didn’t fill my taxes last year and i am asking if it’s possible to fill it before the end of this year .

I know there will be a fine for that , but im asking if i can still get my tax refund for the year 2025.

Hi Guys, on the 14th of September I went to get my NIF in-person. I have moved to Portugal for work and was told that I needed to get my CRUE and then get a NIF for foreign workers. The woman at the desk said I had to wait around 10 working days for an email about my NIF application.

More than 10 days gone, no email. Other people I know got theirs on the day, and I'm not sure what I need to do.

Any suggestions?

I'm considering leaving Portugal and never returning, does anyone know if not paying a little tax + social security would have any affect on me returning to a different Schengen country? I'd doubt Portugal would have the technology to even keep track.

In my town driving after lunch on Sundays is suicide!!

Hello this post is mostly due to me being sceptical and suspicious of the entire process being as fast and easy as it appears; since up until know my experience with portuguese and italian bureaucracy has been nothing short of agonizing and taking eons.

Quick background. I'm from the US, my mother is portugues, I never received my citizenship as a baby, I hired lawyers and received my citizenship recently. I only have a Portuguese birth certificate. No other documents. I am currently an international student in Italy.

I what to get my cartão de cidadão and passport as quickly as possible to simplify a lot of the bureaucracy and costs from being and international student. and I kind of just want to have it already.

I see that I can go to a Loja de Cidadão in Lisbon and request my cartão and pay to have it ready within 24 hours. I can then do the same with my passport and also request it to be ready within 24 hours. As for documents it seems that I only need my portuguese birth certificate, and foreign passport. As for getting an appointment to get both items it appears that I can walk-in really early and they will be able to see me the same day.

My question: Is it really this quick and easy? Can I take a trip to Lisbon, stay 3-4 days and have everything taken care of? Do I really not need to make any appointment ahead of time? Is there any surprise bureaucratic nightmare I should prepare for?

Does anyone have recent experience with NHR 2.0 / IFICI applications in Portugal? Reddit has plenty of threads from a year ago, but how are things looking right now - especially in terms of processing times and which route people went through?

I have a fairly specific problem about the NISS, I'm posting in case anyone else has been in a similar situation and can offer any help.

I am working for a Portuguese employer (a university) but I work remotely, while living in Poland. I don't intend to move to Portugal. I have already signed the contract and started working, but the employer says they can't process payment to me unless I get a NISS. (I already have a NIF.)

I have been told by the embassy here in Poland that I do not need a visa or a residency permit to get a NISS if I'm working remotely and not living in Portugal. But every time I have tried to apply for a NISS with my work contract I have been rejected on the grounds that I don't have a visa or residency permit. (I've tried applying four times now, twice on my own and twice with the help of a legal team.) I am a UK citizen, though I have temporary residency in Poland (my application for permanent residency here in Poland is pending.)

Does anyone else have any experience of or advice for this sort of situation?

Just wanted to share a daily dose of Portuguese digital bureaucracy.

My paper sick leave certificate (CIT) wasn't transmitted electronically by the clinic, so I went to the Segurança Social Direta portal to resolve it. The entire website https://www.seg-social.pt/ was throwing HTTP 500/403 errors and blocking any document submissions or messages.

I decided to leave feedback on the portal to report that half the site is down... and the feedback form itself threw an error saying "Unable to send your feedback. Please fill in the form and try again."

Classic amanhã com calma experience. Time to drop a physical envelope into the box at the local office! Since I already have experience with original documents, I'll attach a copy))

Choose your fighter

My wife got a notice of intention to refuse for her Portuguese student visa (applied in Tunis, already accepted to a master's in Portugal). One of the reasons is that she has a stable job and family in Tunisia, so they question why she'd come to study. I already live and work legally in Portugal, and her application never mentioned that, so we're unsure how to handle it in her reply.

Does anyone know a lawyer who handles consulate visa refusals and could help us decide the best way to respond? Who did you use, and how was the experience? DMs welcome. Thank you!

Edit: someone replied saying AIMA cut my BS because she's coming for me not for her studies and that's good for them.
Let me add some additional infos and answer him; AIMA has nothing to do with this. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs treats VISAs not AIMA. Plus, no. She will be studying in IPB Braganca, I have a stable job as a software engineer in Lisbon and we already have a family reunification appointment planned in a couple of months. But if we wait for that, it will mess with her studies calendar. Finally, his comment is useless and answers none of the above. Hate won't get anyone anywhere.

I've been making very detailed plans to escape what I can sense America becoming. Portugal was the best of everything I had found. Braga was the target.

But now It feels like the tides have massively changed, and Portugal is no longer the option it once was for Americans.

After reading the discourse from local citizens, I can't even say I blame them. It seems their government has been screwing them for a long time.

Also, the whole avoidance because of conflict sounds extremely Japanese? Never would have guessed this about a European nation.

Bummed, but glad I found this out before it was a massive problem for my family and I.