Portugal opens online renewal for residence permits expiring by 31 January 2027

In brief

• On 23 October 2026 AIMA opened the renewal portal for residence permits expiring between 1 July 2025 and 31 January 2027.
• Applications can be made only through the official renewal portal. AIMA does not consider other renewal requests.
• Registration requires an email address, residence card number, NIF tax number and date of birth.
• AIMA sends the new card by post, so the agency asks applicants to keep their address up to date so the card is not lost.
• For permits expiring after January 2027 the portal will open later: AIMA opens it two to three months in advance.

What has changed

AIMA, Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, which replaced the former SEF immigration service in 2023, handles residence renewals through a dedicated online portal. It opens in stages, for documents with certain expiry dates. The previous stage began on 3 August 2026 and covered permits expiring by the end of 2026. On 23 October 2026 the portal was widened: holders of permits expiring between 1 July 2025 and 31 January 2027 can now use it.

AIMA explains the staged approach by a wish to avoid overload. The portal opens in advance, about two to three months ahead, so that applicants can file before their permit expires without everyone queuing at once. Those whose permits expire after January 2027 need to wait for the next stage. Renewal applications not filed through the portal are not considered.

What this means for you. If your Portuguese residence permit expires by 31 January 2027, apply for renewal now. Check the end date on the card itself.

How to apply for renewal

Renewal is entirely online. First you need to create an account on the AIMA renewal portal: the system asks for an email address, residence card number, NIF tax number and date of birth. It is important to use an email you have permanent access to, since notifications and requests are sent there. After logging in, the applicant checks personal details, uploads the documents the system requests and pays the fee using the payment details provided.

Pay special attention to your address. The new residence card is sent by post, and if the address in the system is out of date, the card may not arrive. AIMA asks applicants to update their address through the contact form on its website; according to the agency, such changes are processed within two working days. If you have moved, update your address before or immediately after applying.

Online renewal is noticeably simpler than the former procedure, when renewal required an in-person visit and an appointment that could take months. Now the application is filed from home and the card arrives by post. If the card takes a long time to arrive, you can check the application status in your account on the renewal portal and, if needed, contact AIMA through the feedback form on the agency website. In your message include the application number, residence card number and NIF tax number so the agency can find your case faster.

What this means for you. Keep the confirmation of your application. If the card has not arrived and the old one has expired, the receipt shows you applied for renewal on time.

Who it affects

The portal is designed for most holders of temporary residence permits: people living in Portugal for work, study, family reunification, on the D7 visa for the financially independent and the D8 visa for remote workers. More on these visas is in our guides to D7 and to D8, and the terms D7 and D8 are explained in the glossary.

Holders of the Portuguese Golden Visa should check the procedure separately: renewal of investment residence, known in Portugal as ARI, has historically followed its own procedure, and the queue for such cases long remained the largest. On the queue, see our story on the golden visa backlog, and the programme is covered in detail in our golden visa guide. If your permit expired long ago and you have not applied, you need advice: such cases may require a separate procedure.

Renewing residence also matters for future citizenship. From 2026 Portugal raised the residence period for naturalisation to ten years, and to seven for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries; the period is counted on legal residence, and gaps in status may interrupt it. How citizenship works is covered in our articles on Portuguese citizenship and naturalisation, and the citizenship application queue in our story on the backlog.

What this means for you. A gap in residence can cost you years on the way to citizenship and permanent residence. Renewing on time is the cheapest insurance for those planning to stay in Portugal long term.

Which documents are usually needed for renewal

The portal shows the exact list of documents after you log in, and it depends on the grounds of your permit. Usually you need a valid passport, proof of means of subsistence, proof of accommodation in Portugal, and no debts to the tax authority and social security system. For work permits, a contract or proof of activity; for study, a certificate from the institution; for family permits, proof that the grounds for reunification still apply. AIMA also checks criminal records, for which the applicant consents to a registry check.

For D7 holders the key document is proof of passive income above the set minimum, usually bank statements and documents on pensions, dividends or rent. For D8, proof of income from remote work. If your income fell below the minimum during the permit period or you did not live in Portugal for long, renewal may raise questions. In such cases it is better to prepare explanations and additional documents in advance.

Documents issued outside Portugal usually need an apostille and a translation into Portuguese. This takes time, so it is worth gathering them before the portal opens for your expiry date. If you are not sure which document is needed, it is better to check in advance than to receive a request and lose weeks.

If something goes wrong

If the portal will not let you in, check that your card number and tax number match the data AIMA holds. A common cause of errors is a change of passport or address the agency does not know about. If you receive a request for additional documents after filing, you must reply within the stated deadline, or the application may be closed. If you receive a refusal, you have the right to appeal; the deadlines are short, and it is better to act with a lawyer.

If your permit expired before 1 July 2025 and no renewal was filed, the portal will not work for you. Such a situation needs a separate assessment: sometimes a renewal can be filed with an explanation of the reasons, sometimes a new status is needed. The sooner you seek advice, the more options you have.

Why AIMA had queues

AIMA started work on 29 October 2023, replacing the former SEF service, and inherited hundreds of thousands of pending cases. In 2024 a dedicated structure was set up to deal with applications from previous years. At the same time, the agency moved processes online: renewal through the portal became one of the main steps that reduced the need for in-person visits. For golden visas the queue lasted longer; see our story on the golden visa backlog.

Renewal for your family

If your family lives with you in Portugal, each family member's permit is renewed separately, with its own application on the portal. The expiry dates of your spouse and children may differ from yours, so check each card. For children, a parent or legal guardian files the application. A family permit is renewed on condition that the main status continues: if the main applicant has not renewed their permit, family members will face difficulties too.

Check passport expiry dates separately. If a child's or spouse's passport expires before the new permit ends, it is better to replace it before applying so as not to make changes later. For Russians, replacing a passport abroad can take several months, so it is worth dealing with this in advance.

Why it matters not to be late with renewal

Europe is tightening control over people who remain without legal status. On 27 October 2026 the Commission proposed tripling Frontex and making it the lead agency on returns; see our story on Frontex. This does not affect holders of valid permits, but it shows the overall direction: in the EU legal status is valued more, and the consequences of a gap in it are becoming more serious.

In practice, an expired residence permit creates problems with travel: when leaving and entering Schengen a border guard may ask questions, an airline may refuse boarding, and a bank may freeze transactions until a new document is provided. So it is better to apply for renewal as soon as the portal opens for your expiry date, not in the last few days. Spare time is also needed in case the system asks for additional documents or an error is found in your data: fixing it before the old card expires is much easier than afterwards. This applies especially to people who travel often for work or live between two countries and cannot always reply quickly to an AIMA request.

Life in Portugal: what else to consider

If you are only planning a move, it helps to understand in advance how life in the country works. On the cost of living, see our article on expenses in 2026; on where to settle, the best areas; on healthcare for foreigners, a separate piece. On rents, see our story on rents in Europe in autumn 2026, and on tax on home purchases by non-residents, our story on IMT.

When choosing between countries, compare Portugal with its neighbours: the Portuguese or Greek golden visa, residence in Portugal or Spain and the golden visa or D7. Presence requirements of different programmes are compared in the guide to presence requirements. Everything about the country is on the Portugal page.

What to do

The terms temporary residence, residence permit and permanent residence are explained in the glossary. If you want specialists to handle the renewal, book an online consultation; all BRIDGES services are on the home page.

How this article was prepared

Sources: AIMA's announcement of 23 October 2026 on opening the renewal portal; the residence renewal portal page on the AIMA website; AIMA guidance on updating addresses. This article does not replace a consultation.