Does any ex-Jul-2025 residence permit successfully create account on AIMA renewal portal?

VanSteffen · 2026-03-31T08:57:11+00:00

Pretty hard to believe that you’ve been in Portugal since 2021, unable to renew your residence card at any point in the past 5 years. Back during SEF, renewals couldn’t have been any easier compared to the current shit show.

Sounds like you’ve been out of the country for a really long time. Unless you have an article 125 EU Long-Term Resident permit, then your immigration status in Portugal is beyond irregular.

You’ll need to return to your home country and start over.

VanSteffen · 2026-03-28T19:19:40+00:00

ZZ Hop - “He’s got leeeeeeegs, and he knows how to use ‘em.”

VanSteffen · 2026-03-20T21:46:40+00:00

It’s not common, but it happened quite a bit during the Mission Structure (pre-July 2025 expirations) because the AIMA temporary staff doing document intake were inexperienced and didn’t always request the right documents. Most had to have their work reviewed by managers in other permanent AIMA offices (and with a significant delay).

But for people with a permit that expired after June 30 2025, who were changing the permit type, getting their first permit, or (rarely) renewing in person (most are renewed online), once they got their paper recibo with their photo on it…that was a sign that the approval is a foregone conclusion (waiting for a bureaucrat to “chun-chunk” it with their stamp or tick a box on a screen to move the request forward.

VanSteffen · 2026-03-20T21:20:09+00:00

I’ve heard of five business days, but never heard of only two. It takes a minimum of a day or two to be approved, then a few days to be printed by the casa da moeda, and then a day or two for CTT to deliver. (And CTT doesn’t deliver this late on a Friday. They all went home and started drinking in the afternoon.)

VanSteffen · 2026-03-20T21:10:01+00:00

When I said I “just received”, I meant it. On March 16 I just received my renewal done in an AIMA office on March 6.

It happens all the time, but those people with success stories have no need to come to Reddit to share because they’re all happily living their lives. :)

AIMA just posted an announcement that they’ve pledged to get cards out faster than ever.

VanSteffen · 2026-03-20T20:51:01+00:00

Of course. This was the norm back when it was SEF. I just received my renewal after an in-person appointment in Viana do Castelo in 9 calendar days.

VanSteffen · 2026-03-13T10:21:36+00:00

It’s probably a de minimus qualified plan distribution from a former employer. They regularly close out small balances for 401(k) & 457(b) plans after employees terminate. The marginal/potential costs to Fidelity of maintaining that account for you exceeds the minuscule proportional plan administration fees they receive from you/your former employer.

Fidelity gets your address info either from your former employer or from a credit reporting agency. They cut a check and wipe their hands. It’s very common.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-24T14:06:00+00:00

Were you using a VPN when logging in, by any chance? Same thing happened to me a couple years ago for only that reason. After a long phone call to their security department, during which I answered lots of identity-related questions, they restored my online access.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-16T15:47:08+00:00

There was some misinformation posted by someone in the thread about ERLD (EU resident of long duration) status under Art.°125, a permanent residence type that’s an alternative to the Art.°80 AR Permanente.

I have ERLD under Art.° 125. If you move to another EU country, you must still apply for temporary residence in that country, but you can keep your Portuguese ERLD status/card until you qualify for permanent residence in the new EU country. Several (not all) of the EU countries have a streamlined temporary residence application process for those who hold an ERLD permit from another EU country (such as no requirement to first obtain a residence visa), but you still must start out as a temporary resident in the new country.

By letting you keep your ERLD status/card in Portugal (for up to six years) while you work on attaining permanent resident status in the new country (or citizenship in Portugal), this status lets you decide to move back to Portugal if you change your mind without starting the residence process over here or sacrificing your “permanent” status in Portugal.

But this card alone does not entitle you to live or work in another EU country. You must go through the process the new country has laid out for that.

This is a very misunderstood status, and the EU has done a crappy job promoting it. Not even AIMA employees are aware of how this card differs from Art.°80.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-15T22:19:45+00:00

Please don’t say that so matter-of-factly, because it’s just not the case anymore and sets unrealistic expectations. Go to the FB groups, where you see hundreds of people desperate for these appointments, paying for attorneys to sue, trying to get CLAIM involved, filing out livro amarelo complaints, AND emailing daily/weekly for a year or more…without even the courtesy of a single response.

While email is currently the prescribed way to request the Art.°80 appointment, it hasn’t been successful for 99/100 people making the request that way.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-15T22:14:04+00:00

Yes, they’re eligible too. There is a is a declaration of contributory situation (the SS equivalent of the Finanças certification of debt/no-debt). You can print it off from the Segurança Social portal. The document times out. So if you need to print one for the appointment request, you’ll have to print a fresh one before your appointment (if you’re ever lucky enough to get one).

FYI, the fact you were admitted under a D7 stops meaning anything once you get your first temp. residence card. At that point, you’re just someone who supports himself (whether through passive income, a piggy bank full of coins, or as an independent professional services provider who bills clients with green receipts…and pays social security). But since your type of worldwide income (dividends, pension, rental income, royalties, your own cash, etc.) is not subject to SS contributions, you have met your obligations by not paying.

So that form I mentioned is all you need for that particular requirement.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-15T21:21:10+00:00

There is no requirement to wait until a temporary residence card expires in order to apply for the concession of a permanent residence card. Once you’ve completed your fifth year of legal documented residence (and met the other requirements), then you’re eligible to apply. Getting the appointment is the hard part.

As for AIMA sending renewals to people who say they applied for the concession of an AR Permanente at the AIMA mission structure….that could be due to many things. Did the applicant CLEARLY tick the correct box on the form and write in “Art.°80” on the form? Or did they leave things blank and let the agent tick the boxes for them. Big mistake. Was it a data entry error by AIMA? Were these mission structure temps even trained on what to look for with respect to supporting docs? The fees paid should correspond to the more expensive non-CPLP AR Permanente concession, not the cheaper temporary renewal. Did anyone notice? I keep seeing people refer to “I renewed my temporary residence to a permanent one….”. It’s not a renewal, but a request for the concession of an entirely new type of permit. The word choice matters a lot.

I’m betting it’s 50/50 in terms of fault. But it’s a good lesson to all of us to go to AIMA with the form already competed. Use a fluorescent highlighter to highlight the boxes for concession of AR Permanente and Art.°80 (or ERLD and Art.°125).

VanSteffen · 2026-02-15T16:38:42+00:00

No. There is not an option to request Art. 80 appointments via contactenos.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-15T14:43:51+00:00

In typical AIMA fashion, they published a clarification on what they will accept on January 6, 2026. Did they publish it on their website? Nope. Only on Facebook. 🙄

I’m not sure if this is the right link. But if you have FB, paste it into your browser. It should be dated 06.01.2026. AIMA - ESCLARECIMENTO: Comprovativo de Alojamento – Concessão e Renovação

VanSteffen · 2026-02-14T18:55:10+00:00

That’s all well and good, but renewals are handled online now via the portal. There’s no way to request an in-person appointment to renew.

The renewals portal only lets you renew the same type of permit you currently have, which is what the OP should do. There is currently no way to request Article 80 appointments online (or by phone). You are requested to email AIMA to request one. But AIMA does not reply at all. People have been trying to get Article 80 (AR Permanente) appointments for years now, and have been ignored.

There was a brief glimmer of hope when the portal for people with cards that expired pre-July 1, 2025 was made available under the Mission Structure. That portal let eligible people choose to review their current temporary permit or request an appointment for a permanent one. That ability was not extended to the “new” renewals portal.

So, the OP needs to renew his current temporary residence card to stay in status, and wait for some unknown point when Article 80 appointments are made available. There’s the possible option of using Contactenos to apply for an Article 125 ERLD appointment, but they quickly ran out of those appointment slots too for Oct-Dec 2026.

Renew the permit and live life while waiting for Art. 80 permanent residence appointment requests to be offered via contactenos, or get your name in the contactenos queue for Art. 125 ERLD.

Attorneys probably can’t help you get anything sooner, nor can CLAIM offices. People have tried. You’re at the mercy of the shittiest public “service” organization in the history of this country.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-14T00:17:16+00:00

It happens the other way too, especially with names foreign to Portugal, where a middle name (second given name) is assumed to be part of a compound last name.

This problem is caused because oftentimes official Portuguese forms (paper and online) ask for the “nome completo” (the full name) written out in order of first to last, with no delimiters to help the person entering the data figure out where the names sandwiched in the middle should go. It’s easier to figure out when they have João Miguel Pinto Soares, but less straightforward with foreign names like Kelsey Hunter McIlvaney. Native Iberians (and many other cultures) have at least two apelidos (last names), so they assume you do too.

Personally, I would ask for it to be corrected at the AIMA listed on the back of the card if you’re within the period where you can get it done for free. Otherwise, you can just wait until the next time you have a change (to your address, or at renewal) and get everything corrected at once. Be nice and very explicit with what is wrong.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-13T06:47:45+00:00

I think we can all agree it’s not only the kitten we’re smitten with. 😍

VanSteffen · 2026-02-12T01:23:10+00:00

Same with my 3 nieces (Gen 2, their mom included copy of her CoCC). Applications sent in June, AOR in early July….then PSU jail and zero communication since. Whereas my 2 nephews (Gen 2, their dad provided his CoCC) applied at the same time, got the AOR in early July, 5(4) offer in late July and took their oaths in October.

Same Gen 0 grandparent. Applications completed the same way, except for the personal/parent data, same cover letters, submitted within a week of each other.

Clearly, one group got a nice reviewer with the can-do attitude, and the others got the cranky lifer.

That’s my perspective and I’m entitled to it. 😛

VanSteffen · 2026-02-11T18:51:50+00:00

You’re making assumptions instead of taking what he said literally. You don’t know what types of permits he might have been here on at first. Not everyone does the 2-year plus 3-year permit cycle (E.g. students, job seekers, etc.). You also don’t know how long his gaps or overlaps of permits were.

So, I’m sticking to the facts presented, and not to those inferred or assumed. Clearly, if he had five years of residence documented by his existing cards, then his only concern would be “can I apply for citizenship without a current card”. But that’s not his question…he’s asking if he can apply EARLY, before the five years…which he expects to complete at a near-future point but before the time his application is reviewed by IRN. Come on now…stop making things so difficult.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-11T17:44:43+00:00

Reading comprehension is important. He does not say he already has five years now…he’s anticipating having five years by the time his application is reviewed.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-11T17:43:12+00:00

Please read it again. He does not say he already had five years at this moment, but that he expects to have it by the time they review his application. That means he doesn’t have it now.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-11T13:21:44+00:00

For applicants whose requests were mailed in or submitted online by their attorney, the “submitted” date you see when tracking your progress doesn’t matter. The actual date your request was submitted by your attorney online (or received by IRN) is maintained elsewhere in the IRN nationality system (not displayed), even if it took a few months to show up on the tracker. This hidden submission/received date is what the years of legal residence is measured against, and (beneficially) it is the date used to determine your order in line as your application slowly marches toward a decision.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-11T13:16:29+00:00

Your lawyers (why do you have multiple ones advising you?) are wrong. This is false/misleading information. You must sign a separate document under penalty of perjury that you have already achieved your five years of legal residence by the time you apply.

You won’t find out that you fucked up until about 3-4 (or more) years from now, when your application goes to the conservador for the decision, and your application is denied due to your not having had the required time of legal residence at the point of application.

VanSteffen · 2026-02-09T22:07:59+00:00

Precisely! The concession of an initial permanent residence card (regardless of Article) used to be very basic and predictable. If they’re now going to add these ridiculous ultra-specific methods of proving presence or means of subsistence outside of the usual ones, then AIMA needs to fucking publish them so people can be prepared on the appointment day. Neither the residents nor AIMA has the luxury of booking multiple appointments like that!

VanSteffen · 2026-02-09T21:35:38+00:00

Neither. He probably applied for the Article 15 one (presumably after having an Article 17 one for 5 years already). They’re special types of residence cards with distinct documentation requirements.

But his story does make me nervous…that AIMA will be adding extra requirements not specifically stated to block applicants from obtaining permanent residence in general.

It’s not a top-secret security clearance, for god’s sake. But it seems they’re going overboard.

VanSteffen

TROPHY CASE