How to Renew a Portuguese Residence Permit on the AIMA Portal
Renewals now run through AIMA's online portal, with a visit only for biometrics. The timing, the fees and the receipt you get matter more than the card itself while you wait.
A temporary Portuguese residence permit is renewed online on the AIMA Renewals Portal (Portal de Renovações), from 90 days up to 30 days before the card expires. You register, AIMA checks your data and you pay the fee within 24 hours; the receipt then proves your renewal is pending until the new card arrives.
AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo) replaced SEF for residence matters in 2023 and opened the portal in July 2025. It widens the portal to new groups of expiry dates in stages, so check the current window before you plan. Fees and rules below are as of November 2026.
When should I apply to renew?
The official deadline is 30 days before your card expires, and you can apply from 90 days before. The government services portal gov.pt states both limits on its renewal page, last updated 1 September 2026.
The portal only accepts cards whose expiry date falls inside the window AIMA has opened. In July 2026 that window covered residence permits that expired or would expire between 1 July 2025 and 31 October 2026. Check the portal itself for the dates it accepts now. If your card expired more than six months ago, gov.pt says renewal is no longer possible and you must make a new application at an AIMA office.
How does the Renewals Portal work, step by step?
The process is fully online until AIMA decides whether it needs to see you.
- Make sure AIMA has your current NIF (tax number), NISS (social security number) and address. The portal checks your data with Finanças and Segurança Social, and a missing number blocks the request.
- If something is missing or wrong, send it through the AIMA contact form, choosing the subject for the Renewals Portal and the matching subtype. AIMA says it updates records within two working days.
- Register on the AIMA Renewals Portal. AIMA emails you a password.
- Fill in the renewal request and upload what the portal asks for.
- Pay the fee with the payment reference the portal generates. The reference can only be paid within 24 hours of being issued.
- Download the renewal receipt. AIMA then reviews the case.
- If AIMA needs new biometric data (photo and fingerprints), it books the appointment itself and tells you the date, time and office.
Holders of old paper residence cards issued to EU family members have one quirk: AIMA tells them to drop the leading zero when they type the card number into the portal.
How much does renewal cost?
AIMA’s fee table, in force since 1 March 2026 under Ordinance (Portaria) 307/2023, charges two items for a temporary permit renewal: one for receiving and analysing the request and one for the renewal itself. Requests made on a digital channel get a 25% reduction.
| Fee item (as of November 2026) | Standard | Digital channel |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt and analysis of a temporary or permanent permit request | €133.00 | €99.80 |
| Renewal of a temporary residence permit | €114.30 | €85.80 |
| Renewal of a permanent residence permit | €61.90 | €46.30 |
| Urgent card issue (within 2 working days of approval), on top | €47.80 | €47.80 |
| In-person handover of the card, if it applies | €29.90 | €29.90 |
The portal shows the exact amount for your case before you pay. Nationals of several Portuguese-speaking countries, including Brazil, Angola and Cabo Verde, are exempt from the concession and renewal fee under the same table, though they still pay the analysis charge and card costs. Investment permits (ARI) have much higher fees listed separately.
Is my expired card still valid while I wait?
An expired card on its own is no longer enough. Decree-Law 85-B/2025 kept documents that expired from 22 February 2020 valid in Portugal until 15 October 2025. After that date, the expired card is accepted only together with proof that you paid for the AIMA renewal request, and that proof is valid for 180 days from issue.
Carry the receipt with your expired card whenever you deal with a bank, employer or public office. If the 180 days are running out and you have no decision, contact AIMA and keep a record of the request. Our guide to AIMA appointments and contact channels lists the options.
Can I travel or work while the renewal is pending?
Inside Portugal, the renewal receipt is the paper you show your employer, bank or a public service while the case is pending. Travel is different. AIMA’s own guidance says a receipt is not a travel document and cannot be used to travel to other Schengen countries.
If you must leave Portugal, check the entry rules of every country on your route and of your airline. Get advice from an immigration lawyer before you fly on an expired card, because border checks follow the Schengen Borders Code rather than Portuguese extension rules.
What if the portal does not accept my application?
Typical reasons are a card outside the open expiry window, a NIF or NISS missing from AIMA’s records, and a data check that has not finished. Report the problem through the contact form under the Renewals Portal subject and the subtype for reporting a problem, and keep the confirmation.
Do not create a second account or pay twice. If you also plan to apply for citizenship later, keep every receipt, because the time you lived legally in Portugal is counted from official records. Our guide to Portuguese citizenship requirements explains how that time is counted.
Bottom line
The date that matters is the one when AIMA opens your expiry window on the portal, so check it about three months before your card runs out. Fix NIF, NISS and address problems first: those checks run automatically, and a request cannot go through until they pass.
FAQ
Do I need to book an appointment to renew?
No. You apply on the portal, and AIMA books a biometrics appointment only if it needs one. gov.pt notes that in-person renewal is by appointment only, and the registry service IRN contacts the eligible people itself.
How long does a renewed card take to arrive?
AIMA does not publish a fixed processing time for renewals. Keep the receipt with you until the card is in your hands, and watch the 180-day validity of the proof of payment.
Can I renew a permit that expired more than six months ago?
According to gov.pt, no: a permit expired for more than six months requires a new application at an AIMA office. Speak to an immigration lawyer about your options.
Is renewal for permanent residence the same process?
Permanent permits are also renewed through AIMA, with a lower renewal fee of €46.30 on the digital channel plus the analysis charge, as of November 2026. Moving from temporary to permanent residence is a separate application.
