I recently read about this portal on one of the threads and that online renewals are possible if biometrics are less than 5 years old, subject to AIMA approval. The original news was on this website. Point 2 is the one I am specifically interested in:
My lawyer is saying this news is not true. My last biometrics were in Sept 2020 and my last GV was renewed online in May 2023. This expired last month and I have already applied for citizenship in Jan 2025. I am really hoping that I will be able to renew my Golden Visa online according to this piece of news.
Does anyone have more information regarding this? Or an email address where I can keep on emailing AIMA about my case and see if they agree to an online renewal.
Thank you. I created this post after reading the above thread only. I already have an appointment for biometrics in September. I wanted to reconfirm from others that its possible to renew online now as my lawyer insists this is not happening.
My lawyer agrees with yours. Maybe they are the same. There are two separate things getting confused. The first is a new portal for renewals of permits (not just GV) that expired before July 1, where it may be possible to renew without new biometrics and get a new card valid for six months. Those folks have been extended to October 15 as well. But you have six months after expiration anyway, so this really only helps people who expired before April 15. Another is the ability to renew through a lawyer, but it is unclear whether this is just an appointment scheduler.
another is the new portal starting in January 2026 for GV.
Thank you! Someone finally understood what I was asking. It seems like I will have to go to Portugal for in-person renewal and have to start the process of documents apostille all over again.
It is really shocking to see that some permits expired and have been waiting to be renewed since Feb 2020. Any GV holders in this forum that is unable to renew card in 5.5 years? How many expired permit in 2020 are there? Who could live in 5.5 years without having their cards renewed? I am speechless. AIMA probably never wants to reveal the truth.
If there had not been any expired permit in 2020, they would have written “from feb 2021 to june 2025” in stead of “from feb 2020…”.
A very typical reson for being unable to renew is that Sef/aima keeps throwing biometric to a person (from a country that is required a visa to visit Portugal). Within short notice he/she is unable to obtain the visa to complete the renewal process. If this kind of approach continues, it will be impossible for Aima to renew all expired cards in past years. In fact, there will be even more cards to renew due to several reasons: 1) current cards will get expired soon and will need to be renewed too; 2) at the same time more new immigrants coming regardless of the restriction; and the inflow is always greater than outflow; 3) does the govt 100% really want to tackle the problem? In my opinion, NO. They have different motiv behind it.
I am not sure about 5.5 years, but I indirectly know a person who lived 1.5 years on an expired GV until they learned from me about the online renewal option (back when it was available) and used it. Their new card came with 6 months validity remaining as its start date was counted from the date of the old one expiring. So they are trying to renew again now
No, go back into the covid decree in Diario, and you can see the bones of the decree. Last year these paragraphs were amended while the rest of the paragraphs were repealed.
But I agree with you that this isn’t really a solution. 350,000 expired permits will be extended, so no longer any backlog, and now everyone gets to renew through the normal way. But renewing through the normal way is a bottleneck that hasn’t been solved.
According to this post from AIMA on Facebook it seems this process will work differently for those with a permit that expired in June or earlier vs those with a permit that expires in July 2025 or later:
Decree-Law 85-B/2025, which came into force yesterday, extends the validity of residence permits for foreign nationals to stay in Portugal until 15 October 2025. At the same time, AIMA and the AIMA Mission Structure are offering two online services to solve all pending renewal processes.
Renewal of Expired Residence Permits: AIMA and Mission Structure provide online services
This operation is carried out as follows:
The Mission Structure guarantees the renewal of residence permits that expire by 30 June 2025; and
AIMA guarantees the renewal of residence permits that expire after 30 June 2025.
Holders of residence permits expiring before 30 June 2025
Holders are notified (email) by the Mission Structure, in chronological order of the expiry date of the permits, i.e. from February 2020 to June 2025.
After receiving the notification, holders access the services.aima.gov.pt platform through the link that will permit to revalidate their access credentials.
Once the credentials have been revalidated, the holders must request, on the same platform, the generation of a Single Collection Document (DUC) for payment of the fees, which must be made within the following 10 working days.
Once the account has been validated and payment confirmed, applicants will also receive (email) a proposal of appointment to collect their biometric data at one of EMAIMA’s offices, if it’s necessary ( i.e. when their biometric data or passport has expired).
Applicants must have their tax and contributory status duly regularised, as well as all the legally required documentation.
The notification process began on 1 July. All users with permits that expire by 30 June 2025 will gradually be notified (email) by EMAIMA and must wait for this notification before proceeding with the process.
Holders of residence permits expiring after 30 June 2025
Holders must apply to renew their residence permit directly on the Renewals Portal, which will be made available online by AIMA during the next week.
To do so, applicants must have their tax and contributory status duly regularised, make prior payment of the fee due according to the type and attach a copy of the legally required documentation.
Subsequently, the criminal record, precautionary and security measures and conditions of subsistence on national territory will be analysed.
The applicant will only be notified via the Portal to collect biometric data at an AIMA shop if the process is approved and the biometric data or passport is out of date and therefore needs to be updated.
Not sure if this also applies to ARI holders or just other residence permit holders.
Bones have been repeated because Sef/aima did not solve the mess.
As I said earlier, now the expired permits in 2020 will be called firstly by Aima for renewal . 5.5 years living under expired cards. How many are they?
Renovações de residência: AIMA diz que já começou a contactar imigrantes. Autorizações que estavam vencidas desde Fevereiro de 2020 serão as primeiras a ser chamadas.
I suspect it is the same game as the MIs. They will send out an email, you pay the fee, you get started on renewal. You don’t pay the fee, they will strike you off as having abandoned the permit. They got rid of almost half the MI backlog that way.
