Thank you.
Hi. My lawyer has obtained an appointment for myself and my family for GV renewal in September. I wanted to know if they still want all documents to be translated in Portuguese?
For my spouse’s recent appointment (early March), our lawyer advised that the marriage certificate and FBI check did not need to be translated.
At the appointment, the English version of the marriage certificate was accepted by AIMA. We’d already had the FBI check translated as part of our apostille ‘package’.
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If the docs are in Portuguese, English, French or Spanish, they’re fine. Only other languages need translation.
Same here !
Thank you! I don’t know why my lawyer is still insisting on documents being translated to Portuguese.
AIMA can be (to put it politely) inconsistent in their knowledge of their own procedures and can change rules without notice. Possible that your lawyer had a bad experience with an AIMA official demanding a translation. Despite what I said above, it’s not a bad idea to just get them translated to avoid any hassles. The best way to deal with AIMA is over-prepare.
That’s exactly what my lawyer is saying. Overprepare. Thank you!
It could also be a capacity thing at AIMA. They .can handle non-Portuguese documents but maybe all examining officers can’t do so. So your application then takes longer to process as it needs an officer proficient in the language. Maybe even so some are less proficient and more likely to produce questions. Translation is quick , easy and relatively inexpensive. I see why a lawyer would take that route.
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Makes sense! Thank you.
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Not sure if this only applies to MI/CPLP or GVs as well… perhaps only MI?
AIMA tightens rules for residence permit and renewal application processes
The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) has decided to tighten the rules for granting and renewing residence permits in Portugal. In a statement published on social media this Tuesday (22/04), the agency informed that, as of April 28, 2025, residence applications “made under the Foreigners Law will only be received when they are complete”. That is, when they contain “all the documents that the law defines and requires as necessary for analysis and decision”.According to AIMA, authorization and renewal requests that are not “complete, with all the elements required under Law No. 23/2027, of July 4 ” will not be accepted for service. This means that, if any documentation is missing, the immigrant will be sent back to the end of the queue. Currently, the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA) guarantees 10 business days for immigrants to resolve pending issues in their residency processes.
I’ve merged posts about renewals from a few threads into this one. Let’s keep all discussion about renewals here going forward 
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Hi @tkrunning - not sure how my post from a day ago is now sorted way earlier than posts from 3 weeks ago here?
Sorry about that, it’s a side effect of merging the threads.
Update: I ran a script that put all posts in chronological order again.
The plot thickens… So AIMA gets to deny MI applicants who rushed to submit incomplete applications before the doors closed (with blank paper in place of police records, etc.), which will undoubtedly be popular among voters and AIMA employees. I wonder whether the government is trying to “claw back” some of the 5 years for naturalisation as well?
In the context of GV, how does the concept of queues even work?
Say after months of emails begging AIMA for a renewal appointment, they finally gave me one 10 days away (in their typical take-it-or-leave-it fashion). Then I show up at the appointment and say my police record won’t be ready for another 3 weeks. They can’t tell me to F off and come back only when all files are ready 
Perhaps the folks who rushed to submit incomplete applications (E.g. with police records but no time to get them apostiled) before December 31, 2021, or before the real estate option got further cancelled in 2023, have something to worry about?
So AIMA finally replied to my email requesting renewal appointment with the following:
EJR/RENEXP/25
Exmo(a). Sr(a).:
Acusamos a receção do seu e-mail, o qual mereceu a nossa melhor atenção.
Cumpre-nos, em primeiro lugar, apresentar as nossas desculpas pelo atraso no envio de uma resposta, tendo este sido originado por uma conjugação de constrangimentos de ordem logística e um anormal fluxo de pedidos aos nossos serviços associado a uma melhor definição entre as entidades envolvidas no que se refere ao procedimento de renovação de autorização de residência.
Em reposta ao solicitado, cumpre informar que o pedido de renovação de autorização de residência pode ser formulado pelo interessado ou pelo representante legal devendo ser apresentado junto dos serviços do IRN, I. P, O agendamento do atendimento presencial nos balcões do IRN para renovação de autorização de residência segue a sistematização das AR caducadas desde agosto de 2024, por ordem cronológica das mais antigas para as mais recentes.
Os cidadãos serão contactados diretamente pelos serviços do IRN para agendar o dia e horário do atendimento num balcão da sua área de residência.
Mais informamos que os documentos e vistos relativos à permanência em território nacional, que tiverem expirado a partir de 22 de fevereiro de 2020, estão válidos até 30 de junho de 2025 e são aceites pelas autoridades públicas portuguesas, para todos os efeitos legais, nos termos do art.º 16.º, n.os 1 e 8, do Decreto-Lei n.º 10-A/2020, de 13 de março, na sua redação atual.
Queria por favor ignorar o presente e-mail se a sua questão já foi ultrapassada.
Encontramo-nos ao dispor para mais informações através dos canais:
Centro de Contacto: (+351) 217 115 000, disponível de segunda a sexta, das 08h00 às 20h00;
E-mail: geral@aima.gov.pt
Portal AIMA: Agência para a Integração Migrações e Asilo - AIMA
Any thoughts? As I clearly wrote in the email and subject that I have an ARI and not a normal RP to get an appointment for renewal at IRN.
Nothing works and no one cares. Most likely someone with no clue what they are doing is responding to as many emails as possible, not realizing or caring that there are different categories of residence permits and that IRN has not been willing to process ARI renewals in the past, as clearly stated on their website. AIMA management stated that they would filter messages with ARI in the subject line to appropriate persons but that does not seem to be the case.
It should not be that difficult for AIMA to build out a form on the AIMA website for applicants to communicate with AIMA. It could easily consolidate and manage all applicant information and make assigning appointments accurate and simple. Instead, AIMA hires people to sort through 25,000 emails a day - its an impossible task without using advanced AI.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any advice. But at least you received a response!
Seems like a Copy+Paste job by the operator. You can respond back with a justification that you are not eligible for an IRN renewal.