Portuguese visa resources
Portugal's immigration authority: AIMA
AIMA is the national agency that handles residence permits, integration and asylum in Portugal, having replaced the former SEF.
Important
Portugal's national immigration body is AIMA - the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum). It was created by Decree-Law no. 41/2023 and began operating on 29 October 2023, taking over the administrative immigration functions previously handled by SEF.
AIMA is the authority you deal with inside Portugal once you have arrived on a residency visa: it is responsible for granting and renewing residence permits, migrant integration, travel documents for foreign nationals, and asylum. Visa issuance abroad remains with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its consular posts.
What AIMA does
- Grants and renews residence permits and residence authorisations
- Handles family reunification steps and residence cards for family members
- Decides asylum and international protection applications
- Issues travel documents to foreign citizens and runs integration programmes
- Operates in-person service points (Lojas AIMA) across the country
How to reach AIMA
- Official website: https://aima.gov.pt/en
- AIMA Contact Centre: (+351) 217 115 000, every working day 8:00–20:00
- Contact form: https://contactenos.aima.gov.pt/contact-form
- Email: geral@aima.gov.pt
Next steps
Official sources
For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always refer to the official government sources.
Verified against official sources · last reviewed 2026-08-21. Information only — not legal advice.