Portugal's immigration authority, AIMA, has launched a digital portal aimed at improving the processing of Golden Visa applications and renewals. This initiative is expected to streamline various administrative steps in the residency process, marking a significant enhancement in efficiency for applicants.
Portugal’s Golden Visa is going digital — and processing is finally improving
Friday, 6 March 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The Golden Visa (Portuguese: Autorização de Residência para Investimento) is Portugal's residence-by-investment program, created in 2012, that grants non-EU nationals a residency permit after qualifying investments such as certain real-estate purchases, capital transfers or job-creating projects. It usually provides Schengen travel rights and a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship after five years, though eligible investment types and minimum amounts have changed in recent years.
The AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo—Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) is Portugal's immigration authority responsible for managing residence permits, visa processing, asylum, and immigrant integration.
History: AIMA replaced the dissolved SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) on October 29, 2023, following a 2021 Assembly decision. SEF's dissolution was motivated by reform needs, administrative inefficiencies, and a 2020 scandal involving a Ukrainian national's death in custody. SEF's responsibilities were redistributed: security functions to PSP/GNR/PJ, and administrative immigration matters to AIMA and IRN.
Expat Interface: Expats contact AIMA for residence permit applications and renewals (D7 passive income, D8 digital nomad, Golden Visa), family reunification, asylum requests, and visa extensions. AIMA operates 34 service counters nationwide, requires complete document submission (mandatory since April 2025), and processes cases that typically take 6-18 months. The agency inherited 300,000+ pending cases from SEF, with government funding allocated to clear backlogs.
Pedro Gaspar is the president of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA). His office is responsible for migration and asylum policies, so changes or statements from him affect migrants, asylum seekers and those using integration services in Portugal.
Temporary residence is a limited residence permit that allows non‑EU nationals to live in Portugal for a set period (commonly one year, renewable) for study, work or other reasons. The Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) launching an online form means eligible students who also work can apply or regularise their status more easily through AIMA’s process rather than only via consular services.
AI Summary AvailableGolden Visa renewals move onto a new digital portalRead the synthesized summary with context and explainers
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