Latest news and stories about bureaucracy in legal in Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal for expats and residents.
Other delegates may also have been prevented from participating.
Residents in Lisbon are facing a total backlog for renewing their citizen card (Cartão de Cidadão), with no appointments currently available until 2027. The situation has created significant bureaucratic delays for those needing to update their primary identification document.
The Cartão de Cidadão (Citizen Card) is Portugal’s national identity card, introduced in 2007, used for in‑person ID and many online public services; it contains your civil identity data and supports digital authentication and signatures. It is issued to Portuguese citizens—foreign residents use a residence permit for ID—so non‑citizen expats should keep their passport and residence card for official matters.
Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro confirmed that the national immigrant integration plan is still being drafted. The announcement follows public criticism from immigrant advocates regarding the performance of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA).
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.
AIMA has established a dedicated consultation room in Lisbon for lawyers and solicitors to streamline case management, aiming to assist up to 80 professionals daily as part of a new collaborative agreement.
The measure, which is part of a broader reform to speed up administrative and tax justice, still needs to be approved by the Assembly of the Republic.
Approved by the Council of Ministers, the new entity is part of a broader reform with four pillars to relieve the administrative and tax courts.
Another deadline for the installation of the hearing room at Lisbon Airport has been missed. ANA Aeroportos confirmed a new date to DN, stating that the contract for the permanent facilities has been awarded, with completion expected in the second half of this year. Previous forecasts had suggested completion by the summer of 2026. Temporary facilities have been available since June 1st while work on the permanent ones continues. The delay is attributed to the division of responsibilities between entities and bureaucratic procedures. The room is intended for judicial hearings for immigrants denied entry, aiming to function as an extension of the Lisbon court to process cases before individuals are deported.
The PSP thanked all citizens for their understanding and reaffirmed its commitment to safety and proximity to the communities.
The Minister Assistant and for State Reform once again criticised the bureaucracy that characterises the Public Administration. At the .IA Conference, held by ECO this Tuesday at the Belém Cultural Centre (CCB), Gonçalo Matias complained about the delay in a simple kiosk purchase process, stating he hopes that the gradual introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in...
The Lisbon Regional Council has requested an urgent audience with the President of the Republic to ask him to request that the Constitutional Court review the standards approved in the Code of Criminal Procedure on June 12.
The Union of Court Officials complained today about hearing rooms with temperatures exceeding 40ºC, trials being postponed due to the heat, and the Lisbon Palace of Justice lacking drinking water, a situation affecting the entire country.
Lawyers no longer need to wake up at dawn to queue at the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) in Anjos, Lisbon. Professionals now have access to two exclusive service desks throughout the unit's operating hours. The service is intended for professionals, including solicitors, who need information on ongoing immigrant cases, such as checking the status of applications, as communication via phone and email is often ineffective. The measure follows a protocol signed between AIMA and the Bar Association (OA), with the new service model beginning on June 18. Previously, lawyers had access to a limited number of tickets distributed only during the first two hours of the day, which would run out in minutes. Service remains on a first-come, first-served basis, but is now available all day, with each professional allowed to consult up to three cases. For now, the AIMA office in Anjos is the only one offering this service, addressing a long-standing request from legal professionals, many of whom are Brazilian.
The economy remains low in productivity, argues Miranda Sarmento, while simultaneously highlighting its attractiveness to investors, namely the French.
Queues have returned to the doors of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum services in Anjos, Lisbon. Dozens of people have been outside AIMA since the early hours of the morning.
According to the Union of Registry and Notary Workers, most registry offices closed in mainland Portugal. Also, in the World Cup, Canada drew against Bosnia.
At least 20 midwives were denied entry visas to Portugal for an international conference held in Lisbon.
The Portuguese government has denied entry visas to a group of midwives who were scheduled to participate in an international conference held in Lisbon.
Without Portuguese nationality, the three boys, aged 11, 13, and 15, are prevented from representing Portugal in the sports they compete in: handball, swimming, and karate. The IRN has not commented.
Workers from the registry and notary offices began a week-long strike this Monday against the critical situation in the sector.
Four offices of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) will be open on Saturdays this month to distribute residence cards returned by the postal service. Immigrants with pending documents will be notified via email. The measure aims to manage a backlog of approximately 10,000 documents without disrupting regular weekday appointments. Participating locations include António Augusto Aguiar in Lisbon, as well as offices in Porto, Vila Real, and Braga, with specific schedules varying by location. Recipients must wait for an email notification before attending, and a fee of 29 euros applies.
Administrative and Tax Courts cite a context of “heavy procedural pressure,” with an exponential growth in filings and priority given to urgent cases such as those against AIMA.
At issue is the fact that, since last year, the annual rotation includes positions that allow Public Prosecution magistrates to perform duties in several departments simultaneously.
At the DCIAP, management is worse than at the local grocery store. With prehistoric computers and shared folders, it takes three years to open an email. Apparently, justice is not blind, it is just really slow.
At the end of 2024, the DCIAP still lacked regulations and was not using the Citius system to process cases. The delays are sometimes absurd: evidence that took five months to travel from Madeira to Lisbon, three years to digitise documents, and two years to obtain laboratory results.
The Public Prosecution Service (MP) is operating in a state of “structural breakdown,” with a shortage of 160 prosecutors across the country, mostly in the first instance courts, thousands of cases assigned to each magistrate, and stalled proceedings, according to a union survey released today.
An inspection report on the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action at the end of 2024 concluded that the Public Prosecution Service's largest investigation unit lacks internal regulations and is the only department not using the Citius system to process cases, contributing to systematic management failures. The scenario described is one of lack of control, with missed deadlines occurring regularly.
Home News AIMA overnight queues led to police intervention in Lisbon AIMA overnight queues led to police intervention in Lisbon The AIMA agency in Anjos, Lisbon, was the scene of tense moments on 7 April in the morning, requiring police intervention to control the disorder caused by hundreds of i
Attempts to jump the queue and the large turnout at AIMA in Anjos led the PSP to request police reinforcements as a preventive measure to contain tensions and ensure order among hundreds of people.
