As of October 2026, most residence permit renewals in Portugal are handled online through AIMA’s Portal de Renovações. Applicants need to create or recover their online account, pass the required administrative checks, pay the renewal fees and submit the requested documents before AIMA can analyse the application.
For foreigners living in Portugal, the biggest practical issues are often not the renewal itself but access to the AIMA portal, outdated email or address information, tax and Social Security compliance, and having the correct documents ready.
Who can use the AIMA renewal portal?
The current AIMA system covers residence permits whose validity expired or expires from 1 July 2025 onward, with availability being expanded progressively by expiry period. AIMA’s latest published information states that the Portal de Renovações is available for permits expired or expiring from 1 July 2025 to 31 October 2026.
The portal is:
Important: residence permits that expired between 22 February 2020 and 30 June 2025 follow a different process through the AIMA services platform/Structure of Mission procedure and should not simply be treated as normal 2026 portal renewals.
Step 1: Check whether your renewal period is open
Before creating an account, check whether AIMA has opened the portal for the month in which your residence permit expires.
AIMA has been expanding access progressively rather than opening every expiry date simultaneously. The Portuguese Bar Association’s AIMA information channel, for example, reported successive expansions during 2026, including March, April, July, August, and later September and October expiry periods.
If your expiry month is not yet covered, the portal may not allow you to proceed even if your card is close to expiring.
Step 2: Create your account on the AIMA renewal portal
If you have never used the Portal de Renovações, select “Criar Conta”.
AIMA’s current registration procedure requires:
- A new or preferred email address
- Residence Permit Number (TR)
- NIF
- Date of birth
The current process is therefore different from the idea that you must already have an old email linked to your residence card before you can create an account. AIMA’s updated instructions specifically say that applicants can enter a new email of their choice when creating the account.
This is an important change for foreigners who have never previously registered an email with AIMA.
Step 3: What if your old AIMA email is no longer accessible?
If an old email address is associated with your AIMA records and you can no longer access it, do not create multiple accounts or repeatedly submit requests.
Instead, use the AIMA Contact Form and select the option relating to the Portal de Renovações and the relevant email correction/alteration request. AIMA also provides separate options for updating other personal information such as NIF, NISS and address.
After AIMA updates the information, you can use the updated email to access the renewal process.
Step 4: What if your address has changed?
This is one of the most important points for anyone expecting a new residence card by post.
AIMA specifically allows applicants to communicate or correct their address through the Contact Form:
- Tipo de Assunto: Portal das Renovações
- Subtipo: Comunicar/retificar Morada
AIMA says that, after the request is submitted with the required documentation, the address should be updated within a maximum of two business days.
Therefore, applicants should not rely on an old address simply because it appears on their previous residence card.
If you have recently moved, update your address with AIMA before completing the renewal process where possible, and make sure your address information is also correct with the relevant Portuguese authorities.
The Portuguese Bar Association’s AIMA information channel has also reminded foreign residents to keep their addresses and contact details updated with AIMA, Segurança Social and the Autoridade Tributária.
Step 5: Recover your account if you already registered
If you previously accessed the Portal de Renovações but cannot remember your password, use the password recovery option.
If the email currently associated with the account has already been corrected by AIMA, the password-reset process should use the updated email address.
Do not repeatedly create new accounts if an existing registration already corresponds to your residence-title information.
Step 6: Start the residence permit renewal
Once you can access the portal, select the option for residence permit renewal and enter the requested information.
AIMA’s current online process is designed to perform the necessary validations before the application proceeds. The applicant should carefully check the information displayed by the system before submitting the request.
Step 7: Make sure your tax and Social Security situation is regular
This is one of the most important checks in the renewal process.
Portuguese immigration law requires applicants for renewal of a temporary residence permit to have, among other conditions, sufficient means of subsistence, accommodation, and compliance with tax and Social Security obligations.
The government guidance also lists proof of:
- Regularised tax situation, where applicable
- Regularised Social Security situation, where applicable
as part of the renewal documentation.
In practical terms, applicants should check their situation with Autoridade Tributária and Segurança Social before submitting the renewal.
If the system identifies a problem with the applicant’s fiscal or contributory situation, the renewal may not proceed until the issue is resolved.
Step 8: Pay the renewal fee
After the renewal request and the necessary system validations, AIMA issues the payment information for the applicable fees.
AIMA states that the payment document is issued after the required validations and that the payment must be made within the period specified by the system. Its initial portal instructions stated that payment could be made only within 24 hours after issuance of the payment guides.
Because fees can vary according to the type of residence permit and applicable tariff, applicants should rely on the amount generated by the official AIMA system rather than an old fee amount found online.
Step 9: Upload the required documents
After the payment stage, the application moves into the document and analysis phase.
The exact documents can vary according to the type of residence permit, but the government identifies several core documents for residence renewal.
Applicants should be prepared to provide:
- Current or recently expired residence permit
- Valid passport or travel document
- Proof of means of subsistence
- Proof of accommodation
- Proof of regularised tax situation, where applicable
- Proof of regularised Social Security situation, where applicable
The official government guidance specifically gives examples of means-of-subsistence evidence such as an employment contract, salary receipts, IRS documentation and green receipts, depending on the applicant’s circumstances.
If you work for an employer
Depending on your circumstances, useful supporting documents can include:
- Employment contract
- Recent payslips
- IRS documentation
- Other evidence requested by the portal
If you are self-employed
Self-employed applicants should be prepared to demonstrate their professional activity and income through the relevant atividade independente documentation, invoices/green receipts and other financial evidence requested for their case.
Do not assume that one identical document list applies to every residence-permit category.
Step 10: Prepare proof of accommodation
Proof of accommodation is another important requirement.
The government lists documents such as:
- Rental contract and recent rent receipt
- Property documentation
- Other acceptable proof of accommodation
as examples of evidence that may be used.
If you have moved recently, it is particularly important to ensure that the address recorded with AIMA is correct before the renewal is completed.
Step 11: Submit the application and wait for AIMA’s analysis
Once the required information, payment and documentation have been completed, AIMA analyses the renewal request.
AIMA has stated that the process can involve checks relating to criminal records, security measures, means of subsistence and other legal requirements.
Most of the process is intended to take place digitally.
However, online processing does not necessarily mean that every applicant will avoid an appointment.
Step 12: You may still be called for biometrics
If AIMA determines that new biometric information is required, the applicant can receive an appointment for an in-person visit.
AIMA says that when biometric collection is necessary, the agency will schedule the applicant and provide the date, time and location. The appointment is intended for biometric collection, while the remainder of the process remains digital.
This means applicants should not assume that everyone needs to visit an AIMA office — but they should also not ignore an official appointment notification.
What happens after payment?
Once the applicable renewal fee has been paid, AIMA’s procedure provides for the issuance of a receipt confirming the renewal request.
AIMA announced that, following payment, the renewal receipt is issued and the application enters the analysis stage.
Under the legal framework introduced in 2025, the proof of payment/request for renewal has particular importance for residence-document validity after the previous temporary extension system ended. The relevant decree-law provides for the renewal application payment document issued by AIMA to have a 180-day validity period.
AIMA subsequently confirmed that the previous automatic extensions were ending and that applicants who initiate the renewal process receive proof with a 180-day validity.
Do not confuse the two AIMA renewal systems
This is one of the most important things to understand in 2026.
Residence permits expired from 1 July 2025 onward
Use the:
Portal de Renovações
AIMA says this portal covers residence permits expired or expiring from 1 July 2025, subject to the currently opened expiry periods.
Residence permits expired up to 30 June 2025
These older cases have been handled through the AIMA services/Structure of Mission process, rather than simply through the current standard renewal portal.
AIMA specifically states that the services procedure applies to residence permits expired between 22 February 2020 and 30 June 2025, while permits expiring from 1 July 2025 onward are handled through the Portal de Renovações.
This distinction is crucial because using the wrong route can create unnecessary confusion.
What about CPLP residence permits?
CPLP renewals have historically followed their own procedure.
AIMA’s information on the older services platform explicitly states that the standard older renewal service did not cover CPLP residence-permit renewals and that CPLP renewals followed a separate procedure.
Therefore, CPLP holders should follow the specific CPLP renewal option shown by AIMA, rather than automatically assuming that the ordinary residence-permit workflow applies to them.
Common mistakes that can delay a renewal
Several problems can make an otherwise straightforward renewal more difficult:
- Using an old or inaccessible email address
- Having an outdated address registered with AIMA
- Having unresolved tax or Social Security obligations
- Uploading incomplete or unclear documents
- Using the wrong renewal platform
- Waiting until the last moment to prepare documents
- Ignoring AIMA emails, including the spam/junk folder
- Assuming that an online renewal never requires biometric attendance
AIMA has specifically advised applicants waiting for residence cards to check their email, including the spam folder, because official communications and notifications may be sent electronically.
The bottom line for foreigners renewing residence in Portugal in 2026
The Portuguese residence-renewal system is now substantially more digital than the old appointment-based process.
For most applicants covered by the current system, the practical sequence is:
Check your expiry period → create or recover your AIMA account → correct your email/address if necessary → check tax and Social Security compliance → submit the renewal → pay the fee → upload the required documents → monitor the portal/email → attend biometrics only if AIMA requests it.
The most important thing is to use the official AIMA portal and current instructions, because the renewal process has changed considerably since 2025 and the system continues to be expanded and updated.
4 things to do before renewing
- Check your expiry month and confirm that AIMA has opened the Portal de Renovações for your permit.
- Check your AIMA email and address and correct them through the official Contact Form if necessary.
- Resolve any tax or Social Security issues before submitting the renewal.
- Prepare your passport, residence card, income/means-of-subsistence and accommodation documents before starting the online application.
Official sources: AIMA, gov.pt and Diário da República. The renewal requirements and legal conditions can vary according to the type of residence permit, so applicants should always follow the documents and instructions displayed for their specific case on the official AIMA platform.
Bikrant Niure is an immigration analyst and writer, and the founder of PortuGuide and Citizhub—a specialized app tracking Portuguese nationality applications. Based in Portugal since 2018, he translates complex AIMA regulations, visa frameworks, and legal updates into actionable guides for the expat community.