Relief for Migrants as Portugal Prolongs Residence Permits Until 2026

Foreign residents in Portugal woke up this week to welcome news: the inevitable wait for a new residence card will no longer leave them in bureaucratic limbo. A fresh government decree means documents that should have expired long ago stay alive for several more months, giving families, employers and public services some desperately needed breathing room while the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) catches up with a record backlog.

What changes today

AIMA confirmed that every residence card due to lapse between 22 February 2020 and 30 June 2025 now remains valid until 15 April 2026. Those whose permits run out on 1 July 2025 or later will see an automatic six-month extension counted from the original expiry date. The measure applies nationwide and safeguards legal stay, social benefits and labour rights for roughly 400,000 migrants who might otherwise fall out of status. While the old cut-off was 15 October 2025, the new deadline buys authorities almost another year to replace the physical cards.

Why the extension became inevitable

The move is a tacit admission that the transition from SEF to AIMA, a reform launched in late 2023, created processing delays no one in government foresaw. AIMA inherited about 400,000 pending files, most tied to the now-abolished "manifestação de interesse" channel. A dedicated Estrutura de Missão was set up in July 2024 and later prolonged to December 2025, yet the queue has remained stubborn. Although AIMA boasts of issuing 386,463 new permits by 22 October 2025—a 60% jump on the previous year—the sheer volume meant many renewal requests never even reached a desk before their documents died on paper.

How to prove you are legal meanwhile

Holders must carry two items whenever they deal with police, banks or town halls: the expired card and the QR-coded receipt downloaded from the official portal showing that a renewal request was lodged and the fee paid. The receipt is valid for 180 days at a time and can be reissued if the process drags on. Officials stress that both pieces of paper together equal a current permit inside Portugal, even if foreigners report that frontline staff still refuse them. The government has been hanging explanatory posters in health centres and Social Security offices to minimise misunderstandings.

Persistent bottlenecks inside AIMA

Despite new online portals, extra kiosks and the recruitment of 300 additional workers, appointment slots for biometric data remain scarce, especially around Lisbon and Faro. From 28 April 2025 AIMA began rejecting incomplete applications outright, arguing that missing documents were clogging the system. Lawyers welcome the clarity but warn the rule may backfire if clients cannot obtain criminal-record certificates from their home country quickly. Meanwhile, the new Foreigners Law stretched the timeframe for family reunification decisions from 90 to 270 days, signalling that queues are expected to stay long for much of 2026.

What it means for work, healthcare and travel

On Portuguese soil the decree guarantees uninterrupted access to the NHS, tax services and the IEFP employment office. Still, migrant associations say everyday practice is messier: banks, universities and private employers sometimes refuse an out-of-date plastic card even when shown the QR code. Crossing borders is even trickier. The extension serves only inside Portugal; Schengen guards abroad can—and often do—bar travellers if their physical card is expired. Immigration lawyers therefore advise clients to postpone non-essential trips or apply for valid national passports and visas before leaving the country.

Roadmap to a normalised system

AIMA and the Estrutura de Missão claim that a blend of new software, streamlined checklists and ongoing hires will erase the legacy backlog by the end of 2025, setting the stage for a routine one-month turnaround in 2026. Success will depend on whether cash reaches AIMA fast enough to upgrade ageing databases and whether municipal registry desks can be roped in to collect fingerprints. For now, expatriates should stay glued to the agency’s email alerts, keep personal data updated on the portal and retain every receipt. The extra months bought by this extension will only matter if the promised reforms at last deliver the efficient, predictable system Portugal’s growing immigrant community has been asking for.