What the wording tells you, how to check your case on AIMA’s official channels and what to do while you wait. We link to AIMA’s own pages and do not quote waiting times.
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Short answer
‘Waiting for decision’ is a status label. In plain terms it means AIMA has your file and has not yet recorded a decision. It does not give you an appointment date, a deadline or a promise.
We could not find an AIMA page that defines this wording, so we do not claim a precise meaning for it. We point you to the channels AIMA itself publishes.
Still waiting for the appointment itself? Our guide to the AIMA appointment in Portugal covers how appointments are scheduled, what to bring and what happens at the biometric appointment.
When an applicant sees ‘waiting for decision’ next to a file, the natural reading is that AIMA has the application and a decision is still to come. We use it as a status label only. It does not tell you the date of an appointment, whether your documents are complete or how long AIMA will take.
Because we could not tie the wording to a definition on an AIMA page, we do not translate every status message into a stage or a timeline. Your own notice is the reliable source for your file. The pillar guide lists the portal messages that AIMA does explain on its official pages.
AIMA has announced scheduled maintenance windows for its contact form, for example 2 to 3 October 2026. If the form does not load, try again later before you assume something is wrong with your file.
In a notice dated 27 February 2026, AIMA said applicants do not have to go to an AIMA store to hand in missing documents for residence permit cases started with AIMA. They can do it online through the contact form, using the process number from the receipt, and attach scanned copies of the documents named in the notification. AIMA also set file limits: up to 10 MB per file and between 3 and 5 files per submission.
AIMA added that this route does not apply to cases handled through the Portal de Renovações or the services.aima.gov.pt platform. Those cases follow the instructions on their own platform. AIMA has also said that documents signed digitally are accepted when they are legally valid for the procedure (AIMA notice of 11 May 2026).
AIMA said on 15 October 2025, in a notice on renewals, that when a renewal request is registered and the fees are paid, a receipt valid for 180 days is issued, and that residence permits whose validity has expired stop being valid if the holder has not started the renewal. AIMA said on 17 October 2025, in a separate clarification, that the right of residence continues until six months after the card’s expiry date, citing article 63(14) of Decreto Regulamentar n.º 84/2007, and that people who have started a renewal should carry the expired card together with the renewal receipt. Both statements are dated, and AIMA may have changed its position since.
Read the current text on aima.gov.pt for your situation. This is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
AIMA describes how to change your address in a notice of 20 January 2026: use the contact form, choose the Portal das Renovações subject and the ‘Comunicar/retificar Morada’ subtype, give the new data and attach the required documents. AIMA says it then updates the record within two working days. That note is written for the Portal das Renovações, so check with AIMA which route fits a case filed elsewhere.
AIMA has warned about a website that copies its look and presents itself as an official platform (AIMA alert of 5 March 2026). AIMA’s advice is to use only its official sites and to enter no personal or bank details and make no payments on unofficial ones. Type the address yourself and check that it ends in aima.gov.pt.
We read your AIMA notice and your dates and we reply by email. We cannot tell you whether a legal deadline has passed in your case or how long AIMA will take. This is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
Send us your question
We read the notice you received and the dates in your file, and we reply by email. We do not quote waiting times and we do not promise outcomes. Send your question.
Your years with an AIMA residence permit are the base for naturalisation later. Under Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 (in force 19 May 2026), you need seven years of legal residence if you are an EU or Portuguese-speaking-country national and ten years otherwise, and for applications filed since that date the time spent waiting for AIMA to decide on a permit no longer counts on its own (Diário da República). Keep every AIMA receipt and card. See our citizenship requirements guide and the checks to make if the AIMA email never arrives.
FAQ
Short, plain answers based on AIMA’s own pages. For your own case, send us your question.
It usually means AIMA has your application and has not yet recorded a decision. It is not an appointment date and not a deadline. We could not find an AIMA page that defines this wording, so check your AIMA notice and the AIMA channel you used.
AIMA’s contact form lists a subject called ‘Consulta e acompanhamento do processo’ (case lookup and follow-up). AIMA also runs separate platforms, such as the Portal de Renovações and services.aima.gov.pt, so use the one where you applied.
Only if AIMA asked for them. AIMA says missing documents for residence permit cases started with AIMA go through its contact form, using the process number from your receipt. Cases handled through the Portal de Renovações or services.aima.gov.pt use those platforms instead.
No. The label is not a refusal. A refusal would come in a notice from AIMA. Read every notice you receive in full.
More on AIMA
Each guide links to AIMA’s official pages. None of them quotes waiting times.
How to book, what to bring and what happens at the biometric appointment.
Read the guide →What to check and which official channels to use.
Read the guide →Initial applications, renewals, permanent residence and AIMA appointments.
Read the guide →The step-by-step process for the long-stay visas, before AIMA.
Read the guide →