AIMA residence permit (autorização de residência), Portugal

AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo) is the public agency, created by Decreto-Lei 41/2023, that handles residence permits for foreign nationals in Portugal, work previously done by SEF. It runs the Lojas AIMA where you apply in person, and its fees are set by Portaria 307/2023.

For most health professionals the sequence is: job offer, residence visa from a Portuguese consulate, entry to Portugal, then an AIMA residence permit.

• Employment (article 88(1) of the immigration law): for people who entered on a residence visa for subordinate work.
• Highly qualified activity (article 90): AIMA asks for proof of qualifications and, for employees, a contract paying at least 1.5 times the national average gross salary, which it states as €2,157 a month, with lower thresholds for listed shortage professions.
• EU Blue Card: a separate regime (article 121-A onwards). See EU Blue Card.

A residence permit lets you live and work in Portugal, but practising as a doctor or nurse also needs registration and a cédula profissional.

1. Book an appointment (AIMA says an online platform for residence visa holders is being introduced) and attend any Loja AIMA with the signed form.
2. Bring a valid passport and your residence visa for subordinate work.
3. Bring a sworn declaration from your employer confirming the employment relationship.
4. Bring a declaration of your address explaining how you live there, with a land registry certificate if you own it or a landlord's declaration if you rent.
5. Bring proof of registration with the tax authority (NIF) and with social security (NISS).

The permit is refused if, among other things, you have a conviction for a crime punishable in Portugal by more than one year in prison or are subject to an entry ban.

AIMA states that a temporary residence permit for professional activity is valid for two years from the date the card is issued and can be renewed for successive periods of three years.

The AIMA fee table lists €133.00 for receiving and analysing an application for a temporary permit or a renewal, and €114.30 for granting or renewing it, with a 25% reduction for applications made through digital channels and €29.90 for delivery of the card in person. Nationals of CPLP countries except Timor-Leste are exempt from the grant and renewal fees but pay the analysis fee.

• Applying without NIF and NISS. Both are on the checklist, so register for tax and social security first.
• Weak address evidence. AIMA wants to know the legal basis for your stay at the address, not just the address.
• Waiting too long to renew. Start the renewal before the card expires and keep your contract, tax and social security records up to date, since the fee table treats a renewal as an application that is received and analysed again.
• Changing to self-employment. An employment permit holder who wants to work independently must ask AIMA to replace the residence card.