AIMA Won't Answer? The Phone Number (+351 217 115 000), Email and Form That Actually Get a Reply

AIMA Contact Center Phone Number

The AIMA Contact Center can be reached at (+351) 217 115 000. This is the primary phone number for all immigration-related inquiries and is available every working day from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Portuguese time. The contact center handles questions about application status, appointment scheduling, document requirements, and general immigration procedures. Calls are answered in Portuguese by default, but operators who speak English and other languages are available upon request.

The phone line handles a very high volume of calls daily, and getting through can be challenging. Wait times of 30 minutes to over an hour are common, and calls sometimes disconnect after extended holds. The contact center uses an automated menu system that routes your call based on your inquiry type. Listen to the options carefully and select the one most relevant to your situation. Having your case reference number, passport number, and NIF ready before calling speeds up the interaction once you reach an operator and helps them locate your file quickly.

Email Contact

AIMA's general email address is geral@aima.gov.pt. This can be used for general inquiries, document submission when requested by a case officer, and formal communications about your case. When emailing AIMA, include your full name as it appears on your passport, your case reference number, your NIF, and a clear description of your inquiry or the action you are requesting. Attaching relevant documents as PDF files helps AIMA process your request more efficiently.

Response times for email inquiries vary significantly, ranging from a few days to several weeks depending on the nature of the inquiry and current workload. For urgent matters, email alone may not be sufficient, and following up by phone or through the online portal is advisable. Keep copies of all emails sent to and received from AIMA, as they form part of your case record and can be used as evidence in legal proceedings if needed. Some regional offices have specific email addresses that may be more responsive than the general address for location-specific matters.

Online Portal Communication

The AIMA online portal includes a messaging system that allows you to communicate directly with case officers handling your application. Messages sent through the portal are linked to your case file, making them more effective than general email inquiries because they reach the person or team actually reviewing your documents. To use the messaging feature, log into your portal account and navigate to the Messages section.

The portal messaging system is the recommended channel for case-specific inquiries such as asking about the status of a pending decision, responding to requests for additional documents, notifying AIMA of changes in your circumstances, or requesting clarification about requirements. Messages typically receive responses within one to two weeks, though this varies. The advantage of the portal system is that all communications are time-stamped and stored with your case, creating a transparent record of your interactions with AIMA that can be valuable if disputes arise about what information was provided or requested.

In-Person Office Visits

AIMA offices throughout Portugal handle in-person inquiries, but most offices now require appointments for substantive matters. Walk-in services are limited and may only cover basic information requests or document collection. The main AIMA offices are located in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Coimbra, and other district capitals. Check the AIMA website for the address and operating hours of the office nearest your registered address.

For in-person visits, bring all relevant documents including your passport, current or expired residence permit, NIF, and any AIMA correspondence. Arriving early, especially if seeking walk-in service, improves your chances of being seen, as capacity is limited and queues can be long. Be prepared for the possibility that the office may not be able to resolve your issue on the spot and may direct you to the phone line, email, or portal for follow-up. Despite these limitations, in-person visits can be valuable for complex situations that are difficult to explain by phone or email, and face-to-face interaction sometimes yields results that remote communication does not.

AIMA Office Addresses and Direct Contacts by City

AIMA does not publish a separate phone number or email address for each regional office. There is one national contact centre number, (+351) 217 115 000, and one general email, geral@aima.gov.pt, for the entire country, plus the Contacte-nos form on the AIMA website for case-specific messages. If you have searched for "email AIMA Porto" or a direct line to the Coimbra or Faro office and found nothing, that is why — those channels do not exist. The offices themselves handle scheduled appointments and, where available, limited walk-in services; they do not take general phone or email enquiries directly. What each office does have is a physical address where your appointment takes place, and that is what the table below lists for the main AIMA locations in 2026.

Use this directory to confirm where your appointment is before you travel, and follow the city link for that office's specific opening hours, current first-appointment waiting time, and local escalation notes. If the office handling your case is far from where you live, that is usually because AIMA assigns appointments by availability rather than by proximity, which is a separate problem with its own remedy.

For a map of every location and the full list of district offices beyond those above, see the AIMA offices directory. If your appointment letter names an office that is not on this list, it is still valid — AIMA operates additional attendance points inside some Lojas de Cidadão and temporary task-force sites that are not permanent AIMA buildings.

Tips for Getting Through

To maximize your chances of reaching AIMA by phone, call early in the morning when the contact center opens at 8:00 AM or during the last hour before closing at 8:00 PM, as these tend to be less busy periods. Avoid calling on Mondays and the days following public holidays, when call volume spikes. Be patient and prepared to wait on hold. Using a headset or speakerphone allows you to continue with other activities during the wait rather than holding a phone to your ear for extended periods.

If phone and email are not producing results, try a multi-channel approach. Send an email documenting your question, then reference the email when you call to follow up, and simultaneously submit the same inquiry through the portal. This creates multiple touchpoints that increase the likelihood of a response. For cases where AIMA is completely unresponsive, the provedor de justiça (Ombudsman) accepts complaints about public services and can intervene on your behalf. Filing a complaint with the Ombudsman is free and can generate a formal inquiry into why your case has not received attention.

When to Escalate Beyond AIMA

If repeated contact attempts over a period of weeks or months produce no meaningful response and your case is stalling, escalation is appropriate. The first level of escalation is a formal complaint to AIMA's internal complaints system, which is separate from general inquiries and triggers an internal review process. If the internal complaint does not resolve the situation, you can file a complaint with the Portuguese Ombudsman (Provedor de Justiça), who has the authority to investigate and make recommendations to AIMA.

For situations where AIMA's inaction is actively harming your legal status, such as failure to schedule appointments that causes you to miss deadlines or lose legal residence, legal action through the administrative courts is the strongest remedy. As established in Article 87-B of the revised immigration law, judicial oversight of AIMA is available, and individuals have the right to urgent judicial protection when AIMA's inaction gravely compromises personal rights. An immigration lawyer can file an administrative subpoena or urgent injunction that compels AIMA to act on your case within a court-determined timeframe, and there is a one-year deadline to file once the statutory processing time is exceeded. This avenue has proven effective for many applicants who exhausted less formal escalation options without results. If you are unsure whether your case qualifies, our 2-minute eligibility check screens your situation against the criteria courts use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AIMA's phone number?
The AIMA national contact centre number is (+351) 217 115 000, open every working day from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Portuguese time. It is the single number for all immigration enquiries across the country — there is no separate line for individual regional offices. Operators default to Portuguese but can switch to English on request. Expect long holds; calling right at 8:00 AM or in the last hour before 8:00 PM gives the best chance of getting through.

What is AIMA's email address?
AIMA's general email address is geral@aima.gov.pt. For anything specific to your own case, the Contacte-nos form on the AIMA website works better, because the message is attached to your file and reaches the team reviewing it. In any email, include your full name as it appears on your passport, your case reference number and your NIF, and attach documents as PDFs.

What is AIMA's address?
AIMA has offices in most district capitals. The Lisbon office is at Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar 20, 1069-119 Lisboa, and the Porto office is at Avenida de França 316, Edifício Capitólio, 4050-276 Porto. The full list of city addresses is in the office directory table above. Always attend the office named on your appointment letter rather than the one closest to where you live, since AIMA assigns slots by availability, not location.

Is there a direct email or phone number for the Porto, Coimbra or Faro office?
No. AIMA does not publish per-office phone numbers or email addresses. Every call goes through (+351) 217 115 000 and every email through geral@aima.gov.pt or the Contacte-nos form. Searches for "email AIMA Porto" or a direct Coimbra line turn up nothing because those channels genuinely do not exist — the regional offices handle booked appointments and limited walk-ins in person only.

Why does no one answer when I call or email AIMA?
AIMA handled over one million emails and 600,000 phone calls in a single year, and the backlog means many messages go unanswered for weeks. Silence is not a decision on your case. If weeks of attempts across phone, email and the portal produce nothing and your case is stalling, escalate — first through AIMA's internal complaint, then the Provedor de Justiça, and, where your legal status is at risk, through an administrative court action that compels AIMA to act.