Why Fees Increased in March 2026 and By How Much
On 1 March 2026, AIMA implemented a revised fee schedule under the authority of Portaria n.º 307/2023, adjusted for inflation. The update affected nearly all immigration administrative procedures, with the largest increases — up to 33% — concentrated on the most frequently requested services: initial residence permit applications and residence permit renewals. The Portugal News reported on the revision in early March 2026, noting the increase applied to what the agency described as "the most requested administrative acts." This was the first systematic fee adjustment since AIMA replaced SEF as Portugal's immigration authority in late 2023.
The stated rationale is inflationary adjustment under the existing portaria framework: fees were set at a level in 2023 and were updated to reflect the cost of providing immigration services in 2026. Despite the size of the increase, AIMA and official sources noted that Portugal's immigration fees remain moderate compared to European Union averages. Whether that is reassuring or not depends on whether you are paying them on top of other relocation costs, but it does mean Portugal is not an outlier among EU immigration fee regimes. The 33% headline figure applies to the maximum increase on the most expensive individual procedures; not every fee went up by that margin.
The 25% Digital Discount: How to Pay Less
One of the most practically useful aspects of AIMA's 2026 fee structure is the 25% discount applied to applications submitted through digital channels rather than in person. This discount is not a promotional offer — it is built into the fee schedule as a structural incentive for digital adoption. Every major fee category has both an in-person and a digital-assisted rate, with the digital rate uniformly 25% lower. If you are submitting any AIMA application and you have the option to do so online, you should use it: the saving is automatic and material.
For renewals, AIMA has already effectively forced digital submission by routing the large majority of renewal applications through the online Renewal Portal (portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt). If your permit expiry date falls within a cohort that AIMA has opened for online renewal, your application will be submitted digitally and you will pay the digital rate. For initial residence permits and other procedures where an in-person appointment is still required, you may not have a choice — the digital option applies to procedures where online submission is available. Check aima.gov.pt for which procedures can currently be initiated digitally, as AIMA is expanding its digital offering progressively.
Fees for Initial Residence Permit Applications
An initial residence permit application at AIMA involves two distinct fee components: the reception and examination fee, which covers AIMA processing your application, and the grant fee, which covers the issuance of the permit card once approved. Both fees are charged regardless of whether the application is ultimately approved or not — the examination fee is paid when you submit, and the grant fee is paid when approval is confirmed and the card is being issued.
The current 2026 fee amounts are as follows. The reception and examination fee for an initial temporary residence permit application is €133 in person or €99.80 via digital submission. The grant fee — charged when AIMA approves the application and issues the temporary residence permit card — is €114.30 in person or €85.80 digitally. Taking both fees together, the total cost of an approved initial temporary residence permit application is approximately €247 via in-person processing or €186 via digital submission. These amounts were confirmed in the March 2026 fee update and are set under Portaria n.º 307/2023 as adjusted for inflation.
One practical note: AIMA charges the examination fee at the point of submission, regardless of outcome. If your application is rejected — because your documentation was incomplete, your visa had expired, or your circumstances did not satisfy the permit requirements — you will not receive a refund of the examination fee. The fee covers the administrative processing of your file, not the guarantee of a favourable outcome. This reinforces the importance of having complete and correct documentation before you submit. Since April 2025, AIMA also rejects incomplete files at submission without reviewing their merits, so you could theoretically pay the examination fee and have your file returned without any substantive assessment if it is missing required documents.
Fees for Renewals and Permanent Residence
Renewal fees follow the same two-component structure as initial applications but at different amounts. For a standard temporary residence permit renewal, the examination fee and the renewal card issuance fee together determine your total cost. Since most renewals now go through the online Renewal Portal, applicants will generally pay the digital rate rather than the in-person rate. The specific renewal fee amounts depend on your permit type — the fee schedule distinguishes between different categories — and AIMA's portal will display the applicable fees during the renewal submission process.
Permanent residence is priced differently and reflects its indefinite nature. Applying for a permanent residence permit under Article 80 or Article 81 of Lei 23/2007 costs €351.10 in person or €263.40 digitally for the grant fee. This is the primary fee for the issuance of your permanent residence permit card and represents a significant step up from the temporary permit grant fee. Once you hold permanent residence, however, the cost of renewing your permit card drops sharply: €61.90 in person or €46.30 digitally. This is because permanent residence cards require periodic renewal (the card itself has a validity period) but the underlying status does not expire — you are not re-applying for the status, only renewing the document that proves it. This fee differential reflects the legal reality: permanent residence is a one-time status grant followed by cheaper card renewals, rather than a recurring application.
For extension of stay — a separate category used in specific circumstances where you need to remain legally in Portugal for a limited additional period — the base processing charge is €53.40 in person or €40.10 digitally. Extensions of stay are not the same as permit renewals; they are used in defined transitional or exceptional circumstances and are not a general alternative to renewing your residence permit.
Fees for EU Blue Card and Highly Qualified Workers
The EU Blue Card — a residence permit for highly qualified workers from non-EU countries — has its own fee category at AIMA. The grant or renewal of an EU Blue Card costs €169.20 in person or €126.90 digitally. The card issuance fee (separate from the processing fee) is €160.50 in person or €120.40 digitally. Combined, a new EU Blue Card application costs approximately €330 in person or around €247 digitally. These fees are notably higher than those for a standard temporary residence permit, reflecting the separate EU legislative framework under which Blue Cards are issued and the specialist processing involved.
The EU Blue Card requires an employment contract or binding job offer for a highly qualified position with a salary above a defined threshold (currently 1.5 times the average gross annual salary in Portugal). Employers who regularly bring in highly qualified staff under Blue Cards will want to factor the current fee levels into their immigration cost planning. The digital discount applies here as to all other categories, so Blue Card applications submitted through AIMA's digital channels attract the lower rate.
What the Fees Cover and What They Do Not
Understanding exactly what AIMA's fees pay for prevents surprises during the application process. The fees described in this guide cover AIMA's own administrative costs: receiving and examining your application, issuing the permit card, and updating your immigration record. They do not cover the cost of obtaining the supporting documents that your application requires. Translation and notarisation costs, criminal record certificate fees, fiscal number registration, health insurance, proof of accommodation, and any legal fees you pay to an immigration lawyer or consultant — none of these are included in AIMA's administrative fees.
The physical residence permit card itself — once AIMA approves your application and issues it — is produced by INCM (the national printing authority) and delivered through CTT (the Portuguese postal service). The card production and delivery cost is included within the grant fee paid to AIMA; you do not pay INCM or CTT separately for the card itself. However, if your card is delivered and you miss the delivery, there may be a fee to collect it at a CTT point, and if your card is returned to sender because your registered address was incorrect, the process of reissuing or redirecting it may involve additional administrative steps with AIMA.
One category notably absent from this guide is the citizenship (naturalisation) application fee. Citizenship applications are processed by IRN (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado), not AIMA, and carry separate IRN fees. Similarly, visa fees — paid when you apply for a national visa through a Portuguese consulate in your home country — are charged by the Consulate, not by AIMA, and are governed by a separate fee schedule that varies by visa type and the country where you apply. AIMA's fees apply to the residence permit stage of the process, after you have already entered Portugal and are applying to formalise your residence status.
Frequently Asked Questions
See the Q&A panel above for answers to the most common questions, including the cost of an initial residence permit, how permanent residence fees differ, why fees increased in March 2026, and how the digital submission discount works.