What AIMA Announced on April 2, 2026
On April 2, 2026, AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo) confirmed that residence permits that expired between February 2020 and June 30, 2025 would retain their legal validity until April 15, 2026. The announcement arrived amid a period of acute operational pressure on AIMA's physical service centers: on April 1, AIMA's Porto office unexpectedly closed, leaving approximately sixty migrants without access to services and prompting police deployment to manage the crowds. In Lisbon, additional police reinforcements were called to manage overcrowding at AIMA's main offices. Against this backdrop, the April 2 announcement was intended to clarify the legal status of a large cohort of permit holders caught between expired documents and unprocessed renewal cases.
The extension covers what are commonly referred to as the COVID-era automatic validity extensions — permits whose validity was prolonged by successive government measures from 2020 onward, first to address pandemic-related disruptions and then to manage the transition from SEF to AIMA and the accumulated processing backlog. The April 2 announcement is the final administrative act in that sequence: April 15, 2026 is the hard cutoff beyond which the automatic extension framework no longer applies. AIMA simultaneously announced that new renewal certificates issued going forward carry a 60-day validity period, replacing the open-ended extension documents that had been circulating for the past several years. This represents a structural change in how AIMA manages interim legal status for applicants awaiting a final decision on their renewal cases.
Which Permits Are Covered by the Extension
The extension specifically covers residence permits with expiry dates falling between February 2020 and June 30, 2025. This is the precise window during which automatic validity extensions were issued under the exceptional measures framework. If your permit shows an expiry date within this range — for example, a permit that expired in June 2021, November 2022, or April 2024 — it is covered by the April 2, 2026 announcement and retains legal validity in Portugal until April 15, 2026.
Permits that expired before February 2020 or after June 30, 2025 are not covered by this specific announcement. Holders of permits that expired after June 30, 2025 should have already addressed their status through the renewal process introduced when automatic extensions were formally wound down in 2025. For background on that earlier transition, see the post on automatic extensions ending and the detailed explanation of the grace period rules for expired permits. If your permit falls outside the February 2020 to June 2025 window and you have not yet renewed it, your situation requires immediate legal assessment separate from this deadline.
The April 15 Deadline: What Happens After
April 15, 2026 is a hard cutoff. After that date, permits within the covered expiry window — February 2020 to June 30, 2025 — will no longer carry automatic legal validity as a matter of Portuguese administrative law. This means that if your permit falls into this category and you do not have a current AIMA renewal certificate confirming a pending renewal application, you will be in an irregular status starting April 16, 2026.
The legal consequences of irregular status in Portugal are concrete and immediately damaging. They include: the inability to demonstrate legal residence to employers, landlords, public health centers, and social services; complications when renewing work contracts or accessing formal employment; difficulty crossing Schengen internal borders without a valid residence document; and in the most serious cases, exposure to enforcement action by UNEF (the Foreigners and Borders Unit of the PSP), which has been increasingly active in 2026. Portugal's immigration enforcement posture has hardened significantly this year — the government has issued departure notices to thousands of residents found to be in irregular status, with plans to expand enforcement substantially in the months ahead. Being caught without documentation after April 15 is no longer a low-risk situation.
The 60-Day Renewal Certificate Explained
For cases already in AIMA's system — meaning a renewal application has been submitted and accepted — AIMA issues a renewal certificate (comprovativo de renovação) confirming that the application is pending and that the holder retains legal residence status while it is processed. Under the new structure announced in April 2026, these certificates carry a 60-day validity period from the date of issue. When the certificate expires, it must be renewed again through AIMA if the underlying case has not yet produced a final decision. This replaces the open-ended, undated extension documents that were issued during the COVID-era backlog and which created widespread confusion about their ongoing validity.
The 60-day certificate is the document you should carry as proof of legal status between the expiry of your permit and the issuance of your new permit card. It must be presented alongside the expired physical permit card — the two documents together constitute proof of a regular legal situation under Portuguese administrative law. AIMA's QR code authentication system can verify the certificate's validity; the process is explained in the post on AIMA QR code proof of renewal. Employers, landlords, banks, and public services that request proof of legal residence should accept this combination. If you have not yet submitted a renewal application, you cannot receive a renewal certificate — submission is the precondition. For a full breakdown of the renewal application process, see the AIMA permit renewal guide for 2026.
Traveling During the Extension Period
A Portuguese residence permit functions as a de facto Schengen visa for the purposes of crossing internal Schengen borders, but only when it is valid at the time of travel. The extended validity through April 15 means that Schengen travel should remain theoretically possible for covered permit holders before that date, provided they also carry the AIMA renewal certificate confirming a pending application. Portuguese law and AIMA's administrative extension treat the expired permit as still legally valid — that is Portugal's domestic legal position. The practical complication is international recognition.
At external Schengen borders — including international airports — border officials of other Schengen member states are not bound by Portuguese administrative extension decisions. A German or French border officer is not obligated to recognize an expired Portuguese residence permit, even one covered by AIMA's domestic extension, as equivalent to a valid permit for Schengen entry purposes. This creates real travel risk for holders of expired permits in the covered window. Immigration lawyers generally advise against any international travel outside Portugal until the formal renewal permit card has been issued. If travel cannot be avoided, carry certified copies of AIMA's April 2, 2026 extension announcement, your renewal certificate, and your original expired permit card, and consult an immigration lawyer before departing. Airport-specific experiences at Portuguese international airports — Lisbon, Porto, and Faro — vary depending on the destination and airline check-in staff familiarity with Portuguese administrative extensions.
Urgent Steps to Take Before April 15
With seven days remaining before the April 15 deadline, the required actions depend on your current situation. Start by confirming that your permit's expiry date falls within the February 2020 to June 30, 2025 window. If it does, the next question is whether you have already submitted a renewal application to AIMA. You can verify the current status of any submitted application through the AIMA online portal — the AIMA status check guide explains how to navigate the system. If a renewal application is already on file and in an accepted status, request an updated 60-day renewal certificate before April 15 if your current certificate is expiring around that date.
If you have not yet submitted a renewal application, submit one immediately — but only if you have a complete document set ready. Under AIMA's complete-application rule, applications missing any required document are rejected outright at submission, which would leave you without a pending case and therefore ineligible for a renewal certificate. If you cannot secure a standard AIMA appointment through the online portal within the next seven days — given current wait times of six to twelve months, this is almost certain — contact an immigration lawyer today about filing an administrative subpoena (intimação para prestação de informações) that compels AIMA to process your case on an urgent basis. Courts have consistently granted these applications in cases of urgent irregular status risk, typically resulting in an emergency appointment within a matter of weeks. The post on AIMA administrative subpoenas explains how this procedure works and what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
My permit expired in March 2023. Am I covered by the April 15 extension?
Yes. AIMA confirmed on April 2, 2026 that permits with expiry dates between February 2020 and June 30, 2025 retain legal validity until April 15, 2026. A permit expiring in March 2023 falls within this window and is covered. After April 15, that permit loses its legal validity unless you have a current AIMA renewal certificate confirming a pending renewal application.
I have not submitted a renewal application yet. Can I still apply before April 15?
You can submit a renewal application, but only if you have a complete document set ready. AIMA rejects incomplete applications outright under the complete-application rule, which means a rejected submission does not put a pending case on file and will not entitle you to a renewal certificate. If you cannot gather your full documents and secure an appointment within seven days — which the current system makes extremely difficult — contact an immigration lawyer immediately about emergency procedural options.
What is the 60-day renewal certificate and how do I obtain one?
The 60-day renewal certificate (comprovativo de renovação) is issued by AIMA once you have a submitted and accepted renewal application on file. It confirms that you have legal residence status in Portugal pending the outcome of your renewal case. It can be requested through the AIMA online portal or at AIMA service centers. The certificate replaces the open-ended extension documents issued during the COVID-era backlog and carries a fixed 60-day validity from the issue date.
Can I travel within the Schengen area using my expired permit and the AIMA renewal certificate?
Within Portugal, the administrative extension means your permit is legally valid until April 15. For Schengen travel, you should carry both the expired permit card and the AIMA renewal certificate, but border officers in other Schengen countries are not obligated to recognize Portuguese administrative extensions. Non-Schengen travel carries greater risk. If international travel before April 15 is unavoidable, consult an immigration lawyer and carry certified documentation of the AIMA extension announcement alongside your renewal certificate.
What happens if my 60-day renewal certificate expires before AIMA decides my case?
You must request a new renewal certificate before the 60-day period expires. Certificates can be renewed through the AIMA portal as long as your underlying case remains pending. If AIMA refuses to issue a new certificate despite a pending application, you may have grounds for urgent judicial protection (providência cautelar) in the administrative courts. An immigration lawyer can file this within days when a processing refusal is involved. For more detail on legal actions against AIMA, see the post on urgent judicial protection against AIMA.