The Two Portals: What They Are and Who They Serve
AIMA runs two separate online systems in 2026, and they are not interchangeable. The Portal das Renovações at portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt launched in July 2025 to handle residence permit renewals on a rolling monthly cohort basis. The Services Portal at services.aima.gov.pt is the earlier platform, dating from the AIMA transition from SEF, which handles first-time applications, older cases in the backlog pipeline, and the contactenos contact form. Your case belongs in exactly one of these systems, determined by your permit type, permit expiry date, and whether you have already received communication from AIMA about your case.
The confusion arises because both portals look official, both are operated by AIMA, and the distinction between them is not explained clearly anywhere on the AIMA website. Many applicants spend hours trying to log in to the wrong portal, or successfully log in and begin a process that turns out to be the wrong channel for their case. The jobbatical.com guide on the 2026 renewal system notes directly that "portal confusion persists: two separate AIMA portals exist" and that mixing them up is a documented source of delays. This guide is designed to eliminate that confusion.
Portal das Renovações (portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt)
The Portal das Renovações is AIMA's dedicated renewal system, designed from the ground up for online document submission, fee payment, and case tracking without an in-person appointment (unless biometrics are needed). It operates on a monthly cohort rollout: AIMA opens each group of expiry months in sequence, typically a few months before the permits in that cohort expire. The rollout schedule means you cannot necessarily access the portal for your renewal the moment you decide you want to renew — you must wait until AIMA opens your cohort.
As of July 2026, the Portal das Renovações is open for residence permits expiring from July 1, 2025 through October 31, 2026, and for Residence Permits for Investment (ARI/Golden Visa) with validity expired from February 22, 2020. It also handles permanent residence applications for EU nationals (Article 16 certificates) and for third-country-national family members of EU nationals (Article 17 cards) from July 1, 2026. AIMA's stated plan is to continue rolling the portal forward monthly. If your permit expires in November or December 2026, check portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt in August or September for the opening of your cohort.
The process on the Portal das Renovações follows a specific sequence: create an account or log in with existing credentials; select your permit type and expiry cohort; complete the online application form; upload required documents as PDFs; generate and pay the DUC (Documento Único de Cobrança — the official payment slip); and wait for AIMA to notify you if biometrics are needed or when the renewal is processed. One documented issue: payment is only possible 24 hours after the DUC is generated. Many applicants attempt to pay immediately after generating the DUC and encounter an error — this is expected, not a technical fault. Return the next day to complete the payment.
From July 1, 2026, the Portal das Renovações expanded to cover an additional scenario that previously went through the Contact Form: EU nationals applying for permanent residence certificates and EU-national family members (including third-country-national family members) applying for Article 17 permanent residence cards. If you are an EU citizen who has lived in Portugal for 5 years and wants a permanent residence certificate, you now apply at portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt, not through a contactenos form or in-person appointment. The Contact Form is no longer the submission channel for these documents.
Services Portal (services.aima.gov.pt)
services.aima.gov.pt is the original AIMA online platform that absorbed SEF's digital services when AIMA replaced SEF. It handles first-time permit applications — initial applications for a residence permit after arriving in Portugal on a national visa, for example — and cases that were initiated before the Portal das Renovações existed. If your permit expired before July 1, 2025 and was still being processed when the Portal das Renovações launched, your case remained in the services.aima.gov.pt system.
The services portal also houses the contactenos form — the primary non-phone contact channel for AIMA — at contactenos.aima.gov.pt. This form is where you submit questions, document upload requests, complaints, and follow-up enquiries about cases in either system. The contactenos form is accessible regardless of which portal your application is in; it functions as AIMA's universal inbox for written communication.
For applicants with cases in the services.aima.gov.pt system — primarily those who entered the queue before July 2025 or who have first-time permit applications — AIMA typically initiates contact by email with login credentials before the applicant needs to do anything. The services portal is designed to respond to AIMA-triggered actions (an email asking you to upload additional documents, or a notification that biometrics have been scheduled), rather than for applicants to self-initiate processes.
The Mission Structure cases — the nearly one million backlog cases inherited by AIMA from the pre-2024 period — were also handled through the services.aima.gov.pt system. The Mission Structure formally closed on December 31, 2025, leaving approximately 30,000 complex cases still pending. These cases, which require individual analysis or applicant contact, continue to be processed through the services system. If your case is among the 30,000 still pending from the Mission Structure, any updates will come via services.aima.gov.pt or through contactenos.
Decision Tree: Which Portal Is Yours
Work through these questions in order to identify the right portal for your situation.
Question 1: Does your residence permit expire on or after July 1, 2025?If YES, and AIMA has opened your expiry cohort on the Portal das Renovações, go to portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt to renew. If your cohort has not yet opened, check portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt in the weeks before your permit expires — AIMA typically opens each cohort 2-3 months in advance. If NO (your permit expired before July 1, 2025), continue to Question 2.
Question 2 (for permits expired before July 1, 2025): Have you received an AIMA email with services.aima.gov.pt credentials?If YES, log in to services.aima.gov.pt using those credentials and follow the instructions in the email. If NO, your case may not yet have been picked up by AIMA's processing queue. Use the contactenos form at contactenos.aima.gov.pt to enquire about your case and request an update on when your case will be reached.
Question 3 (for first-time applications after arriving on a national visa): Which system did the consulate or AIMA use when issuing your visa?First-time permit applications after entry on a national visa go through services.aima.gov.pt, where AIMA will initiate contact once your case is ready to progress. Do not attempt to self-initiate a first-time application through portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt — that portal is for renewals only.
Question 4 (for EU nationals seeking permanent residence): Has your CRUE been registered for 5 years?If YES, apply for your Article 16 permanent residence certificate through portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt from July 1, 2026. If NO, wait until you reach the 5-year mark. If you are a third-country national who is a family member of an EU national, apply for your Article 17 permanent residence card through the same portal.
What Happens If You Use the Wrong Portal
Using the wrong portal does not create an application record in the system that handles your case. If you submit documents and pay fees through portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt when your case belongs in services.aima.gov.pt, AIMA does not see a renewal application — your submission lands in a system that does not contain your permit record. Your permit continues to count down to expiry as if no renewal attempt had been made.
The same applies in reverse: if you wait for an email from services.aima.gov.pt when your permit expired in September 2026 and your case should have been self-initiated in portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt, you may wait indefinitely for an email that will never come. The Portal das Renovações requires applicants to initiate the process themselves within their cohort window; AIMA does not always proactively email portal-renovacoes applicants telling them it is their turn.
If you realise you have used the wrong portal, go to contactenos.aima.gov.pt and submit a message explaining the situation, identifying your permit reference number, and asking AIMA to confirm which system handles your case. Acting on this quickly — before your permit expires — puts your case in front of a case officer who can direct you to the correct channel before the expiry date becomes an issue.
Common Situations and the Correct Portal
My TRC (D7, D8, D1, work permit) expires in September or October 2026: Portal das Renovações — portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt. AIMA opened this cohort in late June 2026. Do not wait for an email; log in and begin the process.
My TRC expired in 2024 or early 2025 and I have been waiting for AIMA to contact me: Services portal — services.aima.gov.pt (if you have received AIMA login credentials) or contactenos.aima.gov.pt (if you have not received credentials). These cases were in the backlog pipeline and are handled by a different system.
I hold a Golden Visa (ARI) and need to renew: Portal das Renovações — portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt. ARI renewals have been handled through this portal since February 2026.
I am an EU citizen and have lived in Portugal for 5 or more years and want a permanent residence certificate: Portal das Renovações — portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt, from July 1, 2026. The Contact Form option no longer applies for Article 16 applications submitted after June 30, 2026.
I arrived in Portugal on a D7 visa 6 months ago and need my first residence permit: Services portal or AIMA appointment — this is a first-time permit application, not a renewal. AIMA will contact you via services.aima.gov.pt once your initial case is ready to progress. If you have not heard from AIMA within 60 days of visa entry, use contactenos to enquire.
I want to send AIMA a question, document, or follow-up about any case: contactenos.aima.gov.pt — this works regardless of which system your underlying case is in. It is AIMA's universal written communication channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers below address the most common portal-selection questions directly.
What is the difference between the two AIMA portals?
portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt is the renewal portal for permits expiring from July 2025 onwards, opened in cohorts by expiry month. services.aima.gov.pt is the original AIMA platform for first-time applications, older backlog cases where AIMA initiates contact, and login to legacy case records. The two systems do not share case data; submitting to one creates no record in the other.
My permit expires in October 2026. Which portal do I use?
Go to portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt. AIMA opened the September and October 2026 cohort in late June 2026. Create an account or log in, select the renewal option for your permit type, and follow the process: application form, document upload, DUC payment (24 hours after generation), and wait for biometrics notification if applicable.
I never received any email from AIMA about my permit. What do I do?
Check which system your case belongs in first. If your permit expired after July 1, 2025, you should self-initiate at portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt — AIMA does not always send proactive emails for this portal. If your permit expired before July 1, 2025, use contactenos.aima.gov.pt to ask AIMA about the status of your case and when you can expect to be contacted via services.aima.gov.pt.
I am an EU citizen wanting a permanent residence certificate. Which portal?
From July 1, 2026: portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt. AIMA added Article 16 (permanent residence certificate for EU nationals) and Article 17 (permanent residence card for family members) to the Portal das Renovações as of July 1, 2026. The Contact Form is no longer the submission channel for these documents.
What happens if I apply via the wrong portal?
No application record is created in the system that handles your case. Your submission lands in a system that has no record of your permit, and your renewal is not processed. Your permit continues to approach or pass its expiry date without a renewal application on file. If this has happened, use contactenos.aima.gov.pt immediately to alert AIMA and identify the correct channel before your permit expires.