AIMA residence permit documents: what to bring
AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo) replaced SEF in October 2023. If you come on a residence visa, AIMA turns it into your residence permit (autorização de residência). You go in person for your fingerprints and photo; the card arrives by post.
Short answer. Everyone brings a valid passport, the valid residence visa in it, AIMA's form (Modelo 1) signed, and proof of address. Then each visa type adds its own papers: proof of means and health cover for the D7, a declaration from your employer or clients abroad for the D8, your employer's declaration for a work visa.
What everyone brings
- Your valid passport.
- Your valid residence visa (in the passport).
- AIMA's application form, Modelo 1, filled in and signed.
- A signed declaration of your address, saying on what basis you live there: owner, tenant, sub-tenant, hosted.
- Either a declaration from your landlord or host, or, if you own the home, the land registry certificate (certidão de registo predial) or its access code.
The extra documents for each visa
| Visa | Also bring |
|---|---|
| D7 (pension or passive income; AIMA's general regime, Art. 77) | Proof of means of subsistence; proof of registration with Finanças and Social Security where applicable; health insurance or proof that the SNS covers you. |
| D8 (remote work, "digital nomads") | A declaration from your employer or clients outside Portugal confirming the work relationship or the service contract. |
| Work visa (Art. 88) | Your employer's declaration of the employment relationship; proof of registration with Finanças and with Social Security. |
| Other visas | AIMA publishes one page per permit type with its own list. Find yours on aima.gov.pt before the appointment. |
Timing: the four-month window
The residence visa is valid for two entries and four months. Your AIMA appointment has to fall inside that window, so check whether your visa letter already gives you an appointment date as soon as you have it.
At the appointment: ask for your NISS
Since late July 2026, AIMA assigns your Social Security number (NISS) at the residence permit appointment, through a direct link with Social Security. This comes from press reports (The Portugal News, 15 July 2026); we found no official page describing it yet, and not every AIMA procedure is covered. Check that you leave with the number. If you do not, ask Social Security for it.
After the appointment
The first temporary residence permit is valid for two years; renewals are for three. Note the expiry date on your card as soon as it arrives. Family members who are already in Portugal apply separately, for family reunification, once you have your own permit.