AIMA promised to clear the backlog by the end of 2026, aiming to generate significant revenue and restore confidence. As of October 22, we had 386,463 residency cards actually issued, compared to 236,030 in 2024.
The Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro, has announced that the pending cases at AIMA will be resolved by the end of this year, which will allow for improved services in 2026.
Backlog Status
- AIMA reviewed all 440,000 expressions of interest that had been pending
- 170,000 cases were archived due to a lack of applicant response
- 4,500 applications were rejected due to non-compliance,
- 130,000 applications still await final decisions.
Portugal has already 15% foreigners among in the population. The Portugal Government has ruled out scrapping golden visa program which has brought 7.5 billion euros since 2012, exceeded all expectations. The demand for golden visas rose 72% for 500,000 applications, despite scrapping the real estate route.
