The following are processing timelines for 2025 with AIMA for applications related to residence permits and citizenship..
Residence Permit (ARI)
| Stage | Estimated Timeline | Key Activities / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Document Preparation | 1–3 months | Obtain NIF (Portuguese tax number); open a Portuguese bank account; make a qualifying investment (e.g., €500,000 in an eligible fund, research, or cultural contribution); gather and legalize all required documents. |
| Application Submission | ~1 month | Submit the complete application dossier to AIMA (Portugal’s new immigration authority). |
| Biometrics Appointment | Highly variable (10–18+ months) | Currently the main bottleneck. Long waiting periods are common, potentially exceeding one year. Recent government measures aim to reduce delays. Some legacy applications have received biometric appointments scheduled for early 2026. |
| Residency Card Issuance | 1–4 months (post-biometrics) | After biometric data is captured and the application is approved, the physical residence card is typically issued within a relatively short timeframe. |
| Total Time to First Residence Card | ~13–25 months (average) | AIMA is working on reducing backlog of golden visa applications by 2026. |
Reduced Timeline
Under the new government measures, some clients have recently received biometric appointments within 6 months of application and expect the first residence card within 9 months —
Citizenship
Applications for citizenship with IRN has accumulated causing delays
- Filing – After 5 years of legal residence in Portugal
- Delays – For 2025 vary significantly, but expect 18-30 months or more for naturalization, it can be delayed further even up to 3 years due to backlogs.
- Total wait – Expect 8-10 years.
Additional delays arise from complex paperwork, documentation issues, and the transition to digital processing
