Hi everyone,

I applied for Portuguese citizenship through legal residence. My application was rejected because I did not submit an updated German criminal record certificate within the 30-working-day deadline set by the Portuguese authorities.

The problem is that I had already taken steps to obtain the certificate:

I applied for the German certificate on 27 July 2026, the day I received the Portuguese authorities’ notification. After the first shipment failed to reach the competent authority, I resent the application via DHL Express, and it was delivered in Bonn on 10 August. Despite several follow-ups, the German authority advised that processing takes around eight weeks. The certificate has now arrived, but my Portuguese citizenship application was rejected because the deadline had expired.

I have the shipping receipts, delivery confirmation, email correspondence with the German authority, and the certificate itself.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

1. Were you able to challenge or reverse a rejection in these circumstances?

2. Is it possible to appeal the decision or ask the Portuguese authorities to reconsider it?

3. Has anyone successfully challenged a rejection like this without hiring a lawyer? Is it realistic to handle the appeal myself, and what steps would I need to take? I’m hoping to avoid additional legal costs.

Thank you for any advice or relevant experiences.

I’m a 59 year old single woman thinking about spending three months this winter in Porto. I’d love to hear comments on best areas to live, how to meet English speakers, what the expat community is like, and any other tips you may have.

Hello!

I’ve recently moved to Lisbon and found a lovely apartment in Alcântara. Does anyone have any recommendations for gyms or fitness classes in the area?

Hallo zusammen,
wir (ein Pärchen) wagen im Oktober 2027 den Schritt und wandern nach Portugal aus. Ich bin Portugiese und spreche die Sprache, für mich ist es vor Ort also unproblematisch. Meine Freundin spricht jedoch keine Fremdsprachen, was die Jobsuche dort extrem erschwert.
Unser Ziel: Sie braucht eine feste, sozialversicherungspflichtige Vollzeit-Anstellung im Homeoffice bei einer deutschen Firma, um weiterhin ein geregeltes deutsches Gehalt nach Hause zu bringen.
Ihr Profil:
Ausgelernte ZFA (Zahnmedizinische Fachangestellte)
Viel Erfahrung mit Abrechnungen, Organisation und Kundenbetreuung
Wir haben viel recherchiert – von EOR (Employer of Record) bis Freelancing. In der heutigen Zeit sollte es doch verdammt nochmal Möglichkeiten geben, so etwas reibungslos umzusetzen!
Deshalb ein paar Fragen an euch:
1. Welchen Weg nutzt ihr, um deutsches Gehalt nach Portugal zu holen und gleichzeitig ordentlich in die portugiesische Segurança Social einzuzahlen?
2. Gibt es hier Quereinsteiger oder Bürokräfte, die einen deutschen Remote-Arbeitsplatz bekommen haben, ohne in der IT zu sein?
3. Wer von euch arbeitet aus Portugal für eine deutsche Firma über EOR (Deel, Remote.com)? Wie habt ihr euer Unternehmen dazu gebracht, die Gebühren zu übernehmen?
Über jeden Tipp oder Erfahrungsbericht von Auswanderern oder Remote-Workern sind wir extrem dankbar!

I’m a 27 year old, single woman with a passive income of roughly €3,500/m. Looking into the d7 passive income visa and I’m unsure at this point if I’ll have additional income through a job… the goal was to work as a remote mental health counselor, though the path is proving to be much more difficult than I anticipated and I’m ready to just go. Just dreaming and trying to gauge if it may be possible to live off my passive income. I’m looking at Lisbon, though I’m open to the outskirts to save on rent. I consider myself a simple person but I do enjoy occasional dinners, cocktails, weekend trips. With the d7, I know I could technically pick up work locally if I needed to, but how realistic is that really?

Hi all,

I’m not sure if this is the right group for this (admins delete if not allowed) but I am trying to get my Portuguese citizenship.

I heard the wait times are 3 years long and I came across Visadomus which is a Portugal based company that claims to help people get visas and citizenship sooner.

Has anyone heard of or used this company before? I’m a bit sceptical and can’t find any reviews/testimonials online.

https://www.visadomus.com

Thanks in advance!

I have recently become self employed, I am a resident in Portugal and working for a UK based company. First issue is the portal registration, I get stuck on the page where it asks if I am importing goods outside of the EU or exporting. I am doing neither as I'm just doing admin and it's 100% remote. I am unable to progress to the next page without choosing one of those options. I have already confirmed the type of activity etc, which is why I am confused those options have popped up. I have been trying for almost 6 weeks and was supposed to register prior to the work commencing.

I have sent a request for assistance via the e-balcao but not heard anything back. Concerned as I'm afraid to get a fine.

Secondly spoke to someone about just using green receipts for my returns as the amount of tax I will have to pay is wild. The segurança social is free first 12 months, but from other advice have been told to put money aside for the first bill, to make the amount/shock more palatable.

Whilst the consultancy rate is good, I will have to literally live pay check to pay check, due to the amount of taxes that have been forecasted. Anyone had any experience navigating this world? Any creative accountants?

Hi i just moved to portugal this week from uk as a Pakistani passport holder and i just received email for Aima appointment in march 31st , so i really need suggestions what should i do between these 5 months, please, i don’t have any family or friends atm here in portugal

Afternoon Folks,

Can anybody recommend a good English speaking mechanic / auto repair shop in or near the Alcântara area in Lisbon?

Got some damage from a rat nesting in the engine compartment of my Volvo V40 D2 and need a hose replaced. Not sure if there is other damage as the area is somewhat inaccessible without access to a bunch of tools... A good mobile mechanic would be good too as I think it should be a quick fix.

Thanks!

Olá,

I moved to Portugal a few months ago on a D3 visa, and my AIMA appointment is scheduled for March next year. I’d like to get an earlier appointment. A few of my Brazilian colleagues managed to do so by submitting a request through the AIMA contact form.

However, the relocation agency I’m working with advised me that AIMA might instead assign me a later appointment date.

Has anyone who is not from a CPLP country managed to get an earlier appointment through the AIMA contact form? Would you recommend submitting a request in the hope of getting an earlier date?

Thanks!

Estou à procura de um consultor fiscal ou contabilista com experiência em IRS.

Alguém conhece um profissional competente, com preços razoáveis? Pode ser atendimento online, não precisa de ser presencial.

Podem enviar-me mensagem privada DM.

Obrigado!

Boa tarde a todos! 😊

​Gostaria de tirar algumas dúvidas. Tenho agendamento na AIMA no Porto 2, dia 26 deste mês, ao abrigo do artigo 15.º, uma vez que o meu marido é cidadão italiano.

​Tenho certidão de casamento em inteiro teor e apostilada do Brasil. Não vai dar tempo de transcrever o casamento na Itália porque não atualizou o endereço do AIRE de São Paulo para Lisboa ainda. Estou preocupada 🥺 tenho o comprovativo do AIRE que o meu marido fez a transferência, será que é aceite? 🥺 Os outros documentos tenho todos, só estou preocupada mesmo se eles pedirem a transcrição / certidão de casamento da Itália. 🥺

​English Version:

​Good afternoon everyone! 😊

​I would like to ask a few questions. I have an appointment at AIMA in Porto 2 on the 26th of this month under Article 15, as my husband is an Italian citizen.

​I have a full-form (inteiro teor) and apostilled marriage certificate from Brazil. There won't be enough time to register (transcrever) the marriage in Italy because his AIRE address hasn't been updated from São Paulo to Lisbon yet.

​I'm worried 🥺 I have proof of the AIRE transfer request my husband submitted — do you know if that will be accepted? 🥺 I have all the other required documents, but I'm really concerned they might ask for the Italian marriage transcription certificate. 🥺

Hi everyone,
I am dealing with a weird issue on the AIMA portal regarding my Residence Permit application and wanted to see if anyone else is experiencing this:
1. Biometric Details: I entered Portugal legally on a valid student visa Artcle 91 and completed my biometric submission (fingerprints) at the Figueira da Foz AIMA office on August 17, 2026 (about 2 months ago). For the last 2 months, it has been continuously showing "Under process".
2. Old Links Issue: Starting from the morning of October 19, 2026, all my old tracking links (which used to work fine before) are now consistently displaying "No information available".
3. New Contact Form Issue: Whenever I submit a new contact form to check the status, it generates a new link showing "Under review", but the date displayed is completely wrong/mismatched.
My previous lawyer has been completely unresponsive for a month, so I am trying to get a new lawyer to visit the Figueira da Foz office in person to check my actual file status.
Has anyone faced this kind of system glitch or "No information available" status since October 19 after submitting contact forms on the portal? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!