Permanent Residency in Portugal
After five years of legal residence — your permanent status, assembled and represented in full.
- Assess
- Establish
- Reside
- Settle
- Long TermYou are here
- Belong
Overview
Permanent residence is available after five continuous years of legal residence in Portugal, and the route depends on your nationality: non-EU nationals apply for an Autorização de Residência Permanente, while EU, EEA and Swiss citizens obtain the lighter Certificado de Residência Permanente. We assess your case, assemble the file for the correct route, handle the submission or appointment and represent you to issuance. Delivered with our partner lawyers.
- Non-EU residents who have completed five continuous years of legal residence
- Non-EU applicants who hold the required A2 Portuguese certificate and a clean criminal record
- EU, EEA or Swiss citizens seeking the lighter EU permanent-residence certificate (no language test)
- Anyone who wants the full file assembled and represented by a partner lawyer
What's Included
- Eligibility assessment and assembly of the complete AIMA file
- Booking the AIMA appointment and partner-lawyer representation
- Follow-through to the decision and issuance of the card
Process & Timeline
Assessment & file build
We review your eligibility and assemble the complete file: proof of five years, A2 certificate, criminal record, proof of address and means.
Appointment & submission
We book your AIMA appointment and submit the application with our partner lawyer representing your file.
Follow-through to the card
We follow the process through to the decision and the issuance of your permanent residence card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Non-EU (third-country) nationals apply for an Autorização de Residência Permanente under Article 80.º of Lei n.º 23/2007 (REPSAE, with Decreto Regulamentar n.º 84/2007), submitted in person by appointment at a Loja AIMA on Modelo 1, and requiring A2 Portuguese, a clean criminal record and proof of means. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens instead qualify under Artigo 16.º of Lei n.º 37/2006 (family members under Artigo 17.º), requested online through the AIMA Portal das Renovações — since 1 July 2026 the channel for these requests, fees and document upload, with an in-person appointment only where AIMA finds biometrics are required.
Generally after five continuous years of legal residence in Portugal. For non-EU nationals the other conditions — A2 Portuguese and a clean criminal record — must also be met; EU, EEA and Swiss citizens qualify on the five years alone.
Yes, and importantly so. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens obtain a Certificado de Residência Permanente under Lei n.º 37/2006, requested online through the AIMA Portal das Renovações, with no Portuguese-language or means test and no Loja AIMA appointment unless biometrics are required — quite different from the third-country route. You still need five years of legal residence, your registration certificate (CRUE), a valid passport and proof of address. We confirm the exact scope and fee for your route before we begin.
For the non-EU (third-country) route, yes — permanent residence requires proof of A2-level Portuguese, typically through the CIPLE exam, arranged and paid by you and not included in our fee. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have no language requirement.
No. This is a facilitation service delivered with a partner lawyer: we assemble and represent your file to the highest standard, but the decision rests with AIMA and cannot be guaranteed.
The AIMA fee for the non-EU permanent-residence grant is €351.10 (2026 fee table, Portaria n.º 307/2023), paid separately from our service fee. The EU-citizen certificate is far cheaper — the AIMA document fee is €15 online (€18 in person) for adults aged 25 and over, under Portaria n.º 13/2024. Translations, and for the non-EU route the language exam, are separate.