Portugal: Online Submission of Family Reunification Applications Commences

Applicants can now digitally submit family reunification residence permit applications for children between five and 15 years of age via the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum’s (AIMA) online portal. On January 26, 2024, the AIMA portal was launched, with family reunification applications initially being limited to children between the ages of five and nine. Prior to the online portal being operational, family reunification applications could only be scheduled via telephone and submitted in person. Spouses or dependent children outside the age range of five to 15 still need to submit applications in person; though it is expected that this group of applicants will become eligible for online submissions in the future. This development follows broader efforts to digitalize immigration processes in Portugal, including with respect to consular services.