AIMA appointments without the panic

AIMA is the Portuguese agency that handles most residence papers for people who are not EU, EEA or Swiss citizens. Forums treat every queue as an AIMA problem. That is how people lose a morning at the wrong door.

What goes to AIMA

Residence titles after a visa, renewals, and residence cards for non-EU family members of an EU citizen are AIMA business. The agency publishes the contact form and the subjects you must pick when you ask for an appointment. Start on aima.gov.pt and open the page for your exact case, not a screenshot from a Facebook group.

Appointments are scarce in busy months. Book early, keep the confirmation email, and take the originals the page lists for your route. A folder that worked for a friend on a different visa is not your folder.

What does not go to AIMA

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who stay more than three months ask the city hall for a certificate of registration. In Porto that is the Câmara Municipal do Porto. Mixing that certificate with an AIMA residence card is the usual wrong turn. The ask threads on Teleporto walk through both doors separately.

Before you pay anyone

Nobody official sells a guaranteed AIMA slot on WhatsApp. A paid helper can translate, book a hotel near the shop, or sit with you while you fill forms. They cannot invent a free desk. Bring a passport, the visa or previous title if you have one, proof of address when the page asks for it, and a phone that receives Portuguese SMS if the process uses one.

The tax number and the social-security number are separate queues. Those steps are in Getting a NIF in Porto and Getting a NISS.

Checked 27 October 2026. This is not legal, tax, medical or immigration advice. If an official page disagrees, follow that page.