According to AIMA, applicants using its online contact forms should ensure that the spelling, order and formatting of their names are identical across all documents before submitting requests for information or clarification.

The agency warns that discrepancies among passports, residence visas, and supporting paperwork can cause applications to be flagged for further checks, potentially slowing processing or requiring applicants to provide additional documentation to confirm their identity.

This issue has particularly affected applicants from countries where naming conventions differ from those commonly used in Portugal, such as multiple surnames, compound family names and variations in the order of given names, which can create discrepancies when information is transferred across differing administrative systems.

Guidance

The guidance applies to residence permit applications linked to the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) mobility, other residence visas, including those for highly qualified professionals, as well as visa extension requests.

According to Público Brazil, applications containing accurate information are generally handled more quickly. AIMA also advised applicants to verify that all required documents have been uploaded correctly before sending a request, noting that the online contact form has size limits.

Where inconsistencies already exist, applicants are encouraged to notify AIMA as early as possible and provide supporting evidence demonstrating that the various documents relate to the same individual.

In addition, the agency explained that correcting errors at the outset is considered easier than requesting amendments once an application has entered the processing stage.

Recovery operation

This reminder is part of AIMA's efforts to improve communication with immigrants through its digital channels, as it has increasingly relied on social media to provide information and assist users online, helping to ease pressure on telephone support services, which have often been criticised for long waiting times.

The agency responded to complaints about its performance by noting that the proportion has fallen despite a significant increase in the number of cases being processed.

According to official figures, complaints represented around 0.012 percent of attendances during the first four months of 2025, compared with approximately 0.007 percent over the same period in 2026.

The agency also highlighted progress in its backlog recovery operation, saying it has dealt with around one million pending cases, carried out more than 771,000 appointments and issued over 500,000 residence permit cards.

Furthermore, AIMA added that it continues to enhance its services, having recently launched a public tender worth €208,000 to develop a new online portal dedicated to immigrants.

Meanwhile, the agency is recruiting 46 staff members, including 21 technical assistants and 25 higher technical officers.