Residence/Working Permit and Administrative Issues in Portugal

Danny So Wan Yuen Member

Member since 22 April 2023

Danny So Wan YuenMember21 January 2026 10:45:38

Hi Expats,

My name is Danny, and I鈥檓 originally from Mauritius. I鈥檝e been living in Portugal with my family since August 2022. We moved here after my wife received a job offer as a French teacher at an international school, together with the hope of building a better future for our children.

Portugal is a beautiful and very safe country, and we genuinely appreciate many aspects of life here. However, dealing with the immigration administrative system (AIMA) has been extremely challenging and frustrating. It is inefficient, excessively slow, and difficult to navigate. Note that the bureaucracy here is generally terrible; even the Portuguese people said it loudly.

Both my wife and I are highly qualified professionals, having a valid working contract, yet the process of obtaining our work permits and temporary residence permits was extremely poor and terrible. From submitting applications to securing appointments, and finally receiving our residence cards, the process took nearly three years.

After finally receiving our permits last year, we immediately initiated the family reunification process for our children. This process is officially meant to be straightforward and completed within a maximum of three months. In reality, we have now been waiting for ten months just to obtain an appointment for their residence cards.

It is important to note that without these residence cards, our children cannot travel outside Portugal. Leaving the country would put us at serious risk of being unable to return and having our applications reset. As a result, we have effectively been stuck in Portugal for almost four years, without the possibility to travel, despite complying with all legal requirements and procedures.

I am sharing this experience to see whether others are facing similar delays, and to understand if there are any practical steps, contacts, escalation routes, or concrete actions that have helped move this process forward. At this point, the situation feels unreasonable, and families who follow the rules should not be left in such prolonged uncertainty.

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Kind Regards,

Danny

JohnnyPT Portugal Expert

Member since 23 May 2020

JohnnyPTPortugal Expert21 January 2026 13:08:33

5130

Hi Danny, Welcome.

You were unlucky to come to Portugal at a turbulent time during the pos Covid pandemic, when the previous government abolished the former SEF and created the AIMA (without the police component of the SEF among other issues), and with an open-door immigration policy, allowing more than 1 million people to enter without visas! Conclusion: complete chaos! The new government has been resolving inherited problems, but AIMA is still not functioning as it should. In addition, the new family reunification policies have also undergone changes as a result of the rise of the far right across the country. I understand your concern, but family reunification issues should be directed to a lawyer who can help you, given the current legal context. You can find testimonials here, but each case is different, and you have to focus on your own case and try to solve it...

Regards

TGCampo Serial expat

Member since 30 August 2023

TGCampoSerial expat21 January 2026 18:33:39

319

@Danny So Wan Yuen

Hi Danny. It is very sad to read about your problems getting permanent residency for you children in Portugal. Normally it wouldn't be a problem to complete the process, but this is Portugal. I think that there will always be issues (especially for non-EU residents) like the ones you mention. I guess you will have to make the complicated evaluation whether the complete package called "Portugal" is for you. I say this, because I am not sure whether things will actually get better any time soon. Best of luck ...