AIMA just made this easier for EU residents

Anyone renewing an EU residence document can now do most of it from home. It's Monday, 28 September. Twenty-six degrees. Air quality: 67 (Moderate). Here's what you need to know.

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AIMA OPENS ONLINE RENEWALS FOR EU RESIDENCE DOCUMENTS

EU citizens and their family members living in Portugal can now start renewing their residence documents online. The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) has opened account creation on its renewal portal for anyone whose document has already expired or expires by 31 December 2026. In July, AIMA moved EU permanent residence onto its renewal portal. It has now opened it to everyone with an EU residence document due for renewal this year.

Once you're in, the portal handles the front end of the process. You submit the application, pay the fees, upload your documents and book an appointment at an AIMA service point. You still have to turn up in person, but only for biometric data and an identity check.

To register, you'll need your email address, your NIF (tax identification number), your date of birth and your residence document number. The document number is where people are most likely to go wrong. On a paper or card-style residence document, leave out the leading zero. On the A4 registration certificate (the CRUE, issued to EU citizens), include the letter 'E'.

After your account is verified and you've set a password, the system automatically checks whether you owe anything to the Tax Authority or Social Security. That check can take a few days. Once payment slips are issued, wait 48 hours before paying them.

If you were already in the queue, you don't need to start again. Appointments already booked, and requests sent through the AIMA contact form by 30 June 2026, stay valid.

This only covers EU citizens and their family members. If you're a British, American, South African or Australian national here on your own residence permit, this isn't your route.

If your EU residence document has run out or will before the end of the year, create the account now, because the debt check alone can take days. If your in-person appointment falls on 6 October, check it's still going ahead: AIMA workers have called a national strike that day over pay.

Bottom line: for EU residents, a renewal now starts online, and the trip to AIMA is only for biometrics.

⚡ QUICK HITS

The governing parties want non-residents to pay for SNS care. PSD and CDS-PP, the parties behind the government, have resubmitted a bill restricting National Health Service (SNS) access for foreigners who don't live in Portugal or are here irregularly. A version passed a first vote with the hard-right Chega's support in the last parliament, then lapsed when early elections were called. Under the new text, those patients would pay for their care or show proof of health cover, and hospitals could ask for a guarantee or payment upfront. Emergency, urgent and life-saving care would still be provided, with the paperwork following later. The bill cites an Inspectorate-General of Health Activities (IGAS) report: around 330,000 non-resident foreigners were treated in SNS emergency departments between 2021 and September 2024, and more than 140,000 of them had no insurance or international agreement covering the care. It's a bill, not a law, and legal residents remain SNS beneficiaries.

No, Portugal isn't getting a "bomb cyclone". The national weather institute, IPMA, says the rapidly deepening storm behind the headlines forms tomorrow over the North Atlantic, west of Ireland, well away from the mainland. Portugal gets the knock-on effects instead. Today brings showers and thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon and inland, possibly with hail. The worst comes from tomorrow afternoon into Wednesday, when a cold front crosses the country. That means heavy rain at times in the north and centre, strong southerly winds, and gusts of 50 to 70km/h along the western coast and on higher ground. Significant rain is less likely south of the Tagus. Highs drop to between 20°C and 26°C in the north and centre. Check IPMA for district warnings, and watch your footing on wet calçada.

A burning power bank diverted a Frankfurt to Lisbon flight to Lyon. Lufthansa flight LH1170 landed in France on Saturday evening after a passenger's power bank overheated and caught fire in a seat. Cabin crew sealed it in a containment bag designed for lithium batteries, and no injuries were reported among the 198 passengers and six crew. The crew diverted as a precaution. Lufthansa put everyone up in hotels overnight and rebooked them to Lisbon the next day. The airline's rules are worth knowing if you fly with them often. Since January, using or charging power banks on board has been banned, though you can still carry up to two in the cabin. They can't go in checked luggage.

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🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

SENSE OF COFFEE & WINE (BAIXA)

This is the second café from Sense of Coffee, whose first branch is in Parque das Nações. It's on Rua dos Fanqueiros, a three-minute walk from Rossio metro. The brand made the top 10 coffee shops in Portugal at the European Coffee Trip Awards 2025, and it serves beans from roasters in several European countries.

The kitchen matters as much as the coffee. There are more than 20 dishes, all served until closing: shakshuka at €12, syrniki (cottage-cheese pancakes with sour cream and berry jam) at €13, and a pastrami eggs Benedict on brioche at €16. A flat white is €4. Vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free dishes are marked on the menu, and oat milk costs €0.50 extra.

Worth knowing before you go: it's open every day from 9am to 4pm, so the "& Wine" half is a lunchtime glass rather than an evening out. There's free wifi and there are tables set aside for laptops.

→ See the menu and find them here ←

Insider tip: bring your own cup for takeaway. The paper cup costs an extra €0.50, and bringing your own skips the charge and the waste.

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See you tomorrow morning.

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