Portugal has authorised AIMA to spend up to \u20ac31.35 million<\/strong> on the production and delivery of residence permits and other secure official documents. The decision covers expected needs through the first half of 2027<\/strong>, according to the government. (portugal.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n The Council of Ministers approved the authorisation on 22 October 2026. It was reported in a news briefing on 23 October and in an AIMA news update on 24 October. The spending is intended to pay Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, the Portuguese state mint and official printer, for work that includes producing, personalising, packaging and dispatching the documents. (boletimpt.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n For someone waiting for a residence card, the distinction is important: this is an authorisation to spend, not an announcement that every pending card has been produced or that waiting times will fall<\/strong>. The government announcement does not give an individual delivery date or a new deadline for issuing cards. (portugal.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n The government says the spending authorisation covers several stages of document production:<\/p>\n Residence permits are included, but the authorisation also covers other secure official documents. The announced amount is a maximum for the work described; it is not a fee that an individual applicant must pay<\/strong>. The government presents the decision as a way to maintain document issuance for expected needs through the first half of 2027. (portugal.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n The announcement does not say how many residence cards will be produced under the authorisation, how much of the amount will be spent on residence cards alone, or when a particular applicant will receive a document. Readers should avoid treating the maximum amount as a guarantee of a particular result.<\/p>\n Not necessarily.<\/strong> The announcement addresses the resources authorised for producing and dispatching documents. It does not announce a faster processing timetable or say how quickly individual cards will be delivered. (portugal.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n It is useful to separate the stages of a case. An application may still require assessment or further documents, while a different applicant may already be waiting for a card to be produced or delivered. The funding announcement does not tell either person the status of their own case.<\/p>\n If you are waiting, use the information and instructions AIMA has given you for your particular application. Keep any correspondence and receipts together so that you can identify the case when asking for an update. If you are unsure which stage your case has reached, ask AIMA rather than assuming that a card is already on its way.<\/p>\n AIMA says issued residence cards are sent by registered post with an acknowledgement of receipt to the address provided in the application. If the recipient is not at home, the postal service leaves a notice explaining how long the card can be collected from a CTT location. If it is not collected within that period, it is returned to AIMA. (aima.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n This makes it worth checking both your postal address and your letterbox while you wait. AIMA also advises people awaiting a card to check their email, including the spam folder. (aima.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n As of November 2026, the practical response depends on where your application stands. The following steps can help you organise your next enquiry:<\/p>\n AIMA\u2019s published guidance describes contact-form options for communicating or correcting an address. For example, it lists an option under Portal de Renova\u00e7\u00f5es<\/strong> for people using that route. It lists a different option for someone who already has a residence card and has no ongoing process. Read the official instructions and choose the option that fits your situation. (aima.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n Updating an address is not the same as receiving confirmation that a card has been dispatched. If you are concerned about a delivery already in progress, explain that when you contact AIMA and ask what you should do next.<\/p>\n AIMA gives different instructions depending on how the application was started. For a process begun through services.aima.gov.pt<\/strong>, it says the person will receive an email notice specifying where and when to collect a returned card. For a process started through another route, AIMA says to go to the AIMA office where the application was made, taking account of that office\u2019s available services and hours. (aima.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n Check the current instructions before travelling to an office. AIMA\u2019s guidance also says that collection under the emailed-notice route depends on presenting the notice, either personally or through a duly authorised representative with the specified power of attorney. (aima.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n The decision concerns spending on documents; it does not announce a new residence application route or a special right to an immediate card. It also does not state that applicants should submit a fresh application simply because this funding has been authorised. (portugal.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n If AIMA has requested missing documents for a residence-permit application, follow the instructions relevant to your case. AIMA says its contact-form document-submission procedure has exceptions, including cases being handled through the Renewals Portal and services.aima.gov.pt<\/strong>. Do not assume that one submission channel applies to every application. (aima.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n This article is general information, not legal advice. For an individual residence-status question, consult AIMA or a qualified professional.<\/p>\n No. The government says the authorisation covers expected document needs through the first half of 2027; it does not set a delivery deadline for every pending card. (portugal.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n No. It is the maximum spending authorised for document production and related services, not an individual application fee. (portugal.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n Follow the CTT notice within its stated collection period. If the card has been returned to AIMA, check AIMA\u2019s instructions for your application route. (aima.gov.pt<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Portugal has authorised spending on residence card production and delivery. Here is what the decision means\u2014and does not mean\u2014for people waiting for a card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"vot_how_we_help":" While you manage your residence matters directly with the appropriate authorities, VisaOnTrip can help you plan a trip and prepare a tourist visa application from Portugal. We also offer flight booking and flight reservations and hotel bookings for visa applications<\/a>, plus a free visa eligibility checker<\/a>.<\/p>\n","vot_sources":"Comunicado do Conselho de Ministros de 22 de outubro de 2026 - Governo de Portugal | https:\/\/portugal.gov.pt\/pt\/gc25\/governo\/comunicados-do-conselho-de-ministros\/comunicado-do-conselho-de-ministros-de-22-de-outubro-de-2026\nBoletim \u2014 sexta-feira, 23 de outubro de 2026 - Boletim | https:\/\/boletimpt.com\/pt\/briefs\/2026-10-23\/\nPerguntas frequentes: cart\u00f5es de resid\u00eancia e moradas - AIMA | https:\/\/aima.gov.pt\/documents\/respostas-perguntas-frequentes-informacoes-032026.pdf\nFormul\u00e1rio de Contacto: Envio de Documentos - AIMA | https:\/\/aima.gov.pt\/pt\/noticias\/formulario-de-contacto-envio-de-documentos\nFormul\u00e1rio de Contacto: N\u00famero de Cart\u00e3o\/T\u00edtulo de Resid\u00eancia - AIMA | https:\/\/aima.gov.pt\/pt\/noticias\/formulario-de-contacto-cartao-titulo-de-residencia","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9,57,44,56],"class_list":["post-36","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-portugal-immigration","tag-aima","tag-card-delivery","tag-portugal-immigration","tag-residence-cards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visaontrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What the decision covers<\/h2>\n
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Does this mean your card will arrive sooner?<\/h2>\n
An issued card can still miss delivery<\/h3>\n
What this means for you<\/h2>\n
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If you need to update your address<\/h3>\n
If a card was returned to AIMA<\/h3>\n
What has not changed in the announcement<\/h2>\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
Has AIMA promised to deliver all pending cards by June 2027?<\/h3>\n
Is \u20ac31.35 million a new fee for applicants?<\/h3>\n
What should I do if I miss my card delivery?<\/h3>\n