Author
The Portuguese authorities are bound by a duty to issue beneficiaries of international protection a residence permit.[1] Its duration varies according to the type of international protection granted: the residence permit for refugees is valid for 5 years,[2] while the residence permit for subsidiary protection beneficiaries is valid for 3 years.[3] The issuance of these residence permits is free of charge.[4]
According to AIMA, 344 residence permits were issued in 2025: 341 to refugee status beneficiaries and 3 to beneficiaries of subsidiary protection.
According to CPR’s experience in providing legal information and assistance to asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection at all stages of the asylum procedure (see Regular Procedure: Legal Assistance), the average length of the procedure for issuing a residence permit following a decision granting international protection in previous years was considered reasonable, ranging from a few weeks to a month and a half. It should be noted that asylum applicants admitted to the regular procedure are in possession of a provisional residence permit, valid and renewable for 6 months, at the time they are granted international protection (see Short Overview of the Asylum Procedure).[5] Following the request for issuance of the international refugee status/subsidiary protection residence permit, beneficiaries are issued a declaration certifying their application for the renewal of a residence permit.
In 2025, significant difficulties in renewing residence permits and accessing services at AIMA offices outside Lisbon persisted, as noted above, requiring many applicants to travel long distances. These difficulties were not limited to areas outside the main urban centres, but were also observed on some occasions in Porto and Coimbra. In Lisbon, the use of a ticketing system created additional obstacles to the renewal of documents. In many cases, prior coordination with CNAR was necessary to unblock situations, and the intervention of civil society organisations was often required to overcome these obstacles.[6] As in previous years, these challenges had a significant impact on beneficiaries of international protection, notably regarding access to employment and other services.
According to CPR’s observation, in 2025 the average waiting period for the issuance of residence permits following such appointments grew lengthier and lengthier and in some cases is unreasonable. This is particularly acute in cases requiring an individual analysis (e.g., beneficiaries of subsidiary protection). CPR has received reports of beneficiaries waiting for several months without information. Following the appointment and until the issuance of the renewed residence permit beneficiaries are issued a declaration certifying their application for the renewal of a residence permit.
The delays in the issuance and renewal of residence permits have been flagged by the UN Human Rights Committee.[7] Such delays, with impacts in access to services and assistance, have also been identified by the Statistical Report of Asylum 2020.[8]
While noting the existence of difficulties in determining the number of beneficiaries of international protection in the country each year, the Statistical Report of Asylum 2023 indicates that by the end of 2022, 3,126 beneficiaries of international protection had valid residence permits in Portugal (2,086 refugees and 1,040 beneficiaries of subsidiary protection).[9] It should be noted that the report includes humanitarian residence permits as beneficiaries of subsidiary protection which is not in line with the applicable legal framework. It also includes in the figure residence permits issued to family members of holders of humanitarian residence permits. As such, the real number of beneficiaries of subsidiary protection at the time would likely be 636. According to the same source, the majority of refugees were from Syria, Eritrea and Iraq, and the majority of subsidiary protection beneficiaries were from Syria, and Iraq.[10] There is no available statistical report for 2025.
In June 2025, the Government amended Decree-Law 10-A/2020,[11] determining, inter alia, that:
- Visas and documents related to the residency of third-country nationals expired since the entry into force of the Decree-Law, or within the previous 15 days, are accepted as valid until 15 October 2025;
- After 15 October 2025, such documents will continue to be accepted upon presentation of a document issued by AIMA confirming payment of the renewal fee, valid for 180 days from the date of issue;[12]
- This regime does not apply to documents concerning temporary protection.
After 15 October 2025, the automatic renewal regime for residence permits, in place since the COVID-19 pandemic, ceased.
With regard to the readmission of beneficiaries of international protection in Portugal, SEF previously reported that requests for readmission are analysed according to the following criteria:
- The person concerned holds a valid residence permit;
- The person concerned has a valid right of residence in Portugal, regardless of the validity of the corresponding residence permit:
- The person concerned continues to benefit from international protection in Portugal, regardless of the issuance of the corresponding residence permit.
AIMA did not provide information in this regard, namely number of readmission requests concerning beneficiaries of international protection or procedures to be adopted if the person concerned is undocumented
[1] Article 67 Asylum Act. This provision is generally in line with Article 24 recast Qualification Directive.
[2] Article 67(1) Asylum Act.
[3] Article 67(2) Asylum Act.
[4] Article 67(4) Asylum Act.
[5] Article 27(1) Asylum Act.
[6] This has also been confirmed by Crescer to the 2025 AIDA Report.
[7] Human Rights Committee, Concluding Observations on the fifth periodic report of Portugal, CCPR/C/PRT/CO/5. 28 April 2020, available here, para 34(a).
[8] Migration Observatory, Entrada, Acolhimento e Integração de Requerentes e Beneficiários de Protecção Internacional em Portugal – Relatório Estatístico do Asilo 2020, May 2020, available in Portuguese here, 227.
[9] Migration Observatory, Requerentes e Beneficiários de Proteção Internacional – Relatório Estatístico do Asilo 2023, July 2023, available here, 221.
[10] Ibid. Nationalities such as Cape Verde, and Brazil are listed among the main nationalities of beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, which is likely due to the fact that the figures include holders of humanitarian residence permits.
[11] Decree-Law 10-A/2020, of 13 March 2020, available in Portuguese here; Amendment introduced by Decree-Law 85-B/2025, of 30 June 2025, available here.
[12] It is unclear whether this amendment altogether applied to beneficiaries of international protection, given that their residence permits are issued free of charge.