Previous Situation: 3-4 Year Delays
As of May 2025, AIMA reported approximately 50,000 Golden Visa applications still awaiting processing, with average processing times of 39.6 months from application submission to physical residency card issuance. AIMA (Portugal's Immigration, Migration and Asylum Agency) experienced significant delays in application processing, particularly following the pandemic that created substantial backlogs.
The primary reason was that when SEF (the former immigration agency) was dissolved in October 2023, AIMA inherited approximately 350,000 unprocessed applications — this number increased to over 400,000 by mid-2024.
Improvements from 2025-2026
Following staff increases and implementation of technology-based solutions to processes, there has been overall improvement in processing times since 2025. Additional staff have been hired and trained, increasing the agency's processing capacity, and biometric appointment availability has increased significantly compared to 2024 and early 2025.
As applications reached post-biometric stages, processing times improved notably, with residency cards typically issued within 3-6 months of the biometric appointment.
Current Timeline: 12-18 Months for New Applications
As of mid-2026, AIMA schedules biometric appointments within 6-12 months of application submission, with the first residency card issued within 12-18 months for recent applicants. The gap between application submission and biometric appointment currently runs approximately 12 months, with applicants who submitted in late 2025 scheduled for Q4 2026.
Caution: Not the First Time Promises Were Made
However, caution is warranted. The government and AIMA have set deadlines before and missed them, and immigration attorneys have publicly expressed skepticism about a promise made the day after parliament voted to extend citizenship timelines. A reasonable approach is to expect 2026 will bring improvement while still planning for the possibility your case takes longer than official timelines.
AIMA required all Golden Visa applicants in early 2025 to resubmit documents with expectations of approval within 30-90 days. This never materialized and the agency scheduled biometric appointments from January through March 2026.
Investment Requirements Remain Unchanged
Investors can still qualify through a 500,000 EUR investment fund or 250,000 EUR cultural contribution, reduced to 200,000 EUR for qualifying projects in low-density population areas. Family members can also be included, while minimum residency requirements remain relatively low compared to other programs at approximately seven days per year on average.