The application: what theapplicant does, what the adviserdoes, and the trip to Portugal
An adviser can prepare, translate, submit and chase. Four things cannot be delegated: the decision, the money, the signatures, and the applicant's own body at the biometrics appointment. This page separates the two lists and marks the documents with a shelf life.
Last reviewed . Rules cited to the sources numbered at the foot of the page.
The division of labour
AIMA's document list for the ARI is the same whoever prepares it: travel document, proof of lawful entry and stay, criminal-record certificates, authorisation to consult the Portuguese record, health insurance, the no-debt certificate, the declaration on honour, proof of the international transfer, and the evidence for the chosen route.1 The table splits that list, and the steps around it, by who has to act.
| Step | The applicant | The adviser |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing the route | Decides what the money is for and what should happen to it at year five | Explains the legal test for each route and the evidence it needs; should not be the seller of the product |
| Portuguese tax number and bank account | Signs the forms, passes bank identity checks, sends the funds from abroad in their own name1 | Acts as tax representative for a non-resident, introduces the bank, checks that the transfer trail will satisfy AIMA |
| Making the investment | Reads the fund or donation documents, signs, pays | Obtains the manager's or receiving body's declaration in the form AIMA expects1 |
| Personal documents | Obtains criminal-record certificates from the country of origin and any country of residence over a year, health insurance, passport copies1 | Arranges apostilles and certified translations, obtains the Portuguese no-debt certificate at the right moment1 |
| Submission | Signs the declaration on honour and the authorisation for AIMA to consult the Portuguese criminal record1 | Files on AIMA's ARI portal and pays the analysis fee under the current tariff2 |
| Biometrics | Travels to Portugal, lawfully, with every family member, and attends in person1 | Books the appointment and checks the entry document |
| Decision and card | Pays the card fee2 | Chases, collects, and diarises the renewal |
| Renewal, every two years | Shows the investment is still held and the stay was met1 | Files the renewal, online through AIMA's portal, with fresh declarations from the fund or body1 |
The documents that expire
The certificate of no debt to the Portuguese tax authority and Social Security must have been issued within the 45 days before it is used, which makes it the last document to obtain rather than the first.1 Other documents carry clocks that AIMA's page does not state and the adviser should:
- Criminal-record certificates: ask how old a certificate may be at submission, and whether the answer differs by issuing country.
- Health insurance: it must cover the period of residence, so a policy bought for the application and left to lapse is a renewal problem.1
- The passport: ask how much validity AIMA expects at submission and at card issue.
- The fund manager's declaration: ask whether AIMA will accept one dated months before submission, given the backlog.
Ordering the documents is the adviser's job; asking for the order is the applicant's.
The biometrics trip
The applicant and every family member must be lawfully in Portugal when their biometrics are taken.1 For a national of a country whose citizens need a visa to enter the Schengen area, that means a visa obtained for the trip; for others, it means entry within the visa-free allowance and a record of it. Ask the adviser which applies, and keep the boarding passes and stamps.
The trip can double as the first year's minimum stay of seven days.1 Whether it should is a question of timing, because the first year runs from the grant of the permit rather than from the appointment, and a second trip may be needed in any case.
On processing time
This site publishes no processing-time estimate. AIMA has carried a backlog on ARI files since 2023, and advisers' published figures differ by many months. The only evidence worth having is the adviser's own recent files: ask how long the last five took from submission to card, and what the renewals involved.
Sources cited on this page
- AIMA: Autorização de Residência para Investimento, Art. 90.º-A (read on 2026-09-03)
- Diário da República: Portaria n.º 307/2023, de 13 de outubro (fee table for visas and residence permits) (read on 2026-09-03)