CPLP residence permit

The CPLP Mobility Agreement lets nationals of Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste apply in Portugal for a CPLP residence permit. This guide follows the path in order: what the law requires today, how the application runs, what to do when the title expires and what the agreement does not solve.

Who it is for

It is for nationals of one of the eight Portuguese-speaking states above who want to live in Portugal. The Foreigners Act (Lei n.º 23/2007) provides in article 87-A, introduced by Lei n.º 61/2025, that nationals of those states who hold a residence visa may apply in Portugal, to AIMA, for the CPLP residence permit. Article 75(2) says the same thing another way: someone covered by the agreement who holds a residence visa may request a temporary residence permit.

The word that matters is visa. The visa exemption some CPLP countries enjoy for entering as a tourist does not replace a residence visa. According to AIMA, a CPLP residence permit now requires a consular visa obtained expressly for that purpose. Someone who entered as a tourist can no longer convert that stay into CPLP residence. The visas guide explains the wider picture, and the Path tool helps you see whether this is your route.

Before you ask for the visa

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Portal describes the residence visa as the visa “for obtaining a residence permit”. It is valid for four months, with two entries, and the holder must request the title from AIMA within that period. The Consular Portal page on the CPLP Mobility Agreement has no document list. Confirm the exact list with the consulate or visa centre that serves your country; this guide does not guess it.

To bring family members once you have the title, see the family reunification guide.

After you arrive: the application at AIMA

AIMA itself describes these steps:

1. Appointment. According to AIMA, the date of your appointment appears in the observations field of the visa. If your visa has no date, AIMA says you can contact it through a form. If the form fails, try later or visit an AIMA shop.
2. In-person appointment. This is where you give biometric data and hand in the required documents. AIMA does not list them in its CPLP notice. For proof of accommodation, for example, the March 2026 FAQs accept, for tenants, a lease in your name and last month’s rent receipt, plus the accommodation declaration on AIMA’s template. Parish council (junta de freguesia) certificates are not accepted.
3. Decision. The general rule in article 82(5), as worded by Lei n.º 62/2026, is 90 days, extendable by 30 in exceptional, justified circumstances, without prejudice to other legal deadlines. Confirm with AIMA how this applies to a CPLP file.
4. The title. AIMA says the title follows the uniform European Union model, like other temporary permits. The first grant is valid for two years.

Keep the receipt and the file number. For the address, NIF and NISS the file usually needs, see the NIF and NISS guides.

What Lei n.º 62/2026 changed

Lei n.º 62/2026 of 10 September, in force the day after publication, amends several provisions of the Foreigners Act. The published text does not touch articles 75 or 87-A, so the CPLP regime above stands. What matters here is the general decision deadline in article 82. How it applies to files already under way is for AIMA to say.

Renewing the CPLP title

When the title expires, AIMA describes this route in its notice on renewal and replacement, published in February 2025:

1. AIMA emails holders with instructions.
2. At services.aima.gov.pt, revalidate your credentials under the “Renovar AR CPLP” option.
3. Update your registration on the platform.
4. Request the DUC (single payment document) and pay within 10 working days.
5. Once the account is validated and payment confirmed, you receive an email with a proposed appointment for biometric data.

AIMA’s notice sets no fee amounts and lists no documents, and neither does this guide. If the DUC is not generated, the FAQs say to check first that you still meet the conditions. If you do and the problem continues, write to geral@aima.gov.pt with the subject Problemas na emissão do DUC - Portal/MI/CPLP/RAR, or go to an AIMA shop.

Address and email

Keep your address and contacts up to date with AIMA, Social Security and the Tax Authority: AIMA says this simplifies the processes under way. The March 2026 FAQs give concrete steps for correcting the address and checking the Social Security one, but for requests made through the Renewals Portal, not for the services.aima.gov.pt channel used for the CPLP title; confirm with AIMA which channel applies to your request. For the email, the same FAQs provide, for CPLP requests under way, the Atualizar endereço de E-mail option in Serviços - AIMA.

This is the CPLP-specific renewal. Other permits usually renew through the Renewals Portal; the AIMA guide explains the difference. If you must provide an original criminal record and you are not from Brazil or Cabo Verde, AIMA asks you to send it by post; Brazilian and Cabo Verdean citizens upload it online in their personal area.

Rights and limits

• Family reunification. The basic rule requires, as a rule, two years of valid residence. AIMA’s online request page, marked as under review, said CPLP permit holders could not yet use it. See the family reunification guide.
• Brazilians. If you already reside, consider the Equality Statute, which has its own requirements.
• Citizenship. To see how residence time counts, read the citizenship guide.

If something goes wrong

• No appointment date on the visa: use AIMA’s contact form, mentioned in its CPLP notice.
• DUC expired or not generated: follow the step above.
• General questions: AIMA’s contact centre is +351 217 115 000, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm. To write clearly, use one of the message templates; for terms such as DUC and title, the glossary.