International protection in Portugal (asylum and temporary protection)

International protection is the legal name for asylum and subsidiary protection. It is for people who left their home country, or the country where they usually lived, because of threats, persecution or serious violations of their rights, and who fear going back because the authorities cannot or will not protect them. In Portugal the application is handled under Law 27/2008.

This guide summarises the procedure from the consolidated law and AIMA’s frequently asked questions. It is not legal advice: your case depends on the facts and on the deadlines you are notified of, and a free legal advice service, described below, can support you.

Who it is for, and who it is not for

AIMA explains that the procedure first examines whether you can be recognised as a refugee. For that you need a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, you must be outside your country of origin or usual residence, and you must be unable or unwilling to seek that country’s protection.

If you do not meet those requirements, your situation is still examined for subsidiary protection: where there are substantial grounds to believe you would face a real risk of serious harm, such as the death penalty, torture or inhuman treatment, or a serious threat to your life from indiscriminate violence in an armed conflict.

Both statuses can be denied under exclusion clauses, for example serious suspicion of war crimes or of serious non-political crimes punishable by more than three years in prison outside Portugal, or a danger to internal security.

People who left to look for work, study, get medical care or improve their living conditions are not in this route. According to AIMA, they can try to regularise under the Foreigners Law: see the AIMA and residence permit and visas guides.

Where and how to apply

You apply while in Portuguese territory: AIMA says you cannot apply from abroad or at Portuguese embassies or consulates. It is enough to state your wish, in writing or orally, clearly and without delay, to AIMA or to a police authority (the PSP, GNR or Maritime Police, for example). The law requires the police to pass the application on to AIMA within a short period, three working days. At a border post such as an airport, tell the police officer as soon as possible that you want to ask for asylum.

AIMA considers it best to apply directly at the Centro Nacional de Asilo e Refugiados (CNAR), at Rua Álvaro Coutinho 14, 1150-025 Lisbon. After you state your wish, you fill in a form called the preliminary inquiry, with your personal details and a summary of your reasons, and your biometric data is collected. AIMA says forms exist in several languages and that there is a telephone translation service.

Bring all the identity and travel documents you have and any evidence you consider relevant. AIMA says you can offer up to ten witnesses and that documents should be translated into Portuguese, but that if you show you lack the means, AIMA arranges the translation. When you are registered you receive a certificate of submission of the application: always carry it with you.

If you were in another EU country before, you can always apply in Portugal, but only one EU country is responsible for deciding. AIMA explains that in that case there is an interview to establish which one, and a transfer to that country can be decided, which you can challenge in the administrative courts.

How the procedure runs

AIMA describes two stages: first a decision on whether the application is accepted, then the examination of its merits (the investigation). Being accepted does not mean protection is granted.

• Interview. You are notified to give your statements in a language you understand and in confidential conditions. Tell the facts truthfully and in detail, because the decision is also based on them. You may bring a lawyer.
• Decision on acceptance. Under the law, the AIMA board decides on inadmissible applications within two months, extendable by two more in certain cases, and on accelerated-procedure applications within three months.
• If the application is not accepted, the PSP starts a removal procedure. You can challenge the decision in the administrative courts within eight days.
• If it is accepted, AIMA issues a provisional residence permit, valid for six months from the acceptance decision and renewable until the final decision. The application goes on to the investigation. At the end AIMA drafts a proposal to grant or refuse, of which you are notified and to which you can respond within ten days. The final decision is for the Government member responsible for migration.
• If protection is refused, you can challenge the decision in the administrative courts within ten days.

The law was amended by Law 62/2026, and the deadlines can differ at the border or after a removal decision. The deadlines and the way they are counted in your notification are the ones that apply to you: check them at once with your lawyer or the legal advice service. For the duty to leave the country, legal aid and voluntary return, see the guide to the notice to leave Portugal.

Keep AIMA informed of your full address and contact details. If they change, tell the CNAR in writing at cnar@aima.gov.pt, giving your case number, or in person. AIMA warns that failing to do so can lead to the case being closed.

Rights while the application is pending

The law guarantees people who apply:

• information about their rights and duties in a language they understand, and an interpreter whenever necessary;
• free legal advice at every stage, provided by a public body or by a non-governmental organisation with a protocol, and legal aid. AIMA names the Conselho Português para os Refugiados (CPR), the Portuguese Refugee Council, as the body that provides this advice;
• access to the National Health Service, on terms set by order: see the SNS user number guide;
• schooling for minors, on the same terms as nationals: see the children’s school guide;
• a provisional residence permit once the application is accepted (six months, renewable until the final decision), also issued to family members to whom the protection is extended;
• access to the labour market after the decision accepting the application, under the general law;
• social support if you lack means, which ends if you later show you have enough.

According to AIMA, while you wait for the final decision you cannot ask for a Portuguese passport for foreigners or a refugee travel document. AIMA guarantees the confidentiality of the information in your case and says it never contacts the authorities of your home country.

If protection is granted

A person recognised as a refugee receives a residence permit valid for five years, renewable for equal periods. A person with subsidiary protection receives one valid for three years, renewable for equal periods after an analysis of the situation in the country of origin. The law waives fees on these permits, and close family members receive an extraordinary residence permit of the same validity. According to AIMA, beneficiaries also have access to social security, schooling and work on the general terms, to family reunification and to integration programmes. For reunification, see the family reunification guide.

Protection can cease, be revoked or not be renewed if the circumstances that justified it no longer exist or if one of the situations set out in the law applies.

Temporary protection

Temporary protection is a separate regime, governed by Law 67/2003. According to AIMA, since March 2022 it has applied to people displaced from Ukraine who cannot return because of the war. AIMA identifies four groups: Ukrainian nationals and their family members displaced since 24 February 2022; family members of other nationalities; holders of a valid permanent residence permit granted in Ukraine before that date who cannot return safely; and stateless people in an equivalent position. Family members include the spouse, a partner of more than two years living together, minor children and other close relatives who live with the person and depend on them.

The application is made online on the SEFforUkraine platform, uploading documents such as the passport with all the pages showing border stamps, identity documents, translated and recognised certificates and proof of kinship or dependence. AIMA validates the application and, if approved, issues a temporary protection certificate, which works as a residence permit and carries a NIF, a NISS and an SNS user number.

If you want to leave Portugal, to return home or to go to another country, first ask AIMA to cancel the status by email (geral@aima.gov.pt). If you want to move to another regime you must give up temporary protection in person, because statuses cannot be held together.

Where to get help

• CNAR/AIMA: cnar@aima.gov.pt, for information about your case. Read AIMA’s frequently asked questions first.
• AIMA contact centre: (+351) 217 115 000, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, charged at the applicable tariff. The address geral@aima.gov.pt serves temporary protection.
• CPR: the free legal advice AIMA refers to.
• The Path assistant and the service points page help order the steps and find offices.