If you’re currently waiting for your Portuguese residence permit, the process has just become a little less stressful. AIMA has launched a new feature that lets applicants track their residence permit application at every stage — from document submission to the delivery of the residence card. The tool is currently in a testing phase, but it is already available to use.

What can you now track?
• confirmation that your application has been received and is under review;
• when your case moves to the decision stage;
• after approval, the production, issuance, and dispatch of your residence card;
• once the card has been shipped, a tracking number will appear so you can follow its delivery.

If AIMA needs any additional documents or information during the review process, the system will notify you. And if an application is refused, applicants will be able to see the reason for the decision and receive information about the appeals process.

Until now, many immigrants had little or no visibility into what was happening with their application. As a result, people often called AIMA, sent emails, or visited local offices simply to ask about the status of their case. Those inquiries became one of the factors contributing to long queues and the agency’s heavy workload.

If the new tracking service performs reliably, waiting for a residence card should become far less stressful, while getting updates on an application’s progress will be much easier. It is likely one of AIMA’s most useful digital improvements in recent years.