How can I apply for asylum in Portugal?

You can express your intention to seek international protection in person or in writing, in your own language, with the help of an interpreter, as soon as you arrive to Portugal.

You can apply at:

Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). AIMA is the public entity responsible for migration, issuing passports and identification documents to foreign nationals, deciding on asylum applications and integration of migrants and refugees. The National Center for Asylum and Refugees (CNAR) is the department of AIMA responsible for the registration and analysis of asylum applications.

If you want to file an asylum application, you can do so at the following address:

Rua Álvaro Coutinho, 14, 1150-025 Lisbon

– or you can express your willingness to apply for international protection to any other police authority (they are obliged to convey it to AIMA in 48 hours):

• Public Security Police (PSP)
• National Republican Guard (GNR)
• Maritime Police (PM)
• Any other police force

Confidentiality

Information on your application for international protection is confidential. This means that anyone involved in the process, including AIMA, will not share any information – without your consent– with external individuals or entities, including authorities of your country of origin.

What if I do not speak or understand Portuguese?

If you do not speak Portuguese, you can speak in a language of your preference or a language you can understand during the whole asylum procedure and receive free support from an interpreter and translation services provided by the government of Portugal.

Make sure to inform the person handling your case at AIMA on your language preferences and requirements.

Your documents may also be translated free of charge by interpreters working for the Portuguese authorities, in case you are unable to pay for the translation yourself.

You can file your asylum application at the border post (such as airports) or at the administrative detention centre located at the airport (ECIT). Requests filed at the border are subject to Border procedure. During border procedures, the applicants remain at the airport or at the ECIT.

In order to formalize your asylum application, you need to inform the Police that you want to seek asylum at your earliest opportunity.

The Police will communicate your request to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) which will register it and will analyse it.

• Based on an interview and any document you present, AIMA will decide whether you meet the admissibility criteria and whether your claim is well-funded. If your claim is not considered unfounded or inadmissible, within 7 days from the registration  you will be admitted to the territory of Portugal (see section “Regular procedure” below). Subsequently,  you will be issued a temporary residency permit, valid for 6 months (renewable for equal periods of time).

• If there is no decision taken within 7 days, you will be admitted automatically. If  this happens, and you have not received any information from AIMA, you can seek legal counselling (visit the section “Do you need legal support” here for information on free legal counselling) or reach out to AIMA directly.

• If AIMA determines that your case should be analysed by another EU country, the 7 days deadline will be suspended and  the timeframe will depend on the re communication of AIMA with the relevant authorities of that country. This process is ruled by the Dublin Regulation. For more information, check the “Dublin Regulation” section.

• If your application is deemed inadmissible or unfounded by AIMA, your application will not be admitted to further processing. You will remain at the airport/ECIT.
  • In this case, if you do not agree with the decision, you can file an appeal within 4 calendar days.
  • If you do not have sufficient financial resources, you can access free, state-funded legal aid to file an appeal. CPR can support you in accessing the legal aid system and liaising with your legal aid lawyer. Find contacts to CPR and other legal providers here.
  • During the appeal procedure you will remain at ECIT for up to 60 days (counting from the first day of entry to ECIT). If you do not receive the decision on your appeal within 60 days, you will be allowed entry to the national territory.

• If you do not file an appeal, or if you received a final decision from the court regarding your application,  you may be subject to return.

Once you express your intention to apply for international protection to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) or any other police authority mentioned above, you will be registered by AIMA through a process called identification.

During Identification:

• Fingerprints will be taken (if you are at least 14 years of age);
• A photo of you and each of your family members will be taken;
• You will need to fill out a preliminary form, which includes information on identification, itinerary, grounds of the asylum application, supporting evidence, and witnesses.

Once your application for asylum is registered, AIMA will issue a Declaration proving the submission of your application for asylum, which allows you to remain legally in the country while the process is ongoing. This document also allows you to work.

You will be interviewed by an employee of AIMA, with an interpreter if necessary, on a date and time that will be communicated to you by AIMA. Note that currently, it is possible that the interview will be conducted on the day of registration.

During the interview, AIMA will ask you questions about:

• your identity (name, surname, date and place of birth, nationality),
• personal situation (current domicile, contact details, education, work, religion, previous residences, languages known),
• your family composition,
• personal history,
• your journey to reach Portugal and
• the reasons for fleeing from your country of origin.

ATTENTION!

• If you do not speak Portuguese, you have the right to be assisted by an interpreter.
• Bring to the interview all documents in your possession that could be useful to understand your situation, including birth, identity and marriage certificates, documents confirming the circumstances and facts on which the asylum claim is based, previous residences and asylum applications, itinerary, etc.
• If you have specific needs do not hesitate to speak to the AIMA officer about them.

Specific needs include situations such as: you are under the age of 18, you are pregnant, you are a survivor of violence or torture, or you are affected by serious disease, etc. – See Can I get special assistance if I have a health problem or other specific needs? for more information.

The interview will also include questions that aim to determine whether Portugal is the country responsible for examining your claim or it should be analysed by another EU country (in which case you will be transferred to that country). This process is called the Dublin procedure. Click here to know more about the Dublin procedure and Dublin Regulation.

After the interview, based on your declarations,  a written report is prepared and shared with you by AIMA. By law, you have 3 working days to present any comments and observations regarding this report to AIMA.

Remember that you can use legal support throughout the procedure. Contact CPR’s legal department to obtain legal support free of charge.