News, 9 October 2026
Portugal’s immigration agency AIMA has processed about 6,000 of the roughly 46,000 golden visa (ARI) applications in its backlog, around 13%, per IMI Daily. The figures came from Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro at a hearing of parliament’s Constitutional Affairs committee on 7 October 2026. He also said AIMA has scheduled appointments for about 30,000 investor applicants, but that is scheduling, not decisions.
At the same hearing, reported by Observador, the minister said AIMA’s staff has grown from 723 to 850, that the agency had moved on to family reunification and golden visa files after clearing most of its other backlog, and that about 5,000 of 445,000 old “expressions of interest” regularisation cases remain. A new AIMA president, César Teixeira, was announced. In October 2025 the government promised to clear the golden visa backlog during 2026; with under three months left, most files are still open.
Waiting times are still getting longer. IMI Daily’s Q2 2026 survey put the average golden visa wait at a record 50.4 months, up from 43.9 in Q1, and IMI Daily expects the average to keep rising as AIMA works through the oldest files. Practitioners quoted by IMI Daily estimate roughly 14 to 18 months from submission to first residence card for new filings, if AIMA keeps prioritising investor files; one firm sees 8 to 9 months to the biometrics invitation. Those are adviser estimates, not official targets (AIMA promised 30 to 90 days when it overhauled the procedure in 2025).
What it means for you: if you are already in the queue, expect a biometrics appointment before a decision, and keep your investment and documents current for when it comes. If you are considering the programme now, the slow start matters more than before: under Organic Law 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026, the 10-year naturalisation clock (7 for EU and CPLP citizens) runs from your first permit, not from your application, so IMI Daily puts the total at 11 to 11.5 years from filing. Budget for that, not for the five years the programme used to offer.
Full guide: Golden visa countries (2026): which are open, closed and the cost · Second passport (2026): how to get one by descent, residency or investment
Sources
- IMI Daily: Portugal says it has processed 13% of its golden visa backlog
- Observador: Leitão Amaro on the next phases of migration policy, 7 October 2026
- Observador: AIMA will resolve golden visa backlog in 2026, says minister, October 2025
This is general information from the Nomad Forums team, not immigration, tax or legal advice. Rules change; check the official source or a qualified adviser before applying.
Over to you: If your Portuguese golden visa file is pending, have you had a biometrics invitation yet, and when did you file? Anyone who received a first card this year, how long did it take from submission?