· 1 min read
Automatic Online Residence Renewals: Portugal's May 2020 Innovation
Portugal implemented automatic online renewals for residence permits in May 2020, processing approximately 33,000 renewals without in-person appointments during the pandemic.
On 15 May 2020, following publication of a SEF administrative dispatch in the Diário da República, Portugal implemented the first wave of automatic online renewals for residence permits. Initially targeting approximately 33,000 foreign residents whose permits were due to expire by the end of 2020, the system allowed renewals without requiring an in-person appointment.
Applicants could submit required documentation digitally, and renewals were processed automatically unless issues were flagged. This innovation was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made traditional appointment-based renewals impractical.
For foreign nationals—including Americans, British, Brazilians, Canadians and Israelis—the automatic renewal system meant continuity of legal status without navigating overloaded appointment systems. It also facilitated employment continuity, access to healthcare and ability to travel once conditions allowed.
The programme was later expanded and became a precursor to broader digitalisation efforts within Portuguese immigration services.
Official source: Diário da República, SEF administrative dispatch of 15 May 2020 (https://dre.pt)