The issue emerged after AIMA decided to decentralise appointments to reduce pressure on services in Lisbon and Porto.

However, as reported by Jornal de Notícias, appointments are being allocated according to availability rather than applicants’ places of residence, forcing some people to travel long distances.

Decentralised system

One case involves an immigrant living in Almada who was given an appointment in Carregal do Sal, in the Viseu district.

After travelling as far as Coimbra, the applicant found there were no practical public transport options to complete the journey.

Faced with the possibility of missing the appointment and potentially delaying their immigration process, the applicant reportedly paid €300 for a private car to reach the destination.

The decentralised system has helped ease demand at AIMA’s services in Lisbon and Porto, but has also resulted in applicants receiving different responses depending on where their appointments are held.

The newspaper also reports a couple who were given three separate appointments in different locations for the same process, adding to the difficulties faced by people already navigating Portugal’s immigration system.

As the appointments are allocated based on availability rather than proximity to applicants’ homes, some immigrants are consequently being required to absorb substantial travel costs and spend hours travelling for appointments that can take only a few minutes.