The law, which was approved by a large majority in Parliament and published in the Diário da República on 17 August, grants exclusive responsibility for cases involving people who are not considered to be nationals by any state to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).

The law states that applications must be entirely free of charge and have to be treated as an urgent matter; they can be started either at the request of the individuals (either orally or in writing) or by the authorities acting on their own initiative, with a review period of six to nine months.

Until the case has been reviewed by AIMA, the applicant is granted a temporary residence permit which remains valid for six months and can be renewed for further periods of six months each.

The applicant also has immediate access to healthcare, education, the labour market, legal aid, and free interpretation services, and any existing criminal or administrative proceedings relating to illegal entry or stay in the country are suspended. In cases involving minors or vulnerable people, the new regulation provides greater protection by making sure that the minor is given the opportunity to be heard and is accompanied by their legal representatives.

By granting this status, eligible citizens are given a two-year temporary residence permit which can be renewed and a special travel document. The beneficiaries have rights and obligations equivalent to those of Portuguese citizens—except as regards political rights and public offices which are reserved by law—and also benefit from diplomatic and consular protection.

The status comes to an end if they acquire any nationality or if they obtain equivalent protection in a different country, and it can be cancelled in cases of falsification of documents or failure to disclose facts during the process of granting the status.