Complaining about AIMA: where to file it and what it changes

Every week someone in the groups asks the same thing: can I file a complaint against AIMA — and does it change anything?

You can, in three places. Just know in advance what each one is for, because none of them decides your file.

1. The Yellow Book — in person or online

A year ago the online route did not exist for AIMA: in September 2025 it was still missing from the electronic Yellow Book. Today AIMA's own transparency page lists it.

What it gives you: a dated, official record that you raised the problem. What it does not give you: a decision on your case.

2. AIMA's contact form

For a problem with your own process — a status that never moves, a wrong address, a document they asked for — AIMA's channel is the contact form at contactenos.aima.gov.pt. The contact centre answers on (+351) 217 115 000, Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 20:00.

Keep the confirmation of every submission. Screenshots count.

3. The Ombudsman (Provedor de Justiça)

The Provedor de Justiça defends people harmed by unjust or illegal acts — or omissions — of the public administration. Months of silence on a file is exactly that kind of omission. You can complain through provedor-jus.pt, by email to [email protected] or by phone on 21 392 66 00.

AIMA is among the entities people complain about most: the Ombudsman's annual report published in July 2025 counted 3,389 complaints about it.

What actually moves a stuck file

A complaint puts pressure on the system. It does not put a deadline on your case — the law already does that. A first application must be decided within 90 days (extendable by 30 only in exceptional cases); once that passes, AIMA is in breach and a court can order it to decide. How to count the deadline and what the letter must say.

The sensible order: keep every confirmation, complain through the Yellow Book or the Ombudsman so there is a record, and use the legal deadline for the file itself.