Paper EU residence cards: the leading zero that blocks the renewal portal
AIMA has published a specific instruction for EU nationals and their non-EU family members who still hold residence cards issued on paper. When entering the card number in the renewal portal, the leading zero must be dropped — a card printed as 011641 has to be typed as 11641. The rule applies only to paper cards. If the request still will not go through, AIMA asks for an email to [email protected] with the subject line "Portal de Renovações, Agendamento CR papel, impossibilidade submeter pedido", your personal details and a copy of the paper card.
Why it matters for your move
A small formatting quirk that reads as a system failure: people conclude their card is invalid or the portal is broken, and stop. If you hold a paper card, try it without the leading zero before assuming anything is wrong.
This is Re-locant.com’s own brief, written to explain what the update means for people moving to or living in Portugal. For the full original report, see the source below.