How to Spot Immigration Scams in Portugal

1. What AIMA has warned about

Fake appointment emails. In a notice published on 22 August 2024, AIMA warned about fraudulent emails that misuse its name. They were sent from the address noreplyportalsef@saf-aima.pt and falsely said that an appointment had been booked at an AIMA office, telling people to turn up on a given date and time. AIMA says these emails are not sent by the agency or by any of its official services. Its advice is not to click any link in the message, to block the sender, to mark the email as spam and to delete it.

A fake website. In a notice published on 5 March 2026, AIMA said that the website aimapt.com is not official and has no connection to the agency. According to AIMA, the site improperly uses its visual identity and tries to pass itself off as an official platform, which can mislead people and cause them losses. AIMA says that to use its services you should use only its official websites, and should not enter personal or bank details or make payments on unofficial sites.

These are examples from AIMA’s own notices. Scammers change addresses and wording, so do not rely on remembering one bad address. The checks below work for any message.

2. How to check a message or website

• Look at the sender’s domain, the part after the @. Per AIMA, real appointment emails come from aima.gov.pt, or from sef.pt for systems still being restructured. A sender such as saf-aima.pt is not the same thing.
• Type the web address yourself. AIMA’s official portal is www.aima.gov.pt. AIMA also names its official email address, geral@aima.gov.pt, and its official accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.
• Do not trust the look. The fake site aimapt.com copied AIMA’s visual identity. A logo and the right colours prove nothing.
• Do not use contact details from the message itself. If you are unsure, find AIMA’s contact details on aima.gov.pt and ask there.
• Be careful with any message that pushes you to act fast, asks for passwords or bank details, or tells you to click a link to “confirm” something.

3. How AIMA says fees are paid

Knowing the real process makes fake ones easier to spot. AIMA’s FAQ (version 1.0, March 2026) explains that for the procedures it covers, fees are paid with a payment document called a DUC (Documento Único de Cobrança), which is generated in AIMA’s online platform. Once the DUC has been generated, the FAQ says to pay it within 10 working days. If the DUC is not generated, AIMA says to write to geral@aima.gov.pt with the subject it gives in the FAQ, or to ask in person at an AIMA office.

This is only what the FAQ describes for those procedures, and details can change. The practical lesson is simple: if anyone tells you to pay an AIMA fee in a different way, for example by transferring money to a personal account or through a link in a message, check with AIMA through its official channels before you pay.

4. Be careful with promises

Some scams are not emails at all. They are offers from people who say they can speed things up. Be careful with anyone who guarantees a result, or who asks for money for a faster appointment. Only AIMA decides, and its own process is described on its website. If you want professional help, choose a registered lawyer and check them yourself. Our guide on how to choose an immigration lawyer in Portugal explains how, and you can search our directory by city, visa type and language.

5. If you think you have been targeted

Keep what you have. We suggest taking a screenshot of the message, the sender’s address and the website address before you delete anything, in case you need to report it. If you entered a password, change it. If you paid, contact your bank straight away.

AIMA says that if you suspect fraud you should report it at once to the competent authorities: the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministério Público) both offer online forms for reporting cybercrime. You can also report in person at a PSP police station or a GNR post.

The government also runs an online complaint service called Queixa Eletrónica. It lets people file certain complaints to the GNR or the PSP electronically, and its list of complaint types includes fraud (“Burla”). According to the service, identified individuals, Portuguese or foreign, who live in or are present in Portugal can use it, and a complaint is forwarded only after the person’s identity has been validated. It is not for emergencies. If a crime is happening now, call 112.

Quick checklist

• Is the sender’s domain exactly aima.gov.pt (or sef.pt, as AIMA describes)?
• Did you type the website address yourself, instead of clicking a link?
• Is the message asking for passwords, bank details or an urgent payment?
• Does the payment method match what AIMA says on its own website?
• Is anyone promising a guaranteed result or a faster appointment for money?
• If in doubt, did you check with AIMA through its official channels?