AIMA clarified in August 2026 which documents family members of EU citizens must present. An out-of-date marriage certificate can stop your application from even being accepted.
If you are a non-EU national married to an EU citizen and you are about to submit an application to AIMA in Portugal, there is a deadline hidden in your paperwork that very few people know about — and it can stop your appointment before it starts.
On 14 August 2026, AIMA published a clarification on the documents required from third-country nationals applying as family members of EU nationals. One point matters more than the rest.
Your marriage certificate expires — in practice
Where the family relationship is evidenced by a marriage certificate, AIMA states it must be:
- Issued six months or less before the date of the appointment;
- Properly signed and on official letterhead.
As an alternative — and AIMA says this is the preferred route — you may provide a valid access code to the certificate.
The consequence is stated plainly: missing an up-to-date certificate or a valid access code may prevent the application from being accepted, because an essential document is absent from the file.
Why this catches so many people
Because in most countries a marriage certificate is treated as a permanent document. You obtain it once, you file it away, and you assume it is valid forever.
Portuguese authorities reason differently. The certificate is not there to prove that you got married — it is there to prove that you are still married today. A certificate issued in 2019 evidences a wedding, not a current marital status.
That is the entire logic behind the six-month rule, and it is also why an access code is preferred: a code allows the authority to check the present situation rather than a snapshot of the past.
If your application involves a minor
AIMA also set out what is required when the application concerns a child. Three things must be evidenced:
- the family relationship;
- the legal representation of the minor;
- the attribution and exercise of parental responsibilities, where applicable.
Depending on the situation, that can mean:
| Document | Validity |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate | Under 16: not subject to an expiry period. From 16 onwards: valid for 12 months after issue. |
| Proof of legal representation of the minor | As applicable to the situation |
| Decision of the competent authority in the country of origin on parental responsibilities | Where applicable |
All documents must be properly certified and legalised. For documents issued in countries party to the Hague Convention, that normally means an apostille.
The age-16 trap
Look closely at that asymmetry. A birth certificate for a child under 16 does not expire — but from 16 onwards it is valid for only 12 months. If your child recently turned 16 and you are holding the certificate issued when they were small, that document has quietly stopped being acceptable, even though nothing in their life has changed.
What to check before your appointment
- Look at the issue date on your marriage certificate. More than six months old? Request a new one, or obtain the access code.
- Check the ages of any minors in the application, and for anyone 16 or over confirm the birth certificate was issued within the last 12 months.
- Verify certification and legalisation. A foreign document without the required apostille is routinely refused.
- Bring originals and copies, and bring more than you think you need. Returning for a missing page means another appointment, and appointments are not quick.
One important qualification
This article summarises what AIMA published. The agency is explicit that the documents required vary according to the family relationship invoked and the specific situation of each applicant. Before travelling to an appointment, confirm the list that applies to your case on the official page linked below, or through AIMA’s contact centre.
If your certificate is rejected, what happens next
A rejection on this ground is not a decision on the merits of your application — it is a document problem, and document problems are fixable.
In practice you will be asked to supply a fresh certificate. The clock that matters is the one on the new document: request it close enough to your appointment that it will still be inside the six-month window on the day, and far enough ahead that it actually arrives.
Two things worth doing while you wait. First, check every other dated document in the file at the same time — criminal record certificates also age, and discovering that after fixing the marriage certificate means starting over. Second, keep the proof of when you requested the new certificate: if the delay is on the issuing authority’s side, that evidence is what explains the gap.
If your case involves a minor, the rules on parental authorisation add another dated document to the pile, and those two deadlines rarely line up on their own.
How to time the paperwork so it does not expire
The mistake almost everyone makes is to gather documents as soon as they decide to move, then wait months for an appointment. By the time the appointment arrives, half the file has aged out.
The order that works is the reverse. Secure the appointment date first, then work backwards. Once you know the day, you know exactly how old each document can be, and you request the short-lived ones last.
It helps to sort your documents into two piles. One holds the things that do not expire — birth certificates in most systems, diplomas, passports until their own expiry date. The other holds the things that carry a clock: marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, proof of address, bank statements. Only the second pile needs timing, and it is usually shorter than people expect.
One more practical point: if a document has to be legalised or apostilled, that step adds time on top of issuing time, and it is the part most often forgotten in the count. Ask the issuing authority how long both stages take together, not just the first.
Checked on 19 September 2026
The documentary requirement described above was confirmed against AIMA’s official guidance on this date. This page carries a verification date because immigration rules change often, and a rule that is correct today can be wrong three months from now. Where this page and the official source disagree, the source wins.
Two related pages, if your case goes beyond the certificate: the new nationality law and the residence periods it now requires, and the D7 income requirements for 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Perguntas frequentes
How recent must my marriage certificate be for AIMA?
According to AIMA’s clarification of 14 August 2026, it must have been issued six months or less before the date of your appointment, and be properly signed and on official letterhead. A valid access code to the certificate is the preferred alternative.
What happens if my certificate is out of date?
AIMA states that the absence of an up-to-date certificate or a valid access code may prevent the application from being accepted, because an essential document is missing from the file.
Does a child’s birth certificate expire too?
It depends on age. Below 16 it is not subject to an expiry period. From 16 onwards it is valid for 12 months after issue.
Do foreign documents need an apostille?
AIMA requires documents to be properly certified and legalised. For public documents from countries party to the Hague Convention, that normally means an apostille.
Does this apply to every applicant?
The clarification is addressed to third-country nationals applying as family members of EU nationals. AIMA notes that required documents vary according to the family relationship invoked and each applicant’s specific situation.
Official sources
- AIMA — Family members of EU nationals from third countries: documents required to submit an application — published by the source on 14/08/2026
Information verified on 2 September 2026. Immigration rules change often — always confirm with the official source before acting.
