{
  "id": "policy/aima-replaced-sef-immigration",
  "signature": "AI tells a foreigner in Portugal to contact SEF (Servico de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras), book a SEF appointment, or check sef.pt for a residence-permit renewal or visa follow-up",
  "signature_zh": "",
  "regex": "(sef\\.pt|sef appointment|servi[cç]o de estrangeiros e fronteiras|contact sef)",
  "domain": "policy",
  "category": "administrative_barrier",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "SEF (Servico de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) was abolished at 00:00 on 29 October 2023 under Decreto-Lei n.o 41/2023, of 2 June. Its administrative functions for foreigners - residence-permit issuance and renewal, visa follow-up, and related appointments - transferred to the newly created Agencia para a Integracao, Migracoes e Asilo (AIMA, I.P.). Border-control duties did not go to AIMA: air-border control went to the PSP and land/maritime border control went to the GNR. An AI trained before late 2023, or simply reciting older material, will confidently point users to an agency that no longer exists.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "any",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Tell a foreigner to book a SEF appointment, visit sef.pt, or wait for a SEF-issued residence-card renewal",
      "why_fails": "Decreto-Lei n.o 41/2023 created AIMA, I.P. as the successor to SEF for administrative matters concerning foreign citizens, and SEF was abolished when AIMA began operating on 29 October 2023; SEF no longer processes appointments or renewals.",
      "fail_rate": 0.75,
      "condition": "Any residence-permit, visa, or immigration appointment topic after October 2023",
      "sources": [
        "https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/41-2023-213881448",
        "https://www2.gov.pt/en/noticias/agencia-para-a-integracao-migracoes-e-asilo-aima-inicia-funcoes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Assume AIMA also handles airport passport checks or other border-control duties that used to belong to SEF",
      "why_fails": "Decreto-Lei n.o 41/2023 split SEF's old law-enforcement duties away from its administrative ones: air-border control went to the PSP and land/maritime border control went to the GNR, while AIMA took only the administrative-integration functions (residence permits, asylum, integration policy).",
      "fail_rate": 0.45,
      "condition": "Border-control or passport-check questions",
      "sources": [
        "https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/41-2023-213881448",
        "https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2023-02-25/sef-powers-moving-to-other-authorities/75129"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "Direct users to AIMA (Agencia para a Integracao, Migracoes e Asilo) for residence-permit renewals, visa follow-up, and appointment scheduling - not SEF",
      "success_rate": 0.85,
      "how": "",
      "condition": "General immigration/residence-permit question",
      "sources": [
        "https://www2.gov.pt/en/noticias/agencia-para-a-integracao-migracoes-e-asilo-aima-inicia-funcoes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "For airport or border-crossing questions, point to the PSP (air border) or GNR (land/maritime border) rather than an immigration-specific agency",
      "success_rate": 0.65,
      "how": "",
      "condition": "Border-control or passport-check questions",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2023-02-25/sef-powers-moving-to-other-authorities/75129"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": [
      "banking/nif-tax-number-required/pt"
    ]
  },
  "official_doc_url": null,
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.75,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.8,
  "resolvable": "true",
  "first_seen": "2026-08-23",
  "last_confirmed": "2026-08-23",
  "last_updated": "2026-08-23",
  "evidence_count": 3,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": [
    "policy/aima-replaced-sef-immigration/pt"
  ]
}