CLAIM
Published 4 November 2026, 00:38
CLAIM — Centro Local de Apoio à Integração de Migrantes (local support centre for newcomers)
A local help point for newcomers, where they are received, given explanations and supported in person to help them cope with everything they face in their first months. The network was set up by Portaria n.º 203/2016 and consists of national CNAIM centres and local CLAIM centres (previously called CLAII). The centres are run jointly with local councils and other organisations, and AIMA is now responsible for the network: these duties passed to it when ACM was abolished (Decreto-Lei n.º 41/2023).
Where you come across it. your first weeks in the country; a case stuck at AIMA; questions about documents, where to go and what to submit.
CLAIM is not an AIMA office: no decisions on your case are made there and no residence permits are issued; staff help you understand what is going on and find the right desk. Nor is it a law firm: nobody there will represent you in court.
Official website: aima.gov.pt