impugnação judicial
Published 5 November 2026, 15:07
impugnação judicial (challenging a decision in court)
The next step after an authority has decided a case: you ask a court to review the decision. The deadline depends on the area. For a road traffic offence it is 15 working days from notification; the challenge is addressed to the judge of the district where the offence took place, but lodged with the same office that issued the decision. In international protection cases the deadlines are much shorter: five days in the border procedure and for a subsequent application, eight days against a refusal to admit the application, and ten against a refusal on the merits.
Where you come across it. You have received a decision on a road traffic offence, or an AIMA decision on a protection application, and you disagree with it.
Whether the challenge suspends enforcement also depends on the area. For a road traffic offence nothing is enforced until the court decides: no driving ban, no penalty points deducted. In a protection case it is different: an appeal against a court ruling on a subsequent application has only devolutive effect (efeito meramente devolutivo), meaning it does not delay removal. A lawyer is not compulsory, but with deadlines like these you should start looking for one on the day you receive the paper.
Official website: ansr.pt/contraordenacoes