Asylum Application Process
Processo de solicitação de asilo
| 🔗 KEY LINKS | Dublin Regulation: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02013R0604-20130629 |
| ☎️ KEY CONTACTS The Portuguese Refugee Council (Conselho Português para os Refugiados - CPR) is non/governmental organisation (NGO) that provides legal and social support to asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in Portugal | Via phone: +351 21 831 43 72 / 96 963 89 16 Email: apoio.juridico@cpr.pr |
| 📍KEY LOCATIONS | Quinta do Pombeiro, Casa Senhorial Norte Azinhaga do Pombeiro, s/n 1900-793 Lisboa, Portugal |
WHAT IS IT?
Applying for asylum or international protection means asking a country other than your own to protect you from danger or a generalized violation of human rights in your home country.
International Protection can either be:
Refugee Status - you are a refugee if you are persecuted or seriously threatened with persecution for activities carried out in your country OR if you have a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group and are unable to return to the place of your nationality or habitual residence.
Subsidiary Protection - this will apply to you if you can’t return to your country due to a systematic violation of human rights or because you are in risk of serious harm or if you face serious risks to your safety, including conflict or mistreatment.
APPLYING FOR ASYLUMWhere? AIMA (the agency that replaced SEF) or any police organizationWhen? As early as possible following the arrival to the countryHow? Written or orally
STEP BY STEP GUIDE
Apply for asylum at AIMA or at any police station
CNAR (AIMA's National Centre for Asylum and Refugees - Centro Nacional para o Asilo e Refugiados) is the responsible entity for international protection procedures. CNAR registers your asylum application, will interview you, analyse your case and decide about it. There are 2 stages:
| First Stage of the Procedure at CNAR - within 30 working days (this is a timeframe for the CNAR) | |
|---|---|
| CNAR interview | In this interview, the asylum seeker has the opportunity to explain the reason for the asylum application and it should be conducted in a language that the asylum seeker understands and speaks. There is also the right to a translator. |
| Interview with CPR | --- |
| CNAR's decision | a) If it’s negative, you can still ask for a judicial review b) If it’s positive, you go into the Second Stage |
| Documents | At this stage, you get a declaration proving the presentation of the application for international protection (DCPPI), which is valid for 2 months. |
| Second Stage of the Procedure at CNAR - within 6/9 months (non-mandatory deadline) | |
|---|---|
| Detailed examination | --- |
| CNAR's proposal of decision | --- |
| Response to CNAR's decision | It's very important that you comment or change any information needed |
| Final decision | a) If it’s negative, you can still ask for a judicial review (you have the right to free legal support) b) If it’s positive, you either get a Refugee Status (you have a Residency Permit valid for 5 years) OR a Subsidiary Protection (you have a Residency Permit valid for 3 years) |
| Documents | At this stage, before the decision, you get a provisional residence permit (ARP), valid for 6 months. |
During the procedure, you might be asked to obtain relevant proof documents, that support your case. If you do not have them or retrieving them would put you at risk, this will not prevent your application from being processed. They can be ID documents, school cards and certificates, news from the country of origin, medical reports, photos and other relevant documents, etc.
IMPORTANT: You should only try to get these documents from your country of origin if it is safe for you to do so. If it’s not safe for you, you don’t need to have them.
| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | |
|---|---|
| I wasn’t interviewed in the First Stage. Will I be interviewed in the Second one? | Yes, if you’re seeking asylum, you will always have to be interviewed, whether it is on the first or second stage. |
| The 30 working days of the First Stage have expired and I haven’t got any decision. What happens next? | Your process goes automatically onto the Second Stage. |
| What does it mean if I get a Dublin Procedure? | The Dublin Regulation (from EU) establishes there is only one country responsible for analysing an asylum application. The criteria used to determine the country responsible are:
If you receive a Dublin decision, it means that Portugal considered that another EU country must analyse your case. |
| What are my rights during the application? | To stay in national territory during the pendency of the procedure. Do not leave Portugal while your asylum procedure is pending.
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| What are my responsibilities during the application? |
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| My documents are no longer valid. What should I do? | Your documents (declaration proving the presentation of the application for international protection, residence permit) should be valid. You should contact AIMA (CNAR@aima.gov.pt) in order to renew the document before the expiration date. |
| I lost my documents. What should I do? | In case of losing the identification documents, the authorities must be informed immediately. |
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