Visa and Residence Permit Processing Times
How long the authorities behind Europe's most requested visa and residence routes actually take to decide a case, statutory targets alongside realistic timelines, each dated and sourced against the same verified facts registry Relovisa's own case team uses.
Coverage is limited to Spain (UGE-CE, ENISA) and Portugal (AIMA), the jurisdictions with a processing-time figure confirmed in that registry as of this page's last update. France, Germany and Italy are not included yet, no processing-time figure for those has been re-verified against a primary source; we will add them once they are.
Spain
How long does Spain's UGE-CE take to process a residence application in 2026?
20 working days, with positive administrative silence (silencio positivo) applying if that deadline passes without a decision. This covers the Digital Nomad Visa and Startup Visa filings made in-Spain; the 3-year permit is only obtainable via this in-Spain UGE-CE route, the consular route grants a 1-year visa instead. See the Spain Digital Nomad Visa and Spain Startup Visa pages.
How long does ENISA take to review a Spain Startup Visa business plan?
10 to 20 working days from a complete submission. ENISA's favourable report is a precondition for the UGE-CE step above. See the Spain Startup Visa page.
Portugal
What is Portugal's statutory processing target for AIMA residence applications?
90 days is the legal target. Realistic timelines in 2026 run considerably longer, see the next question. See the AIMA case guidance page.
How long does Portugal's AIMA actually take to process residence permits in 2026?
9 to 18 months end-to-end in Lisbon and Porto, or 5 to 9 months via regional offices, against the 90-day legal target above. See the AIMA case guidance page.
Has Portugal cleared its AIMA legacy immigration backlog?
Yes, as of 31 December 2025: the legacy backlog (Estrutura de Missão) closed on that date, with about 525,000 files processed and roughly 93% of the legacy caseload cleared. See the AIMA case guidance page for what is still outstanding.
How many cases are currently pending with Portugal's AIMA?
More than 133,000 court cases were pending as of April 2026, the current live-pressure indicator now that the legacy backlog above has closed. See the AIMA case guidance page.
Does an incomplete Portugal residence application get rejected outright?
Since 28 April 2025, Portugal's complete-application rule has been in force: AIMA requires a fully documented file before it will process a case. See the AIMA case guidance page.
Last verified
| Last verified | |
|---|---|
| Spain UGE-CE, residence-authorisation review | 2026-06-12 |
| Spain ENISA, business-plan review | 2026-06-12 |
| Portugal AIMA, statutory target | 2026-06-12 |
| Portugal AIMA, realistic timeline | 2026-06-12 |
| Portugal AIMA, legacy backlog | 2026-06-12 |
| Portugal AIMA, current caseload pressure | 2026-06-12 |
| Portugal AIMA, complete-application rule | 2026-06-12 |
Dates are this page's own re-verification pass against Relovisa's canonical facts registry, not the date a rule or process took effect.