Costs, Government Fees and Professional Expenses

Official fees and the current table

AIMA announced a revised fee table effective from 1 March 2026. The official table covers administrative acts under Law No. 23/2007 and distinguishes the relevant procedure and charging conditions. Consult the ARI lines, including the lines for family members, rather than using the fees for an ordinary temporary residence permit.

Reception and examination, grant, renewal and other acts can be separate charging events. Read the applicable column, reductions, exemptions and notes in the official table. The amount on a private quotation should be reconciled with the official charge and payment document before payment.

Structure the budget

The following categories help make quotations comparable. They are a planning framework, not a tariff or an estimate for a particular family.

Build the budget around payment dates

Keep two views of the commitment. The first shows cash required at each stage, including the investment principal. The second shows fees and other expenditure that is not expected to be recovered. Capital invested is not an administrative fee, and an expectation of repayment is not a guarantee that the money will be available when needed.

For a hypothetical household of two adults and one child, create three applicant rows. Enter the applicable official charge for each person only after checking the category and any exemption. Add shared professional costs once, then record any services priced per person separately. This avoids both omitting family charges and counting a shared invoice three times.

• Initial commitment: investment funding, agreed professional retainers and immediate document costs.
• Application stages: the confirmed charges for each person and any appointment or travel expenses.
• Continuing period: investment charges, insurance, document updates and renewal preparation.
• Contingency: identify the assumptions that could cause extra expenditure, such as repeated travel or a separate legal response.

Professional fees and responsibility

Ask each provider for a written scope of engagement. It should identify the client, the work to be performed, the fee structure, taxes where applicable, disbursements and the circumstances in which additional work is charged. Clarify whether family applications, renewals, responses to document requests or litigation are included.

Immigration representation and investment advice are different services. Where one business introduces another professional or investment provider, ask how each party is paid and whether any referral arrangement may create a conflict. A single combined price should still permit the underlying services and official charges to be identified.

Costs within the investment

For a fund investment, review the subscription documents for entry charges, management fees, performance fees, depositary costs and exit or transfer restrictions. For company investment, employment and operating costs can continue beyond the initial capital contribution. Cultural or research contributions may have a different economic character from an investment intended to return capital.

The immigration threshold and the money ultimately recoverable are different figures. Ask which charges reduce the invested amount, which are paid separately and how distributions or losses interact with the investment conditions. Obtain advice on the specific structure before using projected proceeds to fund later costs.

Family applications and future renewals

Prepare a separate line for every applicant. Children and other dependants may have different documentary needs, but should not be assumed to be free of charges. Check applicable exemptions against the official rules rather than a general family-package description.

Include future renewals and a contingency for updated certificates, translations and travel. Administrative delay can change when these expenses arise. Avoid a budget that assumes all family cards arrive together or that a fixed investment maturity will coincide with the end of residence obligations.

Payment checks before committing

Keep official fees, professional invoices and investment transfers separate in the payment record. Verify the beneficiary, payment reference and reason for the charge through the relevant official or contractual channel. AIMA states that scheduling an appointment is free; this is distinct from statutory application fees or an agreed professional service.

Before paying, request a total showing the assumptions, currency, payment dates, refund terms and excluded work. Review it again when the route, family composition or procedural stage changes. This makes the financial commitment understandable without presenting a variable process as a fixed-price entitlement.