Scandal in Portugal: 1,600 Migrants Registered at the Same Address

Portugal is facing a growing scandal over fraudulent residency registrations, with reports revealing that hundreds of migrants used the same address in official documents, according to The Portugal News. The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) identified over 1,000 similar cases and has referred them to law enforcement.

The fraudulent scheme came to light following a mass communication campaign targeting over 440,000 foreign nationals whose legalization requests had been pending for years. Around 170,000 of them failed to pay the required fees and received warnings about termination. After closing these cases, AIMA began analyzing registered addresses and uncovered numerous overlaps.

The most high-profile case emerged in Lisbon’s Penha de França district, where more than 1,600 people declared the same residence. In February, a criminal case began involving a suspected organized group accused of facilitating illegal immigration, forging documents, and abusing authority.

At the same time, AIMA faces harsh criticism from the legal community. Immigration lawyers argue that thousands of cases were closed without due process or the right to appeal. Many report losing access to client case files and note the automated nature of rejections, which disregard individual circumstances. On April 4, lawyers protested outside AIMA’s headquarters in Lisbon, demanding greater transparency, restored access to case records, and a functioning appeals mechanism.

In response, AIMA claims it is acting within the law and is obligated to notify authorities when fraudulent address patterns are detected. However, it's unclear whether property owners and intermediaries involved in these schemes will face consequences, or if blame will fall solely on migrants.

This crisis highlights deeper structural flaws. In 2023, Portugal dissolved its Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), transferring responsibilities to AIMA. As IMI Daily notes, this reform followed scandals including the death of a Ukrainian detainee and rising migration figures. By 2024, Portugal was home to over 1.1 million foreign nationals, and AIMA was overwhelmed with a backlog of over 400,000 pending cases.

To address these issues, authorities plan to implement tighter controls, including digital verification of rental contracts, municipal confirmation of addresses, and limits on how many people can register at a single residence. Público reports that AIMA will open new offices nationwide and launch an online case-tracking system by 2025.

The mass detection of address fraud exposes the vulnerability of Portugal’s immigration system. Despite plans for digitalization and reform, the gap between policy and reality remains wide. With limited case-by-case evaluations, restricted legal access, and reliance on questionable intermediaries, many migrants remain trapped in informal and insecure arrangements. Restoring trust in migration institutions will require not only enforcement but systemic reform.

Similar issues have emerged across Europe. In Germany, following related scandals, the government has enforced stricter landlord verification requirements. Italy has restricted the registration of multiple migrants at a single address. In Spain, municipalities like Madrid have introduced automated notifications and random inspections to prevent fraudulent residency declarations.