Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, I. P. (AIMA)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
DPEE - Planning, Studies and Statistics Department
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, I.P. (AIMA), Avenida António Augusto Aguiar, 20, 1069 - 119 Lisboa, PORTUGAL
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
21 January 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
21 January 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
15 September 2025
3.1. Data description
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
3.2. Classification system
Same as Eurostat.
Authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons is not applicable as a decision on asylum protection.
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Asylum statistics.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Same definitions as Eurostat.
Authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons is not applicable as a decision on asylum protection.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.5. Statistical unit
Persons.
3.6. Statistical population
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.7. Reference area
Portugal
3.8. Coverage - Time
Time coverage according to Regulation (EC) No 862/2007, from January 2008, eventually January 2021.
Data on withdrawn final decisions are not available for 2010.
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of persons.
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The new Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, I.P. (AIMA) became operational on 29 October 2023, replacing and merging the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) and the High Commissioner of Migration.
AIMA oversees the admission, reception, and integration of immigrants, as well as migration and asylum policies.
AIMA maintaining the regionalised service structure and introducing new digital strategies to facilitate and improve the processes of Residence.
The launch of AIMA embodies the separation of police and administrative functions, allowing the initiation of a series of new measures, functionalities and policies that will expand and improve the quality of access to services, reinforcing the security of processes and procedures and the trust and credibility of users and society in general.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
In practice, AIMA is responsible for assessment and decision of return cases.
The GNR and PSP police forces are responsible for the execution of return decisions.
In concrete and specific terms:
With the reallocation of SEF's attributions and responsibilities to AIMA and the restructuring of the Portuguese system for managing border control, international protection and the documentation of foreign citizens, the following steps were taken, with close cooperation is ensured between all the institutions:
1. Border control; coordination and coordination of management, information and databases and information systems relating to the movement of people and border control:
National Republican Guard (GNR);
Public Security Police (PSP);
Internal Security System - Border and Foreigners Coordination Unit (SSI/UCFE).
2. Supervision and control of the stay of foreign citizens:
Public Security Police (PSP);
National Republican Guard (GNR).
3. Responsibility for coordinating the work of the security forces and services among themselves and between them and the Institute of Registries and Notaries, I. P., and the AIMA:
Internal Security System - Border and Foreigners Coordination Unit (SSI/UCFE).
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The Statistics Department, in accordance with the GDPR, and the department responsible for data protection at AIMA, regulate the necessary confidentiality of the data extracted.
Data are disseminated monthly, quarterly and annually:
Monthly data A01, A02, A03, A18, A19, A20 – January to December, two months after the end of the reference period.
Monthly data A71, A72 – January to December, one month after the end of the reference period.
Quarterly data A04, A05, A06, A09 – February, May, August, November, two months after the end of the reference period.
Annual data A10, A11, A12, A13, A16, A17, A21 – March, three months after the end of the reference period.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
With the creation of AIMA on October 29, 2023, all of platforms are still in the transition phase and many others are being created, so at the moment data extraction is not done at all quickly and always requires final confirmation, which always takes longer.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
AIMA only publishes its data on EUROSTAT and EUAA.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not applicable.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not applicable.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not applicable.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not applicable.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not applicable.
11.1. Quality assurance
Compilation of data is following the guidelines and instructions provided by Eurostat. Consistency validation checks are performed.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The data is reliable and verified by the Statistics Directorate of AIMA.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
At the national level, the asylum statistics are used regularly by government bodies and for some academic studies.
At the European and international level, the main users of asylum statistics are Eurostat, DG Home Affairs and EUAA.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable.
12.3. Completeness
The required disaggregation for all datasets is complete.
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The accuracy of the data is checked at a national level.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Due to ongoing technical difficulties, asylum data is being delivered late.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
Due to technical problems on the part of the data provider, data is often delivered after the deadline. Several datasets are missing from January 2025.
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Statistics are comparable between geographical areas in Portugal.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data are comparable over time.
Some changes in data, with the extinction of the SEF for AIMA, for the applicants under accelerated procedure and rejected applicants at first instance.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
The annual totals may be slightly lower or higher than the sum of the quarterly figures.
This is due to possible duplication within the reporting period.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Regular revisions are made to ensure the quality of the work.
During the year, some ad hoc analyses are carried out to check whether the table is valid or needs updating.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Regular revisions are made to ensure the quality of the work.
During the year, some ad hoc analyses are carried out to check whether the table is valid or needs updating.
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
Until 28 October 2023 – Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF).
From 29 October 2023 – Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, I.P. (AIMA).
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Monthly, quarterly and annually.
18.3. Data collection
AIMA collects administrative data from the beginning of 2024. This data is used to create summary tables, which are submitted to Eurostat.
In the previous period, data was prepared by SEF.
18.4. Data validation
During the process of monitoring and ensuring the quality of the resulting tables, additional data controls are performed.
18.5. Data compilation
Requested tables are prepared according to Eurostat guidelines.
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
15 September 2025
Same definitions as Eurostat.
Authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons is not applicable as a decision on asylum protection.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Persons.
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Portugal
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
The accuracy of the data is checked at a national level.
Number of persons.
Requested tables are prepared according to Eurostat guidelines.
Until 28 October 2023 – Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF).
From 29 October 2023 – Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, I.P. (AIMA).
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Data are disseminated monthly, quarterly and annually:
Monthly data A01, A02, A03, A18, A19, A20 – January to December, two months after the end of the reference period.
Monthly data A71, A72 – January to December, one month after the end of the reference period.
Quarterly data A04, A05, A06, A09 – February, May, August, November, two months after the end of the reference period.
Annual data A10, A11, A12, A13, A16, A17, A21 – March, three months after the end of the reference period.
Due to ongoing technical difficulties, asylum data is being delivered late.
Statistics are comparable between geographical areas in Portugal.
Data are comparable over time.
Some changes in data, with the extinction of the SEF for AIMA, for the applicants under accelerated procedure and rejected applicants at first instance.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
