On 15 April 2021 the former Foreigners and Borders Office (SEF) of Portugal officially changes its name to the Foreigners and Asylum Office (SEA), according to a decree published in the Republic’s Official Gazette. This change serves to make clearer distinction between administrative migration processes and the role of the police.

The Portuguese government considers it important to 'reconfigure the way public services deal with the phenomenon of immigration, adopting a more humanist and less bureaucratic approach, in line with the objective of attracting regular and orderly labour to perform functions in different sectors of activity'.

According to the decree, 'as established in the programme of the XXII Constitutional Government, the government now establishes the main goals of a very clear organic separation between police functions and the administrative functions of the authorisation and documentation of immigrants'.

In addition to the name change, it is also established by the decree that 'within the framework of internal security policy, the SEA must have technical and administrative tasks in the implementation of policies in migratory matters, such as in documentation, the management of databases, relationships and cooperation with other institutions, and external representation, namely within the Schengen Area and with European border and asylum agencies'.

Additionally, some of the SEF’s functions will be transferred to the remaining security forces, namely PSP and GNR.