Digital Mobile Key accessible to foreigners residing in Portugal

Access to the Digital Mobile Key, a unique means of authentication that allows access to various public and private services, is accessible, under the same circumstances, to all citizens of portuguese nationality who hold a Citizen Card and to foreign citizens residing in Portugal and holding of a foreign card or residence permit or a valid passport.

Citizens of foreign nationality residing in Portugal and holding a foreign card or residence permit or passport can access the Digital Mobile Key under the same circumstances as Portuguese citizens. In accordance with Ordinance No. 312-A/2022 of December 30, the documents indicated above allow access to this channel.

The Digital Mobile Key, known in Portugal as Chave Móvel Digital – CMD – is na alternative means of authentication that allows citizens to benefit from the provision of public services – including Direct Social Security, the Finance Portal or the National Health Service Portal – and private services as well as electronic signature, exclusively digitally. Registration is allowed to citizens aged 16 years or over as long as they are not subject to accompanying measures and can be carried out in person or through Portuguese Government Authentication (autenticacao.gov.pt).

Encouraging the portuguese population or those residing in Portugal to use this means of authentication with universal access, through the Digital Mobile Key – CMD – is one of several measures implemented in the Government Program and also integrating the Simplex 2019 Program. The basic idea is to simplify authentication processes with the CMD and facilitate accession to it via mobile devices.

The Digital Mobile Key is a simple means of authentication that works by associating na e-mail or mobile phone number with the citizen’s card. Alternatively, it can be associated with the passport number of a foreign citizen residing in Portugal. After registration, the mobile phone number (or passport number) works as a login, which means as a user name which has a numerical digit pin is associated (similar to a bank card or the Mbway application). The benefit of the Digital Mobile Key is that, with the same pin, citizens can access the various services provided by the Public Administration as well as some private services (for example, access to the website of a private hospital where there is the patient file and the results of analyzes and exams are listed, among other valences or in private banks).

In summary, the Digital Mobile Key allows a citizen or a company to carry out all sort of operations exclusively electronically, without the need to go to offices, entities or services in person, such as, for example, requests for scheduling medical appointments, renew your driving license, schedule the renewal of documents, request online or other criminal records (birth, marriage), or file an electronic complaint with the Judiciary Police.

Services accessible through the Digital Mobile Key:

For Citizens: