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If you are planning to come to Portugal in the coming months to get your Portuguese passport and ID (Citizen card), we have good news for you!
Following the Corona restrictions and delays in the issuance of documents at the Portuguese Ministry of Justice, the Portuguese government decided to create a new initiative in the name of the Open House where ID cards and passports can be obtained at nine branches across the country, and not just the Lisbon Ministry of Justice as it was before, and in addition, the working hours in the branches were extended to almost all days of the week except Sundays. This means that you will not be depended anymore on particular days and you can combine the issuance of the coveted passport with a trip to beautiful Portugal without having to depend only on the capital Lisbon!
This article tells about the Open House Initiative, where it operates and its working hours as well as how many IDs and passports have been issued since the initiative began.
The Open House initiative began on October 2 at nine civil service branches across the country and at the Ministry of Justice in Lisbon for the purpose of obtaining and renewing identity cards and passports to alleviate the pressure and delays created in issuing new documents during the Corona period. The branches operated during eight Saturdays from October 2 to November 20, from nine in the morning until ten in the evening. According to the Portuguese website Idealista, given the various options available to citizens, including automatic and online renewal, during this time 402,230 identity cards were renewed and 502,778 new identity cards, and 78,398 passports were issued.
The Open House Initiative will continue to operate until February 28, 2022
In light of optimizing the response of services, the government has decided to extend the activities of the open house until February 28, 2028, in all branches of citizen services for all working days of the week and not just on Saturdays.
The open house operates in nine branches throughout Portugal: in the Ministry of Justice in Lisbon and in the cities: Laranjeiras, Marvila, Odivelas, Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Coimbra, Braga, Faro.
The working hours in the branches are Monday to Friday 8: 00-20: 00 and on Saturday from 8: 00-15: 00, Sundays the branches are closed.
The government decided to extend the existence of the open house because of the pressure created by the expiration of ID cards (Citizen cards) in February 2020 and the need to extend them until December 2021. “We thought it would make sense to maintain such a format, to extend service time, in most places”, Justice Minister Francisca Van Dunem explained, at a press conference.
A very positive assessment by the government towards the open house
Since the open house began operating, between October 2 and November 20, about 50,000 applications have been made in connection with identity cards and passports.
These data were presented at a press conference by the Minister of Justice, Francisca Van Dunem, and the Minister of Modernization of the State and Public Administration, Alexandra Leitão, who very positively evaluated the initiative as “streamlining the provision of services”.
During the open house initiative, there has also been an increase in the use of digital passwords, which allow citizens to receive a password for personal service remotely, through the website or through the Mapa de Cidadão app.
Renewal of identity cards automatically
If you are already a Portuguese citizen over the age of 25 with an updated biometric passport, you can renew your identity cards automatically. To do this, you must send an application to the Portuguese Ministry of Justice and receive the code in the mail for the new ID card. In this way, about 600,000 Portuguese citizens have already renewed their identity cards without the need to go to branches.
Further details on all services for the citizen can be found on the Portuguese Ministry of Justice website.
Have you already received your ID and passport? That is great! We are excited for you. Tell us about the experience of the new service in the Facebook group “Over the rainbow Portugal”.
