How do I get a Chave Móvel Digital?

You can request it on the official authentication portal using the tax portal login, which sends an SMS code and a PIN by post, or activate it in the Autenticação.Gov app with your Citizen Card and a facial check. Counters at public service points are another route.

Do I need a card reader for the Citizen Card?

For online authentication with the physical card, yes: it needs a smart-card reader and the authentication PIN. Many people therefore use the Chave Móvel Digital instead, which only needs a phone.

Will the EU wallet replace the Cartão de Cidadão?

No. Coverage in Portuguese media and from the state side stresses that the Citizen Card remains a physical document and that the wallet is an additional, optional route.

Can foreigners living in Portugal use the Chave Móvel Digital?

The authentication portal states that holders of a CMD who are foreign citizens can access its reserved area. Whether you qualify depends on the documents you hold, so check the official portal.

Digital ID in Portugal: Chave Móvel Digital explained

In Portugal you identify yourself online with the Chave Móvel Digital (CMD), a mobile key tied to your phone number, or with the Cartão de Cidadão, the national smart-card ID, used with a reader and its authentication PIN. The state’s gov.pt app is the part most likely to grow into the Portuguese EU wallet, which is not yet a launched product as of October 2026.

At a glance

Item	Status
National eID or ID card with eID function	Cartão de Cidadão (authentication PIN and smart-card reader)
Mobile or app solution	Chave Móvel Digital; Autenticação.Gov app; gov.pt app for document copies
Bank-based ID	Not the main route for government services
eIDAS notification and level	Cartão de Cidadão and Chave Móvel Digital both notified, at the high level according to the notification overviews
EUDI wallet, October 2026	Existing gov.pt app being upgraded; no public launch confirmed
Responsible body	AMA (Agency for Administrative Modernisation) for CMD and the apps; ARTE (Agency for State Technological Reform) for the EU wallet

The national system

The Citizen Card consolidates what were once separate documents, such as identity card, taxpayer, social security, health and voter registration, into one card with a chip. Online, its authentication and signature functions need a card reader and PINs. That is awkward on a phone, which is why Portugal added the Chave Móvel Digital: a state-certified key that associates your mobile number with your civil identification number, lets you log in to public and some private portals, and signs documents with a qualified digital signature. For background on the signature side, see qualified electronic signatures.

Both means are listed as notified eID schemes, which matters because notified means must be accepted by public services in other member states that are connected to the eIDAS network. The notification overviews list them at the high level; our explainer on levels of assurance shows what that implies.

How to get it and use it

You can request a CMD on the official authentication portal using your tax portal login. You receive an SMS code within minutes, and the PIN is sent by post and arrives after a few days. The faster alternative is the Autenticação.Gov app: choose to activate, keep your Citizen Card at hand and complete the facial verification. Service counters also handle activations.

Once active, you log in with your phone number and PIN and confirm with a one-time code, or approve in the app. The gov.pt app lets anyone with a CMD add documents such as the Citizen Card and the driving licence, which the state says have the same legal value as the physical documents.

The EU wallet in Portugal (October 2026)

The EU Digital Identity Wallet is expected to arrive in Portugal as a version of the existing gov.pt app with European validity. ARTE took part as national contact point in the large-scale pilot POTENTIAL, and independent trackers in September 2026 list the gov.pt app as an existing app with a confirmed upgrade path rather than a launched wallet. EU rules require every member state to offer a certified wallet by the end of 2026, so expect announcements in the coming months. Portuguese reporting stresses that the Citizen Card stays and the wallet is optional. Our EU Digital Identity Wallet guide explains what the wallet adds.

Use abroad and by foreigners

Notified Portuguese eIDs can in principle be used on services in other member states that have connected to eIDAS, and the same works the other way round for foreign eIDs on Portuguese portals. Coverage varies by service, see cross-border eID. Foreign citizens with a CMD can reach the authentication portal’s reserved area; people without one face limits on some services. Across the border, compare Spain.

Which method should you choose?

For most people the Chave Móvel Digital is the practical choice: it works on a phone, covers logins and qualified signatures, and the Autenticação.Gov app shortens activation if you have your Citizen Card with you. Use the physical card with a reader when a service insists on it or when you prefer not to depend on a phone number. Adding your documents to the gov.pt app is convenient for everyday proof, but keep the physical Citizen Card, which stays valid and remains the base of the system. Review which phone number your CMD is linked to, and update it through the official channels if you change number, since account recovery often depends on it.

Privacy and security

Treat the CMD PIN and SMS codes like banking secrets. The card PINs of the Citizen Card are separate and should not be stored with the card. Because the CMD links to a phone number, protect that number against SIM swapping. Only use the official authentication portal and apps, and be sceptical of messages that ask you to confirm a CMD request you did not make.

Official source: autenticacao.gov.pt.