Some useful information if you haven’t got your Digital Key.
If you don’t yet have your Digital Mobile Key (CMD), know that it can save you long hours of waiting at public services. Renewing your citizen card, driver’s license, requesting certificates, or even opening an online account can be done in just a few minutes. In this article, we show you how to request your Digital Mobile Key quickly and easily.
How do I request a Digital Mobile Key?
Currently, there are five ways to request the Digital Mobile Key, online or in person:
- gov.pt mobile app (new app that unified the old ID.gov and Autenticação.gov, with more features)
- Authentication.gov application for computers.
- Authentication Portal.gov
- By video call
- In person.
The Digital Mobile Key is created by associating your mobile phone number with your civil identification number (NIC), for a Portuguese citizen, and with your passport number for a foreign citizen residing in Portugal.
Through the gov.pt mobile application (new, faster way)
You can request the CMD through the mobile application . To do this, you need to have your citizen card with you, the app installed for Android , iOS or Huawei , and a mobile phone with a camera.
Install the application and follow the steps below:
- Open the gov.pt app and click on “Activate Digital Mobile Key”.
- Accept the terms and conditions and enter the mobile phone number you will associate with the phone.
- Receive the security code via SMS and enter it.
- Photograph the front and back of your citizen card.
- Enter the postal code of the address associated with the card.
- Perform facial verification (the app compares your image with the one on the card in real time).
- Select the services you wish to activate (authentication and/or digital signature).
- Set and confirm the CMD PIN.
- Receive a new security code via SMS and enter it.
Upon completing these steps, the CMD will be activated immediately, without the need to send a letter.
Through the Autenticação.gov portal
Online, you can also request the CMD through the Autenticação.gov portal:
- Access the portal using your login details (Tax Identification Number and Tax Authority Portal password).
- Authorize the association of your data with CMD.
- Add the contact information (mobile phone and/or email).
- Receive a security code and enter it on the portal.
- In this method, a letter containing the CMD PIN will still be sent to the tax address within 5 business days.
It is also possible to use the Citizen Card with a reader and the Autenticação.gov plugin to activate the CMD.
For this option, install the Autenticação.gov plugin on your computer. You will also need a card reader and the authentication PIN code – which can be found on the PIN code sheet of your Citizen Card. See how to do it in this video .
Through video call
To request the Digital Mobile Key via video call, you need your citizen card, a computer, mobile phone or tablet with a camera and microphone. Make sure you are alone and in a well-lit place. Find out how to schedule the video call on the ePortugal portal .
What can you do with the Digital Mobile Key?
The Digital Mobile Key gives you access to a wide variety of public and private portals and services where you can initiate online processes, such as:
- renew your Citizen Card
- renew your driver’s license
- request birth, marriage or death certificates
- schedule appointments at the health center
- Access the Tax Portal (as you would with your usual access password)
- Consult health information on the SNS Portal, such as the electronic vaccination record.
- to enroll in Higher Education
- Request a student card from the university.
- Sign digital documents (after activating your digital signature)
- Opening a bank account and accessing online banking.
But is it safe?
The Digital Mobile Key uses 2-factor authentication security, which makes it very secure.
As an added security measure, the law allows citizens to review their authentication history and digital signatures. Data protection is guaranteed by the Agency for Administrative Modernization (AMA ).
For your security, we advise you not to share your CMD PIN with third parties and to keep it private.
Who can activate the Digital Mobile Key?
Any citizen, Portuguese or foreign, can request the Digital Mobile Key. If you are a Portuguese citizen, you can activate the DMC using your Citizen Card, Identity Card or Passport. The DMC associates a mobile phone number with your civil identification number.
How do I recover my Digital Mobile Key?
If you have already requested your CMD (Central Mobile Device), but you don’t remember the PIN or if you entered the wrong PIN and your Digital Mobile Key is now blocked, what you need to do to recover/unlock it is simple:
Unlock the Digital Mobile Key
If your CMD (Citizen Card) becomes blocked, you can unblock it in the reserved area of the Autenticação.gov portal. You will need to log in and authenticate yourself with your Citizen Card and smartcard reader.
Forgot your PIN?
If you have forgotten your PIN, you will need to request a new Digital Mobile Key, using your citizen card, through the following means:
- in the gov.pt mobile application (using biometrics – employing physical characteristics, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, for identification)
- via video call (also via biometrics)
- in the reserved area of the Autenticação.gov Portal.
In this case, you need to cancel the current CMD to activate a new one.
If you prefer to recover your CMD PIN code instead of choosing a new one, go to a Citizen’s Shop. You can read more about unlocking and recovering PIN codes for the Digital Mobile Key on the ePortugal Portal .
Can I change the PIN on my Digital Mobile Key?
In addition to recovering your PIN, you can also change it at any time. Besides the authentication PIN and the PIN itself, you can change the associated mobile phone number and email address.
These changes can be made online in the reserved area of the Autenticação.gov Portal , by phone, or in person.
Learn more about changing the data associated with your Digital Mobile Key on the ePortugal Portal .
How do I sign documents with the Digital Mobile Key?
If you have requested or already have your Digital Mobile Key, to sign documents you only need to activate the digital signature. Documents you sign with your digital signature have the same validity as a handwritten signature. The digital signature with Digital Mobile Key is certified by Regulation 910/2014 of the European Union .
How do I activate my subscription with the Digital Mobile Key?
You can activate your digital signature online through the reserved area of the Autenticação.gov Portal , by selecting “Digital Mobile Key” as the authentication method and choosing how you wish to authenticate. Or at any counter or service that offers activation of the Digital Mobile Key.