Anyone applied for Portugal's Digital Mobile Key? Especially while outside the country?

Same for me. But after i registered at a citizen space, my CMD was not activated. I will need to go to some place, like Registo Civil to activate it, as i do not have Cartão de Cidadão therefore can not activate online or in app.
Tommy, how you activated your CMD?

I just went to my nearest RIAC office and they did everything for me on the spot.
But it seems like RIAC is not available on the continent… :man_shrugging:

Thanks very much for the links y’all

What is RIAC?

The equivalent of Lojas de Cidadão, but only in the Açores.
https://www.riac.azores.gov.pt/#!/loja/loja-do-norte-grande

As another data point, I got my Chave Móvel Digital with just a UK passport plus a PT mobile number & NIF last month. Like many of you, I’m still waiting for my GV approval and residency card :roll_eyes:
It’s debatable whether the CMD is worth getting. I wanted one to be able to follow the status of a Livro Amarelo complaint, but it turns out only complaints associated with a Citizen Card can be tracked online!

I’m on Madeira, so went to the Funchal Lojas de Cidadão (Av. Arriaga 42a) to apply for my CMD. Some tips that may help others:

  • Initally I took a queue ticket for ‘Citizen Card / Chave Móvel Digital’ - but when I got to the counter the lady said this was only for Citizens
  • I then took a queue ticket for ‘Balcão Cidadão’ (Citizen Service Desk 4 in Funchal), where there was a hand-made sign in English regarding the CMD (below), so I knew I was finally in the right place (despite not offically being a ‘Citizen’)
  • I was served after about a 20-25 minute wait. Rumour in the queue was if you visit closer to mid-day there are typically 2 Balcão Cidadão counters open instead of just 1 so it’s faster - I can’t confirm/deny
  • The Agent didn’t/couldn’t add my NISS (as suggested above), just my UK passport + NIF
  • You are assigned a temporary CMD PIN. The Agent had me change that to my own PIN at the counter

I had hopes that the Chave Móvel Digital would be a more secure authentication method. By default the CMD system sends you a code (different from your PIN) via SMS when you use it to log into a PT site. You can change that to only send the code to a Gov.pt app on your phone that uses biometrics.
…all good, but many government login screens also have an option “If you haven’t received it [via the App], click on Send by SMS”. So the same SMS vulnerabilities like SIM Swapping/Hijacking and SMS Interception apply even if you’re using the Gov.pt app with biometrics!

1 Like

Does the CMD give one any advantages? I have often wanted to use it for making appointments (eg IMT).

This is great info, thanks for the tips! The fact you had to decipher that the CMD counter was only for citizens but the citizens counter was for foreigners is a very funny encapsulation of Portuguese bureaucracy :wink:

2 Likes

For basic stuff like the Portal das Finanças and banking, I’d say no. Portal das Finanças has recently added an option to use 2FA, albeit only via SMS. Your PT bank presumably already has 2FA.

For other things like IMT… I’ve yet to experience that bit of glorious Portuguese bureaucracy :slight_smile:

1 Like

No advantage at all from my experience. The only place it worked for me was the Portal das Financas. Everywhere else I tried it failed.
And by the way it will be the first thing cancelled when you permit card expires, you’ll get an sms on the same day. Very efficient :grin:

1 Like

Second @tommigun .

It worked for me at Portal das Finanças and MillenniumBCP, but not BiG. Just tried minutes ago, it still works although my ARI expired last month.