Initially, the service will be available at the Citizens' Shops in Cascais, Saldanha, Laranjeiras and Setúbal, as well as in Braga, Lagos, Loures, Oeiras, Olhão and Porto.
Starting this Monday (17), immigrants will be able to access the Citizen's Mobile Key, a service that will be carried out at service desks opened in 10 locations across the country . The information was provided to media by the Ministries of Youth and Modernization and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which worked together to implement the measure.
The one-stop shops were announced last July and are arriving a little over three months late. Initially, they were expected to be operational by 2024. The measure is one of 41 provided for in the Migration Action Plan, announced on June 3 last year. According to the Government , the delay was due to the procedure to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This assessment is carried out by the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD).
The purpose of the counters and the provision of the Digital Mobile Key is to simplify immigrants' access to documents and reduce pressure on public services. At these counters, it will be possible to obtain the Tax Identification Number (NIF), the Social Security Identification Number (NISS) and the National User Number (NNU) in a single space.
“With the implementation of this new service, the Government guarantees that a fundamental step has been taken in simplifying the process of assigning identification numbers. From now on, in a single visit, any eligible foreign citizen will be able to obtain the three identifiers necessary for their regularization and, with the activation of the Digital Mobile Key, carry out public services online”, reads the Government statement, to which DN had access.
In addition to holders of residence permits, people with refugee status or beneficiaries of international protection, the service will also be available to immigrants arriving with a visa. The measure will make it easier to obtain basic documents upon entering the country.
Today, immigrants need to go to several different offices to obtain their identification cards. For example, the user number is provided at health centers, but each one has its own rules. In some, you just need to send an email, in others, you have to go in person. The documents required also vary in each health center. All of this makes it difficult for foreign citizens to access the National Health System (SNS).
The NIF is requested at the Tax Office, where it is necessary to compete for the day's slots for service or try to make an appointment online, which can take days or weeks, depending on the city. As DN has already reported, at the Laranjeiras Citizen's Shop in Lisbon, for example, immigrants arrive the night before and sleep in line to get service.
Registering with Social Security is another challenge. Although the application can be made online, it is often necessary to go to a department in person to obtain the document. As with other services, the rules for obtaining it may vary from city to city.
The Government states that the measure will help to simplify bureaucracy and help integrate immigrant citizens. “It will have a significant impact on simplifying administrative processes: it will reduce the time needed to perform the service and avoid repeated trips, ensuring more efficient service and also contributing to improving the integration process for immigrants.”
At the same time, it highlights that there will be a reduction in the demand for in-person public services, which are already under pressure. “By reducing the pressure on demand for public services, this new integrated service system, which implements interoperability between State entities, contributes to streamlining and improving in-person service without prior appointment in public services, benefiting all citizens”.
The Ministry of Youth and Modernization explains that, at the time of the request, “the citizen identifies himself with his passport and activates his/her Digital Mobile Key to carry out the service. Subsequently, the citizen will receive his/her identification numbers via email, in the reserved area of the Single Digital Services Portal - gov.pt and via the gov.pt electronic application, if he/she has a mobile device”.
In this initial phase, the service will be made available in 10 selected Citizen Spaces: the municipalities of Braga, Lagos, Loures (LoureShopping), Oeiras (Oeiras Parque), Olhão and Porto (Union of Parishes of Cedofeita, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Miragaia, São Nicolau and Vitória), as well as in the Citizen Spaces of the Citizen Shops of Cascais, Saldanha, Laranjeiras and Setúbal.
According to the Ministry of Youth and Modernization, “in the future, the service is expected to be progressively extended to the entire network of Citizen Spaces and include new features, ensuring greater reach and impact for the immigrant community in Portugal”.
This Monday (17), the Minister of Youth, Margarida Balseiro Lopes and the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, visit the space in Loures.