Chave Móvel Digital: how to set up Portugal's digital login

The Chave Móvel Digital (CMD) – the Digital Mobile Key – is the single login for Portugal's online public services. With one phone number and a PIN, you can access Finanças, Segurança Social, the health service, AIMA, and hundreds of other services, and even sign documents digitally.

Since 2026, foreign residents can activate the CMD more easily, including with a passport or residence permit. This guide explains who can get one, every way to activate it, and how to fix the most common problems. Check

In short:

• The CMD is free.
• You need a mobile phone number (Portuguese or foreign) and, for foreigners, usually a NIF.
• You can activate it via the gov.pt app, Autenticação.gov, video call, the Portal das Finanças, or in person.
• It gives access to 200+ public services and lets you sign PDFs digitally.

What Is the Chave Móvel Digital?

The CMD links your identity to your mobile phone number. When you log in to a government website, you choose "Chave Móvel Digital", enter your phone number and PIN, and then confirm with a temporary security code (sent by SMS or generated in the app).

You can use it to:

• Log in to Portal das Finanças (taxes, IRS, NIF)
• Access Segurança Social Direta (NISS, contributions and benefits)
• Use the SNS 24 app and health portal (see healthcare in Portugal)
• Check and download documents in the gov.pt app (NIF, NISS, health number, driving licence)
• Request a criminal record certificate
• Change your address
• Sign documents with a qualified digital signature
• Access some banks and private services

Who Can Get a Chave Móvel Digital?

• Portuguese citizens with a Cartão de Cidadão
• Foreign residents with a residence permit (Título de residênciaThe residence card that proves a non-EU national's residence permit.) or EU registration certificate (CRUEThe registration certificate for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who live in Portugal for more than three months. It is usually issued by the municipal council (Câmara Municipal).)
• Foreigners with a passport in some activation routes
• Adults and children – but each person needs their own mobile number

For foreigners activating with a residence permit or registration certificate, a NIF is required.

What You Need Before You Start

• A mobile phone number (can be Portuguese or foreign)
• An email address
• Your identification document: Cartão de Cidadão, residence permit, EU registration certificate, or passport
• Your NIF (tax number)
• For app activation: a smartphone with a camera

Method 1: Activate in the gov.pt App (Fastest)

The gov.pt app (which has absorbed the old ID.gov app) lets you activate the CMD using biometrics – a photo of your document plus a video selfie.

1. Download the gov.pt app from the App Store, Google Play or Huawei AppGallery.
2. Choose to activate the Chave Móvel Digital.
3. Scan your identification document following the on-screen instructions.
4. Record a short video selfie for facial recognition.
5. Enter your phone number and email.
6. Create a PIN (4–8 digits).
7. Confirm with the code sent by SMS.

This route has historically worked best for Cartão de Cidadão holders. If your document isn't accepted in the app, use one of the methods below.

Method 2: Video Call

You can activate the CMD in a video call with an operator from the Agency for Administrative Modernisation (AMA).

1. Go to autenticacao.gov.pt and choose the video-call activation option.
2. Join the call at the scheduled or available time.
3. Show your identification document to the camera.
4. Confirm your personal details, phone number and email.
5. Create your PIN.

Have good lighting and a stable internet connection – most rejections are due to blurry document images.

Method 3: Through the Portal das Finanças

If you already have a Portal das Finanças password (linked to your NIF), you can request the CMD from autenticacao.gov.pt using your Finanças credentials.

1. Go to autenticacao.gov.pt → Chave Móvel Digital → Ativar.
2. Choose to authenticate with Portal das Finanças credentials.
3. Enter your NIF and password.
4. Add your phone number and email.
5. A letter with an activation code is sent to your fiscal address registered with Finanças.
6. When the letter arrives, use the code to complete activation and set your PIN.

Important: The letter goes to the address registered with Finanças. If your NIF still shows a fiscal representative or a foreign address, update it first or choose another method.

This route works well for foreigners who have a NIF and Finanças password but no Portuguese ID card.

Method 4: With a Card Reader (Cartão de Cidadão)

Portuguese citizens can activate the CMD on a computer:

1. Install the Autenticação.gov desktop application.
2. Connect a smart card reader (they cost under €10 online or in electronics shops).
3. Go to autenticacao.gov.pt and choose Ativar Chave Móvel Digital.
4. Insert your Cartão de Cidadão and enter the authentication PIN from the letter you received with your card.
5. Add your phone number and set a CMD PIN.

Method 5: In Person

Go to a Loja do CidadãoA Citizen's Shop: a building where several public services, including Finanças counters, have desks under one roof., Espaço CidadãoA Citizen Spot: a smaller in-person help point where staff assist with a range of online public services., Conservatória or other service desk that offers CMD activation. Bring:

• Your passport, residence permit or Cartão de Cidadão
• Your NIF
• Your mobile phone

Tell the staff you want to activate the Chave Móvel Digital. You'll receive a temporary PIN by SMS and be asked to change it on your first login. Booking an appointment in advance saves a lot of waiting.

How to Log In With the Chave Móvel Digital

1. On any government portal, choose "Autenticar com Chave Móvel Digital".
2. Enter your phone number (with country code if it's not Portuguese) and PIN.
3. Enter the 6-digit security code sent by SMS – or generate it in the gov.pt or Autenticação.gov app.
4. Authorise the data you're sharing with that service.

Using the app's code generator is faster than SMS and works if you're abroad with a foreign SIM.

How to Sign Documents With the CMD

The CMD can produce a qualified electronic signature, legally equivalent to a handwritten one.

1. Activate the digital signature first (on autenticacao.gov.pt or in the app – it's a separate step from activation).
2. Open the document in the Autenticação.gov desktop app, the gov.pt app, or the signature page on autenticacao.gov.pt.
3. Choose sign with Chave Móvel Digital, enter your phone number, PIN and the security code.

This is very useful for rental contracts, forms for AIMA, school documents and anything that needs a signature without printing.

Troubleshooting: Common Problems

"My document photo or selfie wasn't accepted." Use better lighting, avoid reflections on the card, and make sure your face fills the frame. If it keeps failing, use the video call or in-person route.

"I didn't receive the SMS code." Check that the number includes the correct country code. Use the app to generate codes instead of SMS.

"I forgot my PIN." You can reset it on autenticacao.gov.pt or in the app, usually by re-confirming your identity.

"My CMD expired." The CMD is linked to the validity of your identification document. If you don't renew it before it expires, you'll need to activate it again – for example after renewing your residence permit.

"I changed my phone number." Update your number on autenticacao.gov.pt while you still have access to the old one. Otherwise, you'll need to reactivate.

"The Finanças letter never arrived." Check the fiscal address on your NIF record. Update it on the Portal das Finanças and request a new letter, or choose another activation method.

Is the Chave Móvel Digital Safe?

Yes – it uses two-factor authentication (PIN plus a one-time code). To stay safe:

• Never share your PIN or security codes, even with someone claiming to be from a government agency.
• Use only official sites: autenticacao.gov.pt, gov.pt, portaldasfinancas.gov.pt.
• Be wary of SMS messages with links asking you to "confirm" your CMD – these are common phishing scams.

Final Thoughts

Activating the Chave Móvel Digital is one of the most useful things you can do after getting your NIF in Portugal. It saves trips to service counters, gives you instant access to your tax, social security and health records, and lets you sign documents from your phone. If the app doesn't accept your document, don't give up – the video call, Finanças letter and in-person routes all work.