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Using a Loja do Cidadão in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How to visit a Loja do Cidadão: booking online, taking a queue ticket on your phone or at the kiosk, what to bring, and what you can do online instead.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Using a Loja do Cidadão in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You are going to a Loja do Cidadão (citizen shop) and want the visit to go smoothly.
  • You are new to Portugal, or you do not speak much Portuguese.
  • You want to know whether you can skip the visit and do it online.

Not for you if: you want to know which services a Loja or an Espaço Cidadão offers, or how to find the nearest one. Read Using a Citizen Shop (Loja do Cidadão) in Portugal instead.

You can visit a Loja do Cidadão with or without an appointment. Without one, you take a queue ticket (senha) at the kiosk, or a digital ticket on gov.pt or the SIGA app before you leave home. With one, you book a date and time on the SIGA portal or app. You need a separate ticket for each person and each service. Bring your ID, your tax number (NIF), and every document for each errand. Many errands, such as changing your Citizen Card address, can be done online instead.

Before you go: can you do it online?

Check first whether you need to go at all. gov.pt lists 238 online public services in its Loja de Cidadão Virtual, and some offer help by video call. Common ones include:

  • changing your Citizen Card address, for free;
  • renewing your Citizen Card, if you are Portuguese and 25 or over;
  • renewing your driving licence;
  • viewing your NIF, social security, and health numbers, if you are a foreign citizen who asked for them together.

Most of these need the Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital), a free login for public websites. Foreign citizens can activate it with a passport, or with a residence card and a NIF. If you have no Citizen Card, you activate it at a counter, for example at an Espaço Cidadão. See Activating the Chave Móvel Digital in Portugal.

For address changes, see Changing Your Registered Address in Portugal. For Citizen Card renewals, see Renewing Your Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão) in Portugal.

Three ways to be seen

WayHowGood for
Ticket at the kioskTake a senha at the Loja and wait to be calledShort errands on the day
Digital ticketTake a senha on the Loja's gov.pt page or in the SIGA app before you arriveSkipping the kiosk queue on the day
AppointmentBook a date and time on the SIGA portal or appErrands that need time, or counters that only see people with appointments

Queue tickets (senhas)

  • One ticket per person, per service. If you need Finanças and Social Security, you need two tickets. If two people need the same service, each needs a ticket.
  • Digital tickets are available on gov.pt from 30 minutes after the Loja opens until one hour before it closes. You choose SMS or email, and you show the digital ticket at the counter when your number is called.
  • Wait 30 minutes between digital tickets if you want more than one sent to the same phone number or email.
  • Tickets can run out. A counter's page may show that no more tickets are available for the day. Arrive early, or book.

The SIGA app also gives registry tickets for the Citizen Card, passports, birth and death registration, and vehicle registration. It shows the average wait and how many people are ahead of you.

Appointments

The SIGA portal and app take bookings for several public bodies. gov.pt links to the full list. They include:

  • the registry office (IRN), for the Citizen Card, passports, and civil registration;
  • Social Security, which also books by phone on 300 502 502 or 210 545 400, on working days from 09:00 to 18:00.

Some bodies ask you to log in before you book.

The tax office books separately. For Finanças, book through the Contactos page of the Portal das Finanças, or call the tax helpline on +351 217 206 707, on working days from 09:00 to 19:00. You do not need a Portal login to book. See Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal.

AIMA books separately too. If your Loja has an AIMA counter, follow AIMA's own booking rules. See Visas and Residency in Portugal.

On the day, step by step

  1. Check the Loja's gov.pt page that morning. Look at the hours, any closures, and each counter's own hours and rules.
  2. Take your digital ticket, or have your appointment confirmation ready.
  3. Arrive with every document for every errand. One missing paper usually means another visit.
  4. At the Loja, find your counter. If you have no ticket yet, take one at the kiosk for the right service.
  5. Watch the screens. When your number appears, go to the counter shown.
  6. Ask for proof before you leave. Get a receipt, a printout, or a reference number for what was done.

What to bring

Each counter has its own list, so check the service's page on gov.pt. As a starting point, bring:

  • Your ID: passport, residence card, EU identity card, or Citizen Card;
  • Your NIF, and your social security number (NISS) if you have one;
  • Proof of address, if the service needs it, such as a lease, a utility bill, or a parish residence certificate. See Getting a Proof of Residence (Atestado de Residência) in Portugal;
  • The originals of any document you hand over, plus copies if asked;
  • Your phone, for SMS codes, digital tickets, and the Digital Mobile Key;
  • A way to pay the service's fee.

Foreign documents. A document in another language may need a certified translation, and an apostille or legalisation. The Loja does not translate for you. Arrange this before you go. See Getting a Certified Translation in Portugal and Getting an Apostille or Consular Legalisation in Portugal.

What it costs

You pay the fee for the service itself, set by the body that provides it. For example, renewing a Citizen Card at a registry counter costs €18 for an adult and €15 for someone under 25. Many services are free, such as asking for your NIF or activating the Digital Mobile Key.

At the registry counter, you can pay for a Citizen Card by card, cash, or certified cheque from a Portuguese account. Other counters set their own payment methods, so bring a bank card.

If you do not speak Portuguese

No official source promises service in English. Some staff speak English, but you cannot count on it.

  • Prepare a short note in Portuguese that says what you need, with your document numbers.
  • Bring someone who speaks Portuguese, if the matter is complex.
  • Call the Linha Cidadão first on 210 489 010 or 300 003 990, on working days from 09:00 to 18:00, to check what to bring.

If you use Portuguese Sign Language, some Espaços Cidadão, such as the one in the Porto Loja, offer it by appointment.

Common problems

The counter closed before your number was called. Counters can close earlier than the building. Check each counter's hours on gov.pt, take your ticket early, or book an appointment.

No tickets left for today. Book through SIGA, or try another Loja or an Espaço Cidadão nearby.

You brought the wrong document. Ask the clerk for the exact list in writing, or check the service page on gov.pt, before you take another ticket.

You went to the wrong counter. Each counter only handles its own body's services. Ask at the reception desk if you are unsure.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Procedures change; check the Loja's page on gov.pt before you go.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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