Portugal news, in English, every morning. Free.

Subscribe

The Portugal Brief
Subscribe
Guides

Using a Citizen Shop (Loja do Cidadão) in Portugal

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

The difference between a Loja do Cidadão and an Espaço Cidadão, which services each offers, how to find the nearest one, and where to check opening hours.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Using a Citizen Shop (Loja do Cidadão) in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You need a public service in person and want to know where to go.
  • You are unsure whether a Loja do Cidadão or an Espaço Cidadão can help you.
  • You live in Portugal as a resident, EU or non-EU, in a city or a small town.

Not for you if: you already know where to go and want to know about tickets, appointments, and what to bring. Read Using a Loja do Cidadão in Portugal instead.

Portugal has two kinds of citizen service point. A Loja do Cidadão (citizen shop) is a building with separate counters for several public bodies and companies, such as the tax office, Social Security, and the registry office. There were 82 Lojas by September 2026. An Espaço Cidadão (citizen space) is a single counter that handles around 170 services for many bodies. There are more than 1,000, often in parish or town council buildings. Using either costs nothing beyond each service's own fee. You find the nearest one, with its hours, on the gov.pt service locator.

Loja do Cidadão and Espaço Cidadão: the difference

Loja do CidadãoEspaço Cidadão
What it isA building with counters from several public bodies and companiesOne counter that handles services for many bodies
How many82 (September 2026)More than 1,000
WhereLarger towns and citiesParish councils, town halls, other public buildings, and inside many Lojas
Who serves youStaff of each body, at that body's own counterStaff who handle services for many bodies
Best forTax, Social Security, registry, and immigration matters that need that body's own staffCommon tasks: address changes, Digital Mobile Key, driving licence renewals, and benefit requests

The government agency in charge of the network is the Agency for the Technological Reform of the State (ARTE), which took over from the former Administrative Modernisation Agency (AMA).

What you can do at a Loja do Cidadão

Each Loja hosts a different mix of counters. Check the Loja's page on gov.pt before you go. The Braga Loja, for example, has counters for:

  • AIMA, the immigration agency;
  • the tax office (Autoridade Tributária, or Finanças);
  • Social Security (Instituto da Segurança Social);
  • the registry office (IRN, Registos);
  • energy and water companies (EDP, Galp, and Agere, Braga's water company);
  • the construction and real estate regulator (IMPIC);
  • an Espaço Cidadão and an Espaço Empresa (business desk).

The Porto Loja has a similar mix without AIMA. It adds the job centre (IEFP), the courts administration (DGAJ), Porto's urban renewal company, and more energy suppliers.

Inside the Loja, each counter belongs to its own body. A Finanças clerk cannot deal with your Social Security question. For each errand, go to the right counter.

For new residents. You can get a tax number (NIF) at the Finanças counter of a Loja, with an appointment. See Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal. For a social security number, see Getting a Social Security Number (NISS) in Portugal.

AIMA counters. Only some Lojas have one. Braga's does. AIMA publishes its own opening rules for these counters on its website.

What you can do at an Espaço Cidadão

An Espaço Cidadão offers around 170 services. The exact list depends on the location. Services at the Porto Loja's Espaço Cidadão include:

  • Citizen Card: changing the card's address, cancelling a lost card, and renewing it for people aged 25 or over who change no data;
  • Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital): activating it, changing its details, unlocking it, and switching on the digital signature;
  • Driving licence: renewing it, getting a duplicate, and checking your points;
  • Social Security: requesting sickness benefit, child benefit, and some pensions, and getting help with the Segurança Social Direta website;
  • Health: the European Health Insurance Card, booking health centre appointments, and requesting exemption from user fees;
  • Work: registering at the job centre and applying for job offers;
  • Other: the parking card for people with disabilities.

Some locations limit what they do. The Porto Espaço Cidadão, for example, does not take criminal record requests.

One request for three numbers. Twelve Espaços Cidadão take a single request for your NIF, social security number, and national health service user number. They are in Braga, Cascais (two), Lisboa (two), Loures, Oeiras, Porto (two), Setúbal, Lagos, and Olhão. You can use it if you have a Portuguese address and no Citizen Card. One of these must also apply: you have applied for or hold a residence permit, you are an EU citizen, or you have applied for or hold international protection. It is free.

For the Digital Mobile Key, see Activating the Chave Móvel Digital in Portugal. If you have no Citizen Card, you must activate it at a counter.

Which one to choose

  • You need a quick, common task, such as an address change or a driving licence renewal. Try your nearest Espaço Cidadão.
  • You need the tax office, Social Security, or the registry for something complex, such as a NIF, a benefit with many documents, or a civil registration. Go to a Loja with that body's counter, or to the body's own office.
  • You need AIMA. Go to an AIMA office or a Loja with an AIMA counter. Residence permits are not on the Espaço Cidadão service list.
  • You live in a small town. Check whether your parish council or town hall has an Espaço Cidadão. It may save you a trip to the city.

How to find the nearest one

  1. Go to the "Locais de atendimento" (service locations) page on gov.pt.
  2. Use the filters to choose "Loja de Cidadão" or "Espaço Cidadão", and your district.
  3. Open the location's page. It shows the address, phone, opening hours, closures, and the counters and services available.
  4. On a Loja's page, you can also take a digital queue ticket for many counters.

The SIGA app, used for appointments, also shows the nearest registry service, how to get there, the average wait, and how many people are ahead of you.

Opening hours

Each location sets its hours, and the location's gov.pt page is the place to check them. Two examples from the North:

LojaAddressHours
PortoAvenida Fernão Magalhães 1862, 1st floor, 4350-158 PortoWorking days 08:30 to 19:30; Saturday 08:30 to 14:00
BragaRua dos Granjinhos 6, 4704-575 BragaWorking days 08:30 to 19:30; Saturday 08:30 to 14:00

Keep in mind:

  • Saturday hours. Lojas and Espaços Cidadão that open on Saturday now do so from 08:30 to 14:00.
  • Holidays. Lojas close on national holidays and on their municipal holiday. Porto and Braga both close on 24 June.
  • Counters keep their own hours. In Porto, for example, the construction regulator's counter works 08:30 to 16:30 and closes on Saturday. The business desk also closes on Saturday.
  • Smaller Lojas may open on weekdays only. The Loja in Olhão, opened in September 2026, works Monday to Friday.

Help by phone and online

Linha Cidadão. The citizen helpline answers on 210 489 010 or 300 003 990, on working days from 09:00 to 18:00. It is the contact number on each Loja's gov.pt page.

Loja de Cidadão Virtual. Many Loja services are also online on gov.pt, which lists 238 online services. Some offer help by video call. You usually log in with your Digital Mobile Key or your Citizen Card and a card reader.

For a broader overview of the numbers and documents you need in Portugal, see Understanding Portuguese Bureaucracy and the Documents You Need.

The network is growing

New Lojas continue to open. The Loja in Olhão opened on 14 September 2026 as the 82nd in the country, funded by the EU recovery plan. It has counters for Social Security, the registry, the tax office, the Espaço Cidadão, and the town council. Check gov.pt for the current list near you.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Services and hours change; check the location'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.

Read next