A modern national ID card scheme​

The first pilot phase of the Portuguese citizen card, also known as Cartão de Cidadão, started on February 14, 2007, in the Azores region. The full roll-out began in 2008. 
 

In 2014, all Portuguese citizens had their new national identity card, replacing the old paper-based document. 

As of June 11, 2024, Portugal has begun issuing an updated national identity card designed to meet the latest regulations and security standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union (EU). 

So, what’s new?

This new Portugal eID card contains enhanced security features, such as a clear window with a holder’s photo,

A bigger photo makes it easier to compare and authenticate the card holder.

The new eID card has now a dual (both contact and contactless) interface, technology well-known from payment cards.

Finally, the chip incorporates an ICAO travel application.  Consequently, the card can be used as a valid travel document within the EU and Schengen area states."
 

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​The goal of issuing an e-ID card was to revolutionize how Portuguese citizens interact with the government. 
 

First, let's discover the first step: simplification.

​The citizen ID card replaces five cards.

The card replaces five different physical ID documents :
  1. Civil identification card - the former paper-based ID
  2. Taxation card
  3. Voting card
  4. Social security card
  5. Healthcare card.

​The citizen card, Cartão do Cidadão or citizen's card, enables individuals to identify themselves in front of officials. 

Since the Equality Statute signed in 2001, Brazilian nationals can obtain a Citizen Card similar to that of Portuguese citizens. However, the card cannot be used as a travel document.

In addition, as of 2019, registered foreigners in Portugal can apply for a citizen card.

Then, a new dimension.

eID for online authentication

​The second goal is to use the card as a tool for electronic signature and online authentication, fostering electronic transactions and giving citizens peace of mind in the digital age.

​Cardholders enter a secret pin code to identify and authenticate themselves, and the card then generates a digital signature for secure declarations and electronic administrative procedures. 

This application provides the required cryptographic means for secure access to the e-government services portal. These have been updated in the new eID card, thus greatly improving the security.

As the Portuguese constitution forbids a single central database for names, several identifiers can be found on the citizen card at the front and back of the card (Civil ID number, social security number, tax number, healthcare user number).

Numerous public services are now available online, and procedures that would have taken hours (obtaining civil records/birth certificates, Social Security declarations, etc.) now take seconds.

 

As of 2014, over 45% of cardholders have activated their digital certificates.​

This project is also supported by actions such as a very active website, www.cartaodecidada​o.pt​

There's more.

The citizen ID card and biometrics

​The national identity card supports biometric authentication when necessary, as fingerprints are safely stored in the card's microprocessor. 
The match-on-card mechanism allows biometric authentication without any central biometric database. This is strictly forbidden in Portugal.
 
​Biometric credentials never leave the smart card, meaning they always remain protected. 
The card's processor carries out the check and answers yes or no: does the fingerprint presented correspond to the one stored in the card?
 
The 2024 national ID card securely stores personal data and fingerprints in the chip, similar to the electronic passport. This increases the security of the card, thereby reducing identity fraud, and enabling seamless travel within EU and Schengen countries.

A strong partnership

For INCM (Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda SA), the Portuguese National Printing Office, it was another opportunity further to enhance their unique expertise after the electronic passport project.​

In 2006, INCM selected Thales as the prime contractor to provide the digital security solution for the national eID card, including the secure operating system, the personalization system, as well as the applications, the middleware and associated helpdesk services with Zetes Burótica, the Portuguese subsidiary of Belgian Zetes Industries.

The Portuguese government selected a secure identification document based on identification, authentication, and signature (IAS) specifications – the first in Europe.​

The Cartão do Cidadão (national electronic ID card) includes a qualified certificate (QES - qualify electronic signature) as defined by the eIDAS regulation.

The Chave Móvel Digital (the Portuguese mobile eID solution) also includes a qualified certificate. 

Beyond the citizen card

​Portugal is a fascinating case in point for State modernization.

When Portugal decided to speed up implementing its e-Government plan and drastically cut bureaucracy, it aimed to transform the public sector into a collaborative, inclusive body and place Portugal as one of the leaders in service quality for citizens and companies.

The goals of a more citizen-centric society have rarely been asserted with such strength from the outset, with such a comprehensive understanding of the issues.

Citizen shop

Portugal and State Modernization 

In the early 2000s, Portugal was still an extremely centralized country, with rifts between local and central authorities difficult to bridge. 

The internet had made massive inroads with the country's elite, but few citizens were trying to access the internet or online services. 

So the challenge to modernize the state using digital means, bringing citizens and public authorities closer together through digital communication channels, and strengthening social cohesion seemed insurmountable. 

It seemed that the country would have to wait for the change to be made by the next generation, more up-to-date on new communication methods.

Bold statements for a new vision

Yet, Portugal made the following bold commitments:

  • Are administrative bodies too partitioned? Cross-functionality will be a priority.
  • The general public is very wary of change. The benefits of this change will initially be concrete and visible before being transferred to the digital environment.
  • Back offices set too many constraints and impair the service quality of public authorities. The new organization will be completely rebuilt based on citizens' needs, pushing the citizen-centric eGovernment vision as far as possible without impairing administrative efficiency.​

​​Simplex and Simplex+ modernization programs

​​Simplex

Between 2006 and 2011, more than 1,000 administrative and legislative simplification and e-government measures were successfully implemented in the so-called Simplex program, the name of the state modernization initiative.

Two examples:

  • The Citizen Card was launched in 2007, replacing five documents
  • The Citizen Shop provides a one-stop shop for public administration and private services. In 2017, 533 Citizen Shops offered approximately 200 public services.

Overall they had a very positive impact on the lives of citizens and businesses and reduced administrative costs. The execution rate of the program was always over 80%.

Some of the program's measures were singled out and obtained international awards from the United Nations (2018 report - see page 39) and the European Commission. 

Simplex is associated with positive changes and cutting red tape in public services.

Simplex+

SIMPLEX +, the new program, is cross-cutting, covering all the domains where the state is actively present. It has also preserved its common approach to simplification, but it addresses new challenges in a new era.

Simplex+ is also remarkable in many respects.

  • First, it is more participatory, co-produced, and done with full transparency and accountability.
  • It's stimulating innovation - to invite innovators to look at central administration. A 'startup simplex' competition was launched in 2017. It's aimed at rewarding innovative ideas for products and services that will simplify the interactions of citizens and businesses with public services.
  • Finally, the Simplex program takes the drive towards simplification beyond the boundaries of public services by including measures such as the "simpler opening of a bank account" that require collaboration between the public and private sectors.

The result?

Between 2016 and 2018, Portugal jumped nine places in the United Nations e-Government Development Index (EGDI).

Lessons from the Portuguese experience

At a time when secure digital identity is considered a key for digital service uptake and digital dividends, it is worth drawing lessons from the Portuguese experience:​

  • Permanence – successful transformation and uptake of the new system are built on unchanging fundamentals, and it all takes time.
  • Guidance -However, if things are changing, change needs to be explained. Advice will need to be offered, and it will be important to ensure positive feedback to foster people's trust.   
  • Next, providing something highly visible – like citizen spots and citizen cards– is important to encourage uptake before going virtual. This is especially true in areas where digital technology hasn't yet reached enough people.

More on the Portuguese eID ecosystem

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