Lisbon, Nov. 13, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal launched the first virtual one-stop Citizen's Shop on Thursday, offering 150 public services for individuals and businesses, which will also offer video call appointments, "a decisive step in the digital transformation" of public services, according to a statement.
"Portugal is taking a decisive step today in the digital transformation of public services with the launch of the Virtual Citizen's Shop, included in the gov.pt portal. This new solution brings together 150 essential public services and offers video call support, providing an innovative experience of contact with the State, closer to citizens and businesses," reads the note from the Agency for Technological Reform of the State (ARTE).
Among the 150 services already available, 23 are aimed at citizens and 127 at companies and businesses, including, for example, changing the address on a Citizen ID Card, renewing a driving licence, setting up a company online, changing the name, headquarters or corporate purpose of a company, and applying for registration as a beneficial owner, the document states.
According to the statement, these services are part of an initial set selected based on their relevance and frequency of use, to ensure that the most common needs of citizens and businesses are the first to be available on the new digital channel.
The new Virtual Citizen's Shop "starts with a service which includes 22 public entities in a single location," where citizens, either as individuals or businesses, can resolve "their issues anytime, anywhere," it says.
Among the new features of the new store, ARTE highlights video call support, as it allows "human service in a digital environment, replicating the personalised experience of physical Citizen Shops’.
However, access to this service "is by appointment, ensuring adequate availability and follow-up for each citizen or business," it stresses.
The Minister for State Reform, Gonçalo Matias, quoted in the note, reinforces that this "is a new paradigm of public service, with a more agile State at the service of citizens.
The State CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and president of the Agency for State Technological Reform (ARTE), Manuel Dias, stresses that "it is necessary to ensure that all essential public services are digitally accessible, anytime, anywhere". He adds that the Virtual Citizen's Shop "allows citizens and businesses to save time and reduce bureaucracy".
In addition, "this platform, which will evolve gradually, brings public services closer to people, allowing for more convenient interaction with the State, in line with their needs," he adds.
The statement also emphasises that the Virtual Citizen's Shop, included in the gov.pt portal, "represents an important step in alignment with the 2030 goal", which aims to make all public services available on the digital channel, "promoting a more accessible, integrated and accessible State for all".
The Agency for State Technological Reform also guarantees that it "will continue to lead the State's digital transformation strategy, with new service models focused on innovation and efficiency, reinforcing its commitment to a modern and people-oriented public service."
The Virtual Citizen's Shop "is one of the results of this strategy and an essential contribution to consolidating the digitisation of public services," it concludes.
ATR/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
