The “Open House” modality for the delivery and renewal of the citizen's card and passport starts on Saturday and the Government's expectation is that it will help to regularize by the end of the month those accumulated during the pandemic.
The objective was appointed today by the Minister of Modernization of the State and Public Administration, Alexandra Leitão, who, in statements to the Lusa agency, explained that the measure will allow us to recover some of the time lost when Lojas do Cidadão closed due to the Covid pandemic. 19.
Over the next eight Saturdays, some Citizen's Shops will be open with extended hours, between 9:00 am and 22:00 pm, in the “Open House” modality for the delivery and renewal of the citizen's card or passport.
The modality will be available in four stores in the Lisbon area – Laranjeiras, Saldanha, Marvila and Odivelas -, two in the Porto area – Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, and in Coimbra, Braga and Faro, in addition to the public service counters of the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN), on the Justice Campus in Lisbon.
“Many more branches open, for a longer period, so that we can, desirably, sell the accumulated number of deliveries and issues of citizen cards”, summarized the minister Alexandra Leitão.
Lojas do Cidadão closed again at the beginning of the year due to the pandemic and could only reopen in April by appointment. After that, normal operation, without the need for scheduling, was only resumed at the beginning of September.
During this period, the government official explained, there were many documents that remained to be delivered and renewed and, in the case of citizen cards, the number of accumulated deliveries is currently around 150.
"Loja das Laranjeiras, in normal times, makes five thousand calls a day, so it's a matter of seeing what that means when it's closed", exemplified Alexandra Leitão, explaining that the modality "Open House" intends to respond, precisely, to this problem.
The measure will be in force for eight Saturdays, that is, until the 20th of November, but the Government's expectation is that by the end of October “things are practically in order”.
Asked about the possibility of extending the duration of the "Open House" if this goal is not achieved, the minister considered that "this is not expected to be necessary", but assured that the situation will be monitored and that the executive will do "whatever necessary to meet the needs of citizens and provide higher quality services».
Also questioned about the availability of the Open House in only five cities, Alexandra Leitão explained that the Citizen's Shops were chosen where services are more pressured by demand.
On the eve of the opening of this modality, the minister Alexandra Leitão also left an appeal to the citizens: «I asked people not to all come at the first hour of the first day, because there are not only many hours of the day, but also many Saturdays».
Citizens who use the “Open House” for the renewal of their citizen card or passport in the coming Saturdays will have a system of digital passwords available, obtained through the website Citizen's Map (at mapa.eportugal.gov.pt). For the collection of documents, the distribution of passwords is in person.
In a statement, the Ministry of State Modernization and Public Administration adds that the Agency for Administrative Modernization will have support teams in its stores to assist citizens whenever necessary.
The stores in Lisbon and Porto will provide real-time information on waiting times for the nearest services, with the aim of allowing a more balanced dispersion of demand.
In addition to the Open House modality, it is still possible to renew and collect the citizen card and passport during the week, at normal locations and times. Documents whose validity has expired from the 24th of February will still be accepted until the 31st of December.
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