Portuguese Citizen Card: renew it online or at the office
The Portuguese citizen card (Cartão de Cidadão) is Portugal’s ID document, required for every Portuguese citizen, at home or abroad, from 20 days after the birth is registered (source).
It is valid for 10 years, or 5 years for anyone under 25 (source).
Renewing online or at the office
The Consulado Virtual opens with the Citizen Card, a card reader and the PIN, or with the Chave Móvel Digital, which the offices activate (source). Anyone who cannot use it applies in person at the office for their area (source).
| Request (delivered in the U.S.) | Fee table |
|---|---|
| Standard, valid up to 5 years | €20 ($22.43 in Newark’s November 2026 table) |
| Standard, up to 10 years | €23 ($25.80 in Newark’s November 2026 table) |
| Urgent, up to 5 years | €45 ($50.47 in Newark’s November 2026 table) |
| Urgent, up to 10 years | €48 ($53.84 in Newark’s November 2026 table) |
| First request up to 20 days of age | €10 |
| Change of address | €3 ($3.37 in Newark’s November 2026 table) |
Amounts from the consular fee table (source) and, in dollars, from Newark’s table (source).
Collecting the card and consular registration
The card can be collected by the holder or by an authorized third party (source). Boston hands out cards and passports Monday to Friday, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (source); New York only takes walk-ins who come to collect documents, with the PIN letter or receipt (source).
Consular registration, the record of citizens living abroad, is based on the Citizen Card and can also be done through the Consulado Virtual (source).
| Office | How to book |
|---|---|
| Washington | MNE booking platform; next month’s slots released by the 10th (source) |
| Palm Coast | The office’s own online platform (source) |
| Boston | Online booking; also takes walk-ins (source) |
| Newark | Walk-in Monday to Wednesday (up to 50 acts); Thursday by appointment (source) |
| New York | Appointment only; slots open in the last week of the month (source) |
| San Francisco | Appointment only; two months open (source) |
| New Bedford | Walk-in, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., except Wednesdays (source) |
| Providence | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (source) |
- Your latest ID card or Citizen Card
- The appointment, where the office requires one
- For children under 12, an adult relative with ID
- The payment
How each office takes payment
| Office | Accepted payment |
|---|---|
| Boston | Card (2.63% + $0.10 surcharge), cash or money order (source) |
| Newark | Cash or money order only (source) |
| New Bedford | Cash or money order (source) |
| Providence | Cash only (source) |
| San Francisco | The exchange rate changes every month; at outreach visits, 20% more (source) |
Fees are charged in dollars at the month’s exchange rate: New York’s November 2026 table, for example, puts the Citizen Card for people over 25 at $25.80 (source).
Consular outreach visits in 2026
Away from their offices, the posts hold consular outreach visits. These are the places the Portal das Comunidades lists for 2026 (source); dates and bookings are on each office’s page.
| Office | Outreach visits in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Washington | Chicago, Houston, Miami |
| Boston | Cambridge, Chicopee, Gloucester, Hudson, Lowell, Ludlow, Milford, Norwood, Peabody, Somerville, Stoughton |
| Newark | Philadelphia, Wilmington |
| New York | Farmingville, Jamaica (Queens), Mineola, Mount Vernon, Naugatuck, Ossining, Tarrytown, Yonkers |
| San Francisco | Artesia, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, Tulare, Turlock |
| New Bedford | Fall River |
Questions people ask
The real questions people search about this procedure, with the short answer:
How do I renew a Portuguese citizen card online?
On the Consulado Virtual, from age 25, with the card and a reader or with the Chave Móvel Digital (source).
Is a Portuguese citizen card the same as a passport?
No: the card is the ID document; the passport is the travel document, and you need a valid card to request it (source).