You no longer need to leave your home to draw up a deed, register heirs, or sign a divorce agreement. These processes, among others, can be completed by scheduling a videoconference on the Remote Service Platform, which became available on the Justice Portal on October 28, 2022. The platform is now 100% functional, thanks to improvements made to the beta version, which the Institute of Registration and Notary Affairs (IRN) made available in April.
“With this service, citizens will be able to carry out deeds, special procedures for the transfer, encumbrance, and registration of real estate (Casa Pronta), divorces by mutual consent, separation of persons and property by mutual consent, qualifications of heirs with and without records and in-person recognitions, among other acts, without having to travel,” says the Government.
The new Online Service Platform was presented on October 28, 2022, at an event attended by the Minister of Justice, Catarina Sarmento e Castro, the Secretary of State for Justice, Pedro Ferrão Tavares, and the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Administrative Modernization, Mário Campolargo.
The new service is “the result of the need to use remote communication methods imposed by the pandemic and was also an opportunity generated in the midst of difficulty,” said Catarina Sarmento e Castro. According to the minister, it is crucial to “ensure that the provision of services” in the area of justice is “increasingly integrated and their use simpler and more convenient.”
Improvements introduced in the beta version
According to the Executive, the platform now available is the result of improvements introduced in the beta version, which the Institute of Registration and Notary Affairs (IRN) made available in April, and close coordination with the Order of Notaries, the Bar Association, and the Order of Solicitors and Enforcement Agents. These improvements have enabled the platform to evolve, making it more usable, resilient, and secure, which are essential principles for the effective and widespread use of this new channel, according to the Executive.
How does the Remote Service Platform work?
Interested citizens can request the new service by appointment, through the Justice Portal, or by contacting a qualified professional, namely registrars and registry officials, lawyers, notaries, solicitors, and consular agents, depending on the acts in question.
"After these professionals have made the appointment and sent electronic notifications to the participants, citizens will have to authenticate themselves on the platform using their Citizen Card (CC) or Digital Mobile Key (CMD). In order to perform an act by videoconference, for acts that require a signature, it will also be necessary to have an active digital signature (through the CC, CMD, or qualified certificate), as well as access to a computer or device with an internet connection, microphone, sound, and camera," reads the government website.
According to Catarina Sarmento e Castro, “this new service represents a paradigm shift in the way authentic or equivalent acts are performed, eliminating or reducing travel, which saves time and reduces costs.” “At the same time, it also creates a more friendly environment for citizens who live or want to develop an activity in Portugal, regardless of where they are or want to be in the country,” she added, quoted on the website justiça.gov.pt.
The services available to users are:
According to the government website, these are the services available to users in the citizens' reserved area:
- Consult the list of acts in which they are involved (scheduled and completed);
- Consult the details of the acts in which you are involved;
- Consult the list of scheduled or completed sessions;
- Access the videoconference session page;
- Express your consent and willingness;
- Access and submit documents and proof of payment;
- Digitally sign documents during the videoconference session.
Source: Idealista/News