Individuals and legal entities, whether Portuguese or foreign, may indicate an email address at which they will receive all notifications from the Public Administration.
2017/08/01
Decree‑Law no. 93/2017 created the Digital Single Address, an electronic notification service that defines how official messages are sent and received and what their legal effects are. The email address provided functions as the Digital Single Address and has the same legal value as a physical home address for individuals or a registered office for companies and other entities.
Key points
- Voluntary – Adhesion is optional, but once you opt in, you accept that notifications sent to that email produce all corresponding legal effects, including the start of statutory deadlines.
- Scope – Public bodies may choose to use this system; however, it will not be used for court notifications or judicial communications.
- Objectives – To shorten the time between sending and receiving administrative notifications and to enhance security by standardising electronic notifications across public services.
- Implementation – This is a SIMPLEX+ 2016 measure, managed by the Administrative Modernisation Agency (AMA), with implementation initially planned for the end of 2017.
Several legal frameworks, including the General Tax Law and the Social Security Contributions Code, have been amended to reflect the introduction of the Digital Single Address.
Rita Duarte | [email protected]