As had already been announced in the summer, the new passport will be valid for ten years – instead of the current five – and should begin to be issued to citizens in the first half of 2026.

“The Government chose the visual theme ‘National Territory’ as the motto of the new Portuguese Electronic Passport for the next ten years. The objective is to highlight the best of the national territory, reminding the Portuguese of our country's geographical points of reference”, explains the executive.

To implement the design of the image for the new passport, a creativity competition will be launched, “including the design of the overall concept of the passport, the biographical page and the central visa pages”, and the winner will receive 5,000 euros.

The Government highlights that, as foreseen in the set of measures “More Simplification, Less Bureaucracy” presented in July, “the most significant change for citizens will be the extension of the document's validity period to ten years, instead of the current five years, under certain conditions to be defined”.

“In addition, the security elements included in the current Portuguese electronic passport are reinforced (for example, optically variable inks, invisible inks, among others)”, adds the statement.

The PEP is an identification document that guarantees authenticity and protects the identity of its holder, being internationally recognized, and brings together all the identification data of its holder.

“The new document will fully comply with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) recommendations regarding the design and production of an electronic travel security document, especially in terms of materials, security printing, use of copy protection and security techniques. digital, finishing and personalization”, assures the Government.

To make possible counterfeiting attempts difficult and following best international practices, “Portugal will renew the image of the Portuguese Electronic Passport every 10 years, guaranteeing reliability, authenticity and trust”, the Government also says.

The Institute of Records and Notaries is responsible for granting and issuing the PEP, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its consular network, and the Regional Governments.

The National Press – Casa da Moeda (INCM) is responsible for producing and personalizing the passport, as well as other identification and travel documents.