[4] The Citizen card is also a valid travel document within all of Europe, including the United Kingdom in some cases,[5] and except Belarus, Russia and Ukraine as well as Egypt, French overseas territories, Georgia, Montserrat (max 14 days) and Turkey.

The main reason to introduce the new card was to reduce the number of separate documents required by citizens in dealings with the various institutions of the state.

Foreigners, including European Union nationals, must carry a passport or valid identity card of their country of origin, and show it whenever required by officials.

In the future however, as part of the Simplex + 2018, a new "card of citizenship" (cartão de cidadão) for foreigners residing in Portugal will arrive, which will include tax identification, social security and the national health system.

This means that holders in Macau can travel and work freely in the Schengen Area and benefit from social welfare in Portugal.

While Portugal's constitution avoids making distinctions between its citizens[citation needed], U.K. law permits such classifications.

Additionally, because Brazilian citizenship alone is not sufficient to allow a person to make use of the European Union's provisions for the freedom of personal movement, these Citizen Cards are marked "NÃO SERVE DE DOCUMENTO DE VIAGEM / NOT VALID AS A TRAVEL DOCUMENT", instead of the machine-readable zone that would be found on a Portuguese citizen's card.