Decree-Law No. 87/2024, of November 7, was published, which regulates the electronic citation and notification of individuals and legal entities, determining that the citation and notification of legal entities are, as a rule, carried out electronically.
For this purpose, legal entities must register an email address on a platform to be created and regulated within 90 days.
Legal entities that do not register an email address to be linked to their reserved area will be cited by postal mail, but will bear a fee of €51.00 as court costs. A single letter will be sent, and in case of non-receipt, it will be deposited in the legal entity's mailbox for citation.
Regarding legal entities that register an email address to be linked to their reserved area, a notice will be sent to that associated email address, informing them of the availability.
If the citation is electronically consulted in the reserved area, the date of consultation will be considered the date the citation was made. If the citation is not consulted within eight days, a new notice will be sent to the cited entity by post, to the address of its headquarters, and it will only contain information about the existence of the notification on the portal.
The legal entity that does not consult the electronic citation deposited in its digital reserved area within eight days, and is therefore considered cited, is entitled to an extension of its defense deadline, which is variable, with a maximum of 30 days.
Individuals who choose electronic citation will not receive any letter. In the event of failure to consult the electronic citation within 30 days, the citation will be carried out by a court bailiff, just as it currently happens when the letter is not received or picked up.
The changes are in effect as of November 11, although some provisions are dependent on the approval of the regulations referred to in the legislation.
