Bank customers may file a complaint at the branch of the institution or at the business premises of the credit intermediary to which they went, by requesting the complaints book.

When using the pages of the complaints book, customers must fill in the following fields clearly, legibly and in full:

• The identification and location of the institution being complained of;

• Their name, identification and address;

• The facts that led to their complaint.

The institution or credit intermediary sends the original complaint to Banco de Portugal within 15 working days. The institution hands over the duplicate of the complaints book sheet to the complainant and keeps the triplicate, which is an integral part of the complaints book.

Filing a complaint in the complaints book of credit institutions, financial companies, payment institutions, electronic money institutions and credit intermediaries is a recognised right of all citizens (Decree-Law No 156/2005). Entities may also provide other means through which customers can submit their complaints.