Bureaucracy in the Digital Age: The Surreal Case of DWFx

In a recent attempt to submit an architectural project, an architect friend found himself stuck in one of those mazes that only Portuguese bureaucracy can create. He simply wanted to sign a DWFx file with the new Citizen Card. Result? Mission impossible.

DWFx is a digital format that allows you to view technical drawings without editing them, while maintaining a digital signature that guarantees their authenticity. It became mandatory for submitting urban projects through Executive Order No. 113/2015, which was later revoked by Executive Order No. 71-A/2024. However, Annex II continues to mention DWFx, leading many city councils to maintain the requirement.

So far, so good. The problem arises when the new Citizen Card, launched in June 2024 with greater security and aligned with European standards, is no longer compatible with the only program capable of signing DWFx files: Autodesk's Design Review 2013. Yes, a 2013 version—outdated, discontinued, and without technical support.

The result? Professionals with new cards, required files, and outdated software. Everything is fine, except the essential: it works.

And this happens in the midst of the housing crisis, where delays in permitting have a direct impact on costs and deadlines. Architects and engineers find themselves stymied by a technical error that seems like a "come back tomorrow" situation.

The solution? Change the ordinance and replace DWFx with more practical and robust formats, such as the digitally signed PDF—widely accepted and intuitive to use—or the ASiC file, a kind of digitally signed "zip" that guarantees integrity and authenticity.

It may seem like a technical detail, but it has real effects. Every day lost trying to resolve this impasse is a day of work undone. Multiplied by hundreds of professionals, the impact translates into delays in licensing, additional costs, and a lot of wasted time waiting for it to work between coffees.

More than a software problem, it's a matter of logic: if the State itself provides a card that is incompatible with its requirements, perhaps it's time to review... the requirements.

It's true that the government has made efforts to digitize processes—and that's a positive thing. But there's a difference between digitizing and creating a digital maze. When professionals have to resort to forums, tutorials, YouTube videos, and helplines to submit a project, perhaps the system needs attention. Or reform.

Several professional associations have already warned about this situation and presented concrete proposals to solve the problem. And, imagine, the solutions work. But like everything in Portugal, changing a rule requires more than common sense: it requires opinions, working groups, meetings, and—of course—more coffee.

At the end of the day, the point is simple: anyone who wants to build should be able to do so without becoming an expert in digital signatures and file formats. Technology should be there to help, not turn a project into an exercise in frustration.

And if the goal is to speed up construction and address the housing crisis, perhaps it's a good idea to start by not making things more difficult that should already be resolved – and by making it easier for those who want to work.