Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda

Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, commonly abbreviated as INCM, is Portugal's state printing house and national mint. It combines the functions of the historic Casa da Moeda with those of the Imprensa Nacional, the country's official press. The organization operates as a public limited company under the administrative supervision of Portugal's Ministry of Finance and provides products and services with a high degree of public-sector, legal and security significance. Its activities include the production of Portuguese coinage and other mint products, secure printing, identity and travel documents, postage stamps, certificates, medals and selected information products. It is also responsible for publishing the Diário da República, Portugal's Official Journal. Publication in the Official Journal is constitutionally important because regulatory acts generally require publication before they can take legal effect. Through this role, INCM functions not only as a manufacturing supplier but also as part of the country's legal and administrative infrastructure. The minting tradition associated with Casa da Moeda dates back at least to the late thirteenth century. Over time, the institution's work expanded beyond legal-tender coins to include banknotes, medals and security documents used by public authorities and government-operated service providers. Its secure-printing capabilities have included passports, identity documents, postage stamps and transport-related tokens. These activities require specialized materials, controlled production environments, authentication features and procedures designed to protect documents and instruments against counterfeiting. The modern INCM was created through Decree-Law No. 225/72 of 4 July 1972, which merged the Casa da Moeda with the Imprensa Nacional. The merger brought together Portugal's historic monetary-production function and its official publishing and printing function. The resulting institution has continued to serve government bodies, public authorities and the wider public while preserving both a commercial-company structure and a public-service mission. INCM's principal market is Portugal, although its capabilities and historical role are connected to wider European public-document, security-printing and numismatic networks. Its work spans physical production and information services: it manufactures coins and secure documents, distributes official publications, and supports the formal communication of laws and regulations. Its products are therefore used by citizens, public administrations, financial institutions, collectors and public-service operators. The institution's positioning is that of a trusted national infrastructure provider rather than a conventional consumer brand. Reliability, legal validity, authenticity, traceability and resistance to fraud are central to its value proposition. The organization also has a cultural and historical dimension through official publishing, commemorative issues, medals and numismatic products. Its Lisbon facilities are located in the Santo António parish. In late 2025, media reports and civil-society statements generated controversy over a reported project to produce two million coins for Israel and an associated visit by an Israeli government delegation. Organizations including MPPM, CPPC, CGTP-IN and youth associations criticized the reported cooperation on legal, humanitarian and political grounds. Demonstrations were subsequently reported outside the Lisbon facility. The episode concerned the institution's public-sector role and international cooperation, rather than a change to its core business. No reliable source in the supplied material establishes the project's final commercial or production outcome.

The Casa da Moeda, the institution that forms the minting side of INCM, has roots reaching back at least to the late thirteenth century. Its historical responsibilities included producing legal-tender coins for Portugal. In later periods, the mint's remit broadened to include banknotes, medals and a range of security-printing work. Some of these products served public authorities or government-run service providers, including passports, postage stamps and transport tokens. The Imprensa Nacional developed separately as Portugal's official printing and publishing institution. Its role was closely linked to the publication of government and legal material. The two institutional traditions were combined in the modern organization through Decree-Law No. 225/72, dated 4 July 1972. The merger created Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, bringing official publishing and state printing together with minting and secure production. Following the merger, INCM retained a dual character. It was organized as a public limited company with state oversight, while continuing to perform functions that are central to government administration. Its production portfolio included coins, medals, official publications, stamps, passports, identity documents, certificates and other products requiring controlled manufacture or formal government authorization. A central continuing responsibility is publication of the Diário da República, Portugal's Official Journal. The journal communicates laws, regulations and other official acts to the public. Under the constitutional framework described in reference material, regulatory acts generally lack legal effect if they have not been properly published. INCM therefore operates as part of the mechanism through which Portuguese public law is formally promulgated and made accessible. The organization has also maintained a role in the production of national and public-security materials. Such work depends on specialist printing, authentication and anti-counterfeiting controls. Its products may be used directly by citizens, public administrations, financial or transport institutions, collectors and other official service providers. The combination of minting, secure printing and official publishing makes INCM distinct from an ordinary commercial printer or a conventional publishing house. INCM is based in Lisbon, in the Santo António parish, and primarily serves Portugal. Its historical activities have included both everyday instruments of state administration and culturally significant items such as commemorative coins and medals. The institution's public identity consequently rests on trust, authenticity, legal validity and continuity. In late 2025, the organization became the subject of public controversy over reports that it was producing two million coins for Israel. Several Portuguese civil-society and labor organizations criticized the reported arrangement and connected it to broader objections concerning Israel's policies toward Palestinians and Portugal's international legal commitments. A demonstration was reported outside the Lisbon facility on 25 November 2025. The supplied reference material does not establish whether the reported production project was completed, canceled or otherwise modified.

• 2025

  Reported Israeli coin-production project becomes controversial

  Reports of a project involving two million coins for Israel and an associated delegation visit prompted criticism and a demonstration outside INCM's Lisbon premises.

• 1972

  Imprensa Nacional and Casa da Moeda merged

  [1]Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moedaen.wikipedia.org

  Decree-Law No. 225/72 of 4 July combined the National Press and the historic mint, creating Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda.

• Casa da Moeda established by at least the late thirteenth century

  [1]Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moedaen.wikipedia.org

  The historic Portuguese mint was operating by at least the late thirteenth century and produced legal-tender coinage.

National public-service infrastructure provider specializing in minting, secure printing, official publishing and legally significant government information products.

• Minting

  Portuguese coinage

  INCM produces Portuguese legal-tender coinage and has historically supported the country's monetary system. Its minting activities also extend to commemorative and collector-oriented issues, where design, metal specification, finishing and controlled production are important parts of the offering.

• Official publishing

  Diário da República

  Portugal's Official Journal publishes laws, regulations and other official acts. INCM's role in producing and disseminating the journal supports public access to the rules governing Portuguese society and the formal publication required for many regulatory acts to have legal effect.

• Security documents

  Passports and identity documents

  INCM produces secure travel and identity documents for Portuguese public authorities. These products require specialized substrates, controlled personalization or finishing processes, and security features intended to verify authenticity and reduce the risk of counterfeiting.

• Security printing

  Postage stamps and certificates

  The institution produces postage stamps and various certificates used or issued by public bodies and public-service providers. These items combine official authorization with design, printing and authentication requirements.

• Mint products

  Medals and numismatic products

  Alongside circulating money, the mint has produced medals and other numismatic items. These products serve commemorative, institutional and collector purposes and reflect the historical and cultural dimension of Portugal's national mint.

• 2025

  Controversy over reported coin production for Israel

  Reports that INCM was producing two million coins for Israel, together with an alleged Israeli government delegation visit, prompted condemnation from MPPM, CPPC, CGTP-IN and youth organizations. Critics argued that cooperation with Israel was inconsistent with Portugal's humanitarian and international-law commitments. A demonstration reportedly took place outside the Lisbon facility on 25 November 2025.

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• 1972

  Creation of a combined national printing and minting institutionStrategy

  Background

  Portugal had separate institutional traditions for official printing and minting, including the National Press and the Casa da Moeda.

  Action taken

  Decree-Law No. 225/72 of 4 July merged the two institutions into Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda.

  Aftermath

  The combined organization became responsible for official publishing, coinage, security printing and related public-sector products.

  Source

1. 1Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moedaen.wikipedia.org