Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal
Start with the country that issued your licence, not your nationality. Find the right driving and exchange rules, then prepare the documents for IMT's current application portal.
- A valid EU/EEA licence normally remains recognised until expiry; register residence with IMT within 60 days. A licence without an expiry date has a separate two-year rule.
- The OECD/CPLP exception needs all its conditions, including the country's agreement, no more than 15 years since issue or last renewal, age under 60 and a valid, unrestricted title. It is permission to drive in Portugal, not worldwide recognition.
- For other convention/bilateral licences, IMT distinguishes the first 90 days of residence, the later application window up to two years without driving, and a practical test after two years.
- For non-convention licences, IMT requires theory AND practical tests for each category; the foreign licence does not authorise driving in Portugal.
- The application is now through A Minha Carta de Condução. June 2026 legislation also changes validity for defined non-EU citizens holding a visa/residence permit — not every foreign licence.
Exchanging a foreign licence means asking IMT to issue a Portuguese driving title. Whether you need an exchange, and whether you may drive before it is completed, are separate questions. Start with the issuing country, dates, categories and your residence situation; then use the applicable route below.
Which route applies to your foreign licence?
| Licence | Driving and exchange decision |
|---|---|
| EU/EEA | A valid title normally lasts until its printed expiry; communicate Portuguese residence to IMT within 60 days, free of charge. A title with no expiry has a two-year administrative validity after settling; contact IMT for that specific exchange/renewal route. |
| Qualifying OECD/CPLP | The issuing country must also be a convention party or have a Portuguese bilateral agreement. No more than 15 years may have elapsed since issue OR last renewal; the holder must be under 60, meet Portugal's category age and hold a valid title not seized, suspended, expired or cancelled. Recognition applies in Portugal even after residence. Exchange without a driving test is available if you request it within two years of becoming resident, for the categories in Código da Estrada art. 128.º n.º 2 b) (RHLC art. 14.º n.º 1 c)). |
| Other convention/bilateral | IMT's guidance counts the resident window from issue of the residence permit: apply and drive during the first 90 days; after 90 days up to two years apply but do not drive on that foreign title; after two years a practical test is required. Non-residents have a separate 185-day rule, counted from the day after entry. |
| Non-convention | No driving entitlement on that foreign title. IMT requires a multimedia theory test AND a practical test for each category requested, in addition to the exchange requirements. |
Use IMT's current country/route pages. For example, IMT lists Brazil, the UK, the US, Canada and Australia within its OECD/CPLP guidance, but a country name alone does not satisfy the age, dates, validity and category conditions. Check your actual issuing state and document; a passport or international permit does not replace that check.
Exchange exam waivers are route/category-specific, subject to authenticity checks. IMT can request verification or a practical test where justified. A qualifying foreign private-car licence is not automatically authorisation for TVDE, child transport or another Group II activity: IMT says those additions require exchange and their separate requirements.
Documents: what to prepare, and what is conditional
- Valid identity/residence document and both sides of the foreign licence. The normal exchange route is for residents; RHLC also provides a student-evidence route, which is not a general visitor loophole.
- For applicants without a Portuguese Citizen Card, IMT lists a municipal residence communication; a tax-domicile certificate is needed when the residence document lacks the address or the application address differs. A passport is additionally required if the residence document lacks a photo/signature. Follow your route's actual checklist, not an all-documents rule.
- Arrange the medical assessment before applying: the normal portal flow receives it electronically from the health system, so do not upload a paper scan instead. Psychological evidence is needed for C/D/E and relevant Group II cases. The legislation has exceptional medical-certificate channels; ask IMT rather than assuming every overseas certificate is accepted or every one is forbidden.
- Non-EU/EEA exchanges generally need issuer/consular confirmation of authenticity, validity, categories and how they were obtained. IMT's OECD/CPLP and convention pages expressly list it too. Legally recognised electronic confirmation/official verification can substitute in the conditions of RHLC article 14, not merely any downloaded screenshot.
- The current manual requires a certified translation where the licence is not in Portuguese, French, English or Spanish. Do not rely on an earlier German-language exception. Keep the original licence and any original authenticity certificate for attendance.
If your address is wrong, resolve the evidence mismatch first. The AT address service concerns the tax record; NIF guide and Chave Móvel Digital guide cover identifiers and authentication. None completes the IMT request for you.
How to apply in A Minha Carta de Condução
- Identify the licence route before driving
Check the issuing country, validity, categories, issue/last-renewal date, your age and residence date. EU/EEA, qualifying OECD/CPLP, other convention/bilateral and non-convention licences have different rules. Do not use a two-year application window as permission to drive for two years.
- Prepare identity, residence and fitness evidence
Use the applicable IMT document list. Arrange the electronic medical assessment before applying; obtain psychological assessment where required. Prepare both sides of your licence, identity/residence documents and any authenticity certificate, certified translation or conditional address proof.
- Submit through A Minha Carta de Condução
Authenticate through IMT, verify your profile email and choose Pedidos → Troca de Título de Condução Estrangeiro. Select each category and its actual dates. Upload each required document as a readable PDF up to 2 MB; retain the request reference.
- Pay and follow the notifications
Follow IMT's payment notice, then monitor Notificações and respond to requests for missing evidence. The manual says the Multibanco reference becomes usable after 24 hours; that is not an approval deadline. A request for additional documents left unanswered for 30 days can close without a refund.
- Complete tests or attendance and check the issued title
Complete any required tests. Follow the invitation to supply biometrics and surrender the original licence/authenticity certificate where applicable. The manual warns that failure to attend within 180 days closes the request without a refund. Check categories, expiry and restrictions on the issued title before driving or travelling.
Start through IMT's official portal. Its manual supports Citizen Card, CMD or NIF/AT-password authentication. Validate the profile email using Enviar email para fidelização; check spam and the portal's notifications. Only Portuguese Citizen Card holders should fill its Portuguese-ID field. Complete each category's own issue/expiry dates, rather than copying one date across all categories.
Upload one PDF per document, maximum 2 MB, with both sides where asked. The manual says duplicate uploads are detected; renaming the same file is not a repair. Save the profile, verify address/document consistency and keep the request number and payment proof. A paid request still awaits technical analysis; submitting twice does not establish faster approval.
Expired, lifelong, lost or previously Portuguese licences
Already hold a Portuguese licence? Use the licence-renewal guide for the category, age and first-qualification schedule. Renewal of that title is not the same application as exchanging a foreign licence.
Do not invent an expiry date to make the form accept a lifelong licence. The current manual directs expired EU and no-expiry EU/EEA/Swiss cases to aminhacarta@imt-ip.pt, with separate PDFs up to 2 MB and the NIF in the subject. Follow IMT's current instructions in that exceptional route, not a third-party upload service. EU loss/theft needs issuer confirmation and loss evidence; RHLC provides for official verification, not an automatic duplicate.
If you previously held a Portuguese licence, the portal checks the national record. If it does not find it, disclose the old number in Informações Adicionais as the manual instructs. For a valid EU title, the manual allows surrender after the Portuguese licence is issued; other routes normally involve surrender/biometrics at the notified attendance. Follow your case's instructions.
What changed in June 2026: residence-linked validity
Decreto-Lei 114/2026 took effect on 9 June. RHLC article 16(9) caps the specified validity periods in article 16(2)(a)/(b) and 16(4)(a) for non-EU citizens holding a valid visa or residence permit at that document's expiry. Titles issued under that rule carry national code 794; article 16(10) says they remain valid while the residence permit is valid or undergoing renewal. This is not a rule that every foreign licence expires when an immigration document expires.
The decree's transitional article also addresses already-issued Portuguese titles, after verification of the relevant visa/permit, without adding code 794. Do not treat the printed future date alone, a residence-renewal screenshot or a generic social-media summary as a decision on your particular licence. Ask IMT to confirm which category/period and renewal evidence applies before driving or travelling; national code 794 is not an EU-harmonised code.
Costs, waiting and problems after submission
The current dedicated IMT pages list a €30 exchange fee with a 10% online discount. The non-convention page lists €30 per theory or practical test as additional costs. Medical assessment, psychological assessment and certified translation may cost extra. Pay the amount in the official notice; do not confuse the exchange fee with the whole cost of obtaining every category.
gov.pt's 6 March service gives an average 60-day delivery for a no-test exchange and describes a provisional title. That is not a guaranteed approval time and does not turn an invalid foreign licence into permission to drive before IMT issues a valid replacement. Confirm any provisional title's validity and recognition abroad/rental acceptance separately.
- Payment reference rejected immediately: the manual says to allow 24 hours after its issue, then check the reference and Notificações — not wait 24 hours for the licence to arrive.
- Missing documents: respond through the notified request; 30 days without a response can close the process without a refund. Do not send identity documents into a public forum or to an unofficial support address.
- Attendance not completed: the manual's 180-day abandonment rule is not an extension of driving permission. Book the requested appointment and retain its confirmation.
- Still unresolved: contact aminhacarta@imt-ip.pt with the request reference and a redacted error description. Use the official channel's requested evidence; never include passwords or authentication codes.
Licence exchange, Portuguese-licence renewal, vehicle ownership registration and IUC vehicle tax are different tasks. The transport authority IMT is also unrelated to the IMT property-transfer tax.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive in Portugal with a foreign licence?
It depends on the issuing country, valid categories, dates, age and residence. Valid EU/EEA licences and OECD/CPLP titles satisfying all the exception's conditions are recognised. Other convention/bilateral residents have the initial 90-day window; their two-year exchange window is not two years of driving. Non-convention titles do not authorise driving.
Must I exchange my UK, US or Brazilian licence after moving?
IMT lists those issuing countries under its OECD/CPLP guidance. Continued use in Portugal requires all conditions: the qualifying agreement, no more than 15 years since issue or last renewal, holder under 60, category minimum age and a valid title not suspended, seized, expired or cancelled. Check the actual document, not just your nationality.
Answer checked on
What are the 60-day, 90-day and two-year deadlines?
The 60-day rule concerns EU/EEA residence registration. The other convention/bilateral resident route permits driving in its first 90 days; applications remain possible without driving up to two years, then a practical test is required. A no-expiry EU/EEA title has a separate two-year administrative-validity rule. These are different deadlines.
Do I need theory as well as a practical test?
Yes for the non-convention exchange route: IMT's dedicated current page requires both tests for each category. Route-specific exchange waivers do not prevent authenticity checks or a justified test request; ask IMT about heavy-vehicle or Group II categories rather than assuming private-car rules cover every category.
Which portal do I use to exchange a licence online?
Use A Minha Carta de Condução, through IMT authentication. Verify the profile email, then Pedidos → Troca de Título de Condução Estrangeiro. The manual supports Citizen Card, CMD or NIF/AT-password authentication. Save the reference and monitor Notificações after submission and payment.
Answer checked on
Which upload formats and translation languages does IMT accept?
The current platform manual asks for PDFs up to 2 MB, one file per required document, including both sides where requested. Its translation exemption covers Portuguese, French, English and Spanish, not German. The normal medical certificate reaches the platform electronically; a scan is not a substitute.
Answer checked on
How much does exchanging a foreign licence cost?
IMT lists €30 for the exchange and a 10% online discount. Its non-convention page adds €30 for each theory or practical test. Medical/psychological assessments and translations are separate possible costs. Follow the official payment notice for your actual request.
Can I keep driving while waiting for the exchange?
Only if you have a valid title that authorises driving in your situation. An application or payment alone does not do that. gov.pt describes a provisional title and an average 60-day no-test delivery, not a guarantee; check the issued provisional document and confirm foreign/rental acceptance separately.
Does code 794 make every foreign resident's licence invalid?
No. The June 2026 law concerns specified Portuguese-title validity periods for non-EU citizens holding a visa/residence permit. Code 794 titles remain valid while the residence permit is valid or undergoing renewal. The transitional rule also covers relevant already-issued Portuguese titles after verification without adding the code. IMT must confirm your category and evidence; this is not a blanket rule for all foreign licences.
What if IMT asks for documents or I miss the appointment?
Respond to the request in the portal and keep the reference. The current manual warns of closure without refund after 30 days without answering a request for additional documents, or 180 days without completing the required attendance. Neither period extends permission to drive. Use the official support address with a redacted issue description.
Answer checked on
Get the free Portugal tax playbook
A first-year PDF: NIF and NISS, NHR vs IFICI vs IRS Jovem, the Modelo 3 annex map and the deadline calendar. Sent to your inbox.