Guide

Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Portugal: the three situations

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

Portugal's official guidance splits foreign licences into situations. EU/EEA licences: drive until the licence's own validity ends — and if no validity is inscribed, register at an IMT desk within 60 days of fixing residence (free). Bilateral-agreement and convention countries: drive for 185 days after entering Portugal; once you fix residence, you have 90 days to exchange — miss it and a practical driving test is required. The exchange file costs 30 euros at the IMT desk.

Situation one: EU and EEA licences

Per the IMT's official leaflet (published on the government's Programa Regressar site), a licence from an EU or EEA country lets you drive in Portugal until the end of the licence's own validity. If your licence has no validity date inscribed, you must go to the IMT desk for your area and register your residence — a free service, but one that must be done within 60 days of fixing residence in Portugal. Exchanging an EU licence for a Portuguese one is optional; the leaflet lists the file if you choose to: licence, ID, residence authorisation, electronic medical certificate, and a psychological certificate for C/D/E categories.

Source: IMT / Programa Regressar — Tenho carta de condução estrangeira (official leaflet, PDF), read 8 September 2026.

Situation two: convention and bilateral-agreement countries

For licences from countries with a bilateral agreement with Portugal or adhering to the international traffic conventions (the list lives at imt-ip.pt), the leaflet sets two clocks. You may drive on the foreign licence for 185 days following your entry into the country, before fixing residence. But once you fix residence in Portugal, you have 90 days to carry out the exchange (troca) — and per the same leaflet, if you do not exchange within the 90-day period, you must pass a practical driving test. The clocks are the whole game: the difference between a paperwork exercise and re-taking your driving exam is a missed deadline.

Source: IMT leaflet — 2ª Situação, prazos de 185 e 90 dias, read 8 September 2026.

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The file, the fee, and the translation rule

The exchange file per the leaflet: your driving licence; identification document; residence authorisation; electronic medical certificate; psychological certificate if you hold C/D/E categories; a Certificate of Authenticity issued by the licence's issuing authority or a consular entity; and an authenticated translation of the licence — unless its content is in Portuguese, French, English or Spanish. You deliver the file at an IMT desk and pay 30 euros. (A third situation exists for people who once held a Portuguese licence and want it back — same shape of file, same fee.) The leaflet describes desk filing; confirm the current filing channel with the IMT before you go, and note the IMT's own troca pages group countries into four regimes: EU/EEA, OECD and CPLP, convention adherents, and non-adherents.

Source: IMT — Troca de Título de Condução Estrangeiro, read 8 September 2026.

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Common questions

Can I drive in Portugal on a US licence?

The 185-day and 90-day mechanics apply to countries with bilateral agreements or adherence to the international traffic conventions — where the US sits is answered by the IMT's own country list at imt-ip.pt. Check your country's regime there before relying on any deadline.

What is the IMT troca de carta de condução?

The exchange procedure: your foreign licence becomes a Portuguese one. Per the official leaflet, the file runs licence, ID, residence authorisation, medical certificate, psych certificate for heavy categories, authenticity certificate and translation where needed — delivered to the IMT with a 30-euro fee.

What happens if I miss the 90-day window?

The leaflet is blunt: no exchange within 90 days of fixing residence means a practical driving test. The 185 days of visitor driving before residence don't extend it.

My EU licence has no expiry date printed — do I have to exchange it?

No — but you must register your residence at your local IMT desk within 60 days of fixing residence in Portugal. The registration is free; the exchange stays optional.

Keep reading

Renewing a licence in another EU country The Spanish canje, explained The International Driving Permit