5 questions to change your driving license in Portugal

Do you have a French driving license(the pink license) and are you a resident of Portugal(anyone living in Portugal for more than 183 days a year is considered a resident)? If so, you are obliged to exchange your French driving license for a Portuguese one after two years of residence in Portugal. Today, in this article, you’ll find the procedure for exchanging your French driving license for a Portuguese one.

Please note that if you have the new license(the credit-card-sized one, issued since 2013, on the right of the photo below) this does not apply to you. In this case, your license is valid for 15 years, and it’s only at the end of this validity date that you need to apply for your Portuguese license.

Old French driving license and new French driving license

1. How do I change my driving license?

Step 1 : Apply for a license exchange at the IMT(instituto da mobilidade e dos transportes) office closest to your Portuguese residence(list of IMT offices by region here). The list of documents you need to bring with you can be found in point 2 below. Obviously, if you have no points left on your French driving license, there’s no point in taking any steps! We won’t exchange your license for a Portuguese one 😉

Step 2 : Your biometric data will be taken by the IMT office (electronic photo and signature),

Step 3 : a temporary certificate is issued. The “real” driving license(carta de condução in Portuguese, pictured below) will be mailed to your Portuguese address. This may take a few months! Please note that the temporary certificate issued is only valid in Portugal. If you plan to drive outside Portugal before you receive your full Portuguese driving license, you’ll need to apply for an international driving license (licença internacional condução). This application can be made through theACP (automóvel club de Portugal). You’ll find the link here.

The new French driving licenses are similar to the Portuguese ones.

2. What documents do I need to provide to theITM to change my driver’s license?

• your French driving license(the original),
• apassport-size photograph of yourself,
• your original identity document and a photocopy,
• proof of residency in Portugal = certificado de registro de cidadão,
• your Portuguese tax number = le numéro contribuente,
• a medical certificate from a Portuguese doctor stating that you are fit to drive. Please note that this procedure can also be carried out at most driving schools, which employ doctors for these specific medical examinations,
• the completed Modelo 13 IMT form(download here or collect directly from the IMT),
• the sum of 30€.

Extract from the Modelo 13 IMT form

3. How do you earn points on your Portuguese driving licence?

The Portuguese driving license has 12 points, as in France. It should be noted that the points system in Portugal is very recent. It was introduced on June 1, 2016. Until that date, there were no points in Portugal. Top of the line, isn’t it?

When we commit offenses on the road, we’re often reprimanded via points. But in the end, we’re rarely congratulated when we don’t break the law. In Portugal, that’s the case! If you don’t make any offences for three years, you earn 1 point. So every three years without an offence earns you 1 point. I can already see you doing the math: 9 years with no offences = 3 points… But for those of you who can already see yourself reaching 20 or 30 points on your driving license one day, don’t dream! The maximum number of points possible on a Portuguese license is 15.

Finally, your Portuguese license is not valid for life. When you turn 65 (as a birthday present, shall we say), you must undergo a medical examination to confirm that you are still fit to drive.

Yes, you can earn points on your Portuguese license!

4. What’s the risk if you don‘t exchange your French driver’s license?

If you are a resident of Portugal and you are stopped with a French driving license, it will be considered invalid by the Portuguese police. You could be fined up to €3,000.

5. How can I get my French driving license back if I return to live in France?

When you exchange your driving license in Portugal, you give the original of your French license to the IMT office. This means you no longer have your French driving license.

So, if you go back to live in France, to get your French license back, you’ll have to go to the prefecture where you live and ask for your rights to drive in France to be reinstated.

In conclusion

It’s important to take the necessary steps to change your driving license if you’re moving to Portugal. On the other hand, if you want to bring your French car to Portugal, please read the article “Registering a car in Portugal”, as you’ll need to change your car registration. Have a nice trip!

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