Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Portugal
What you have to do at IMT (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) depends on where your licence comes from. There are three cases. Since 21 January 2026, every exchange request is made online, in IMT's online services.
Short answer. EU/EEA licence: register it with IMT within 60 days of becoming resident, free. Licence from an OECD or CPLP country (US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland, Japan...): you can keep driving on it while it is valid, under 15 years since issue or renewal, and you are under 60; otherwise exchange it online for €30. Any other country: check its category on IMT's page first.
EU and EEA licences
They stay valid in Portugal until they expire, but residents must register them with IMT within 60 days of becoming resident. Registering is free, online or at an IMT desk by appointment. Bring your ID, your residence document from the Câmara Municipal if you have no Portuguese citizen card, and your licence. Lifetime licences, or licences with no expiry date: after you register, you have two years to exchange them for a Portuguese one.
US, UK, Canadian, Brazilian and other OECD / CPLP licences
Residents can keep using them only while all of IMT's conditions hold:
- the licence is valid;
- it was issued or last renewed less than 15 years ago;
- you are under 60;
- you meet the Portuguese minimum age for each category;
- it is not seized, suspended or cancelled.
If one fails, exchange it for a Portuguese licence. The fee is €30, with 10% off online. You need your ID, proof of residence, a medical certificate (the doctor sends it electronically) and a certificate of authenticity from the authority that issued your licence.
Older guides say US licence holders must exchange within 90 days of residency. IMT's current page for OECD licences sets out the conditions above instead; follow IMT's page, and check it again before you rely on it.
Licences from other countries
What you can do depends on whether your country signed the Geneva (1949) or Vienna (1968) road traffic conventions, or has a bilateral agreement with Portugal. Some exchanges need a driving test. Look up your country on IMT's licence exchange page before you drive as a resident.
Bringing your car as well? See the vehicle tax exemption.