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Portugal-UK Driving Licence Agreement: Strengthening Post-Brexit Mobility

Oct 26, 2023

The two nations have signed a mutual recognition and exchange agreement for driving licenses. This is great news for UK licence holders who live in Portugal, as they can use their UK licence for its entire validity period. If necessary, they can exchange it for a Portuguese licence without taking any driving or theory test. This also applies to Gibraltar licenses.

To benefit from this agreement, UK and Gibraltar residents must register their Portuguese address with the licensing authority. The agreement is still in its ratification stage, but it is expected to take effect from the beginning of 2024.

It's worth noting that the agreement is reciprocal, so Portuguese residents in the UK or Gibraltar with a Portuguese driving licence can use it in the UK and Gibraltar.

Another good news is that the Portuguese driving licence can be renewed automatically using a new mobile app launched by the government. However, this feature is only available for drivers up to 50 years old.

The app is a pioneering solution that aims to simplify, automate, and reinforce the proximity between citizens and public services. In Portugal, drivers already benefit from an information system capable of sending reminders via SMS, for example, the IMT (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) reminds drivers to renew their driving licenses.

Update: Legislative notice N0. 6, 2024

By higher order, it is hereby made public that on the 30^th of November 2023, and the 1^st of December 2023, notifications were received, respectively, by the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Lisbon and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic. It is communicated that the internal requirements necessary for the entry into force of the Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Mutual Recognition for Driving Purposes and Exchange of Driving Licenses, signed in London on the 13^th of October 2023, have been fulfilled.

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