Since we’re planning on staying in Portugal, we figured it would be smart to switch our US driver’s license to a Portuguese License. It’s good we did so. In Portugal, you must make this change within 90 days of getting your residency (so 90 days after you go to your first SEF appointment). I suggest you make this a priority as soon as you get your residency. This way you don’t need to take a driver’s test or pay crazy amounts of money for classes and your license.
How to Change your US Driver’s License to a Portuguese Driver’s License
Where
You need to go to your local IMT (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) oficina. There are two offices that I know of in Lisbon:
- de. das Forças Armadas 40 (Alvalade)
- de. Elias Garcia 103 (Avenidas Novas Neighborhood)
Cuando
The offices open at 9 (although Google has the time as 9:30 am). Le sugiero que llegar temprano, the lines are long. I got there at 8:30 and it took me about an hour the first time I visited to get information. They close for lunch from 1-2 and close again at 5 pm. I’d suggest getting there 1 hour early so you can be first on the line. When you walk in, make sure to pull a ticket. This is key as without it you won’t be seen.
What You Need
- Have a current & valid US Driver’s License and a certificate of validity with an apostille from the secretary of state from the state where your license was issued
- Be of Portuguese driving age
- Be physically and mentally fit (Atestado Medico – requires a citizen’s health card)
- Proof of residence in Portugal (We used out residency card)
- NIF
***You can request the apostille for your state by finding the Secretary of State for your state here or if you are short on time, you can have it expedited with Apostille.net (they were fast and a pleasure to work with – highly recommended).
What Happens When You Arrive
First, you take a number and wait. There is a person up front who can guide you on what button to press on the machine. Once you are called, you will enter the room and present your paperwork. The woman at the counter didn’t ask any questions. When she was done, she asked me for payment, gave me back my number and told me to wait to be called again to take my picture. A few minutes later I was called and a digital photo was taken and I was done.
Costo
There are multiple costs attached to this.
- License abstract. This document serves as proof that your license is, de hecho, valid in the states. I downloaded mine directly from the NYDMV website. The cost was $7USD and I was able to download it as PDF.
- Apostille. The cost will be determined by your state. You will also need to pay for shipping the form to your state and for having it sent back to Portugal.
- Atestado do Medico Electronico. This is a document your doctor will fill out attesting that you are sane and of good health. It will include your vision status as well. This will vary by doctor and insurance. Mine cost a mere €15 since I have Medis as my Portuguese Health Insurance.
- The actual license. There is a cost of €30 to make the change.
What Happens When You’re Done
You will be given a temporary document – basically a piece of paper with your info – which is valid for driving in Portugal for 2 meses. Your new license will be sent to your Portuguese home address by mail. Your US license will be sent back to the USA.
Note>>> The paper you get will probably expire before you get your physical license. If this is the case, simply go back to the IMT and ask for an extension. It’s super simple, they just take your temporary paper license, stamp it, and fill in the new expiration date. We only had to renew or temporary license once. It took 5 months for the new license to arrive and it was hand delivered by the CTT (they didn’t just put it in the mailbox, they rang the doorbell to deliver it). I assume that if you’re not home, you’ll be left with a “pick up at the CTT office notice”. If this is the case, go to the address on the CTT notice and bring your Portuguese ID. Still pretty simple stuff.
Have questions for us about the process? Just leave your question in the comments section!
Thank you for all the information! Did you need to have an apostille with the driving abstract? Did it need to be translated? I’m seeing these requirements in some places
Hi Bon. Not an apostille, but a Selo Branco. You can get that at the US Embassy, but you must make an appointment before you go.
Bob, looks like you’ll need an apostille. I updated the blog with links to the sites in the US so you can procure them.
Great article – thank you!
The last sentence bothers me.. “Your US license will be sent back to the USA.” Why can’t I keep my US license?? What do I do when I go back to the US?
Hi Dina,
I hear you. I was not too happy about that either, but after much deliberation, it was the right move for me since I am planning to spend lots of time in Portugal. I’m not sure why they keep the license, but when I went in to do the exchange, I asked when I would get it back and the person at the desk said I would not.
Tienes 90 days from when you get residency to exchange your license without having to take the test and pay full price for the license. But, if you are here for over 2 years, then you must get a Portuguese driver’s license.
Many US states require that one continue to be a resident for the license to remain valid. Once you acquire residency in Portugal, the license may become invalid (again – depending on the state you are from). This can be an issue if you’re driving on your US license in Portugal and get in an accident.
My next move is to take my new temporary paper licence to the ACP to request an International Drivers Licence so that I can drive anywhere.
My sister got residency in Portugal a little over a month ago . I sent a notarized copy of her driving record to her with an apostille. Now they want a certified letter stating that a class D licence in the U.S. is equivalent to a class B Portuguese. I’ve not seen anyone mention that. Is that a normal requirement?
All I was asked for was a certificate that the license was valid (got that from the DMV website for my state). I also had to get it apostilled. This is new to me. Is she requesting in Lisbon or another city?
My wife is 81 and has a Florida driving license if we become Portuguese residents can she exchange her driving license , she wouldn’t want to re-test
Hi Peter. Currently, Portuguese residents must renew their licenses when they become 50, 60, 65 and 70 (every two years after they turn 70 this includes a medical exam). She may be able to have her license transferred, but I’m not 100% sure on that. Before she arrives, make sure that she has her proof of validity apostilled. We got our exam from our private doctor. This may suffice for the IMT, but I’m not 100% on that. I could not find much info on the IMT website on your particular situation, but there was some on the European Commission website. Just make this a priority when you arrive so you have ample time in case they want more documentation or in case they want her to re-test.
Hey,
I have a question I´m from Virginia and I want to change my drive license but I can´t find my state on the list of states I can only see West Virginia I don´t know what can I do, I´m having a really hard time on this process, I called the consulate but they can´t help me, I hope you can,
Best Regards
Hi Elizeth,
Wish I could help you on that one…but if the consulate isn’t able to…I probably won’t be either. Why don’t you go to the IMT in your area. They may be able to point you in the right direction.
Blanca
Hi Blanca,
Ante todo, I just want to thank you so much for all of the information you’ve provided through your blog. It helped me out tremendously while working on getting my D7 visa – which I now have approved to begin the process of becoming a Portuguese resident! On the theme of switching over my license, I’ve got plenty of time but did have one question – when I called the DMV office in NJ, they mentioned that I could request my driving record online – which is what I assume you did and downloaded from the NY DMV, sin embargo, is the last 5 years valid enough for the Portuguese or do I need to request my driving record for all time lived in NJ since I acquired a driver’s license? Just to be safe, I might acquire my full record but just wanted to see what your thoughts were since that requires more steps.
Congrats Johanna,
5 years should be enough. Just make sure you get that apostilled, but it would not hurt to check the IMTT website from time to time. Laws change, especially in Portugal.
🙂
Blanca
Hola,
I just got turned down for the apostille (and I am moving in 3 days)! They said I needed the DMV signature notarized–I tried to figure that out, but I don’t know anyone at the DMV–it’s not like it was a document that was signed in from of me. So I sent it off for the apostille. No luck.
Did you have a signature notarized? I’m not sure what to do, now. The apostille company has my money and my certificate of validity 🙁
Try Notarize.com they may be able to help you.
Could you please advise if the period to get Portuguese driver license is 90 days OR
90 work days from date of issus of residency
Gracias
For US licenses, you need to do the transfer before the 90 days from the issue of residency (and I would suggest that you do it asap – it took me three visits to the IMT before I figured everything out).
Hi Blanca, you have been so helpful. The world is a better place when we have folks like you. Now my query. We are Irish citizens with US driving licences but we cannot exchange them for EU licences due to Irish bureaucrisy and we live in Ireland . My wife would have trouble doing the written test for the Irish licence due to dyslexia. Blanca ,how long do we have to wait to get residency permits to stay in Portugal and then subsequent then how long before we can begin process to exchange the licences.Thanks so much. Edmund
Nice to meet you, Ed.
Gracias por las amables palabras. Yours is challenging.
1. how long do we have to wait to get residency permits to stay in Portugal?
Depends on the type of residence visa you are requesting and your situation. Para nosotros, since we did a D7 Residence visa from the US, it took us 2 months to wait for the appointment, and then an extra 30 days for the approval. This is on top of the time it took us to gather all the paperwork we needed.
My mom did the same visa but coming in from Colombia and her process was much easier and faster than it was with us. So there are differences with the process from one country to another.
2. and then subsequent then how long before we can begin the process to exchange the licences
I would execute this as soon as you move to Portugal with your residence visa. The process will vary from state to state because of how the paperwork will be processed in the US…so if I were you, I would start to gather the paperwork as soon as you are approved for your visa. It will be much easier for you to get the necessary paperwork if you’re in the US.
Wishing you much luck in your move to Portugal. Keep us updated on your process…also, we have started a private area for those who want more personal advice and help with moving to Portugal.
Hi Blanca – first off, your blog is the best resource on moving to Portugal on the internet, without a doubt.
My question is about the drivers license – if you are going to be here for 2 years, possibly less, would you absolutely switch over to a portuguese license? If you would be here for more than 2 years would you definitely switch over? And what happens to your US license? Does it get shipped to US, or destroyed?
Gracias
Thanks for the love Simon,
If you’re planning to be here a long time, I would absolutely make the switch. The Portuguese driving test is given in Portuguese and I hear it is quite difficult.
I’m not 100% on what “happens” to the license, but mine was taken away. I believe it is somewhere in the Newark embassy since I applied in NJ…but I don’t know for sure (my Portuguese was close to zero when I did this errand). I’ll try to find out and get back to you.
Talk to you on Instagram 🙂
Blanca