Facilitating Post-Brexit Mobility: The Portugal-UK Driving Licence Pact

The Portugal-UK Driving Licence Agreement has been signed, which is great news for UK licence holders who live in Portugal. The agreement allows them to use their UK licence for its entire validity period, and if needed, exchange it for a Portuguese licence without taking any driving or theory tests. The agreement also applies to Gibraltar licences.

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

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

Another positive development is the launch of a new mobile app by the Portuguese government, which allows drivers to renew their driving licences automatically. However, this feature is only available for drivers up to 50 years old.

The app is an innovative solution aimed at simplifying, automating, and reinforcing the proximity between citizens and public services. In Portugal, drivers already benefit from an information system capable of sending reminders via SMS, such as the IMT (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) reminding drivers to renew their driving licences.

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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