Which foreign licences exchange without an exam — country recognition
Verified
FACT ID · driving-country-recognition
Canonical value
Direct exchange (no driving exam) is available for licences issued by OECD member states, CPLP (Portuguese-speaking) countries, and road-convention signatories, or where a bilateral agreement with Portugal applies. A licence from a country in none of these categories is not directly exchangeable — a Portuguese driving exam is required. The IMT maintains the recognised-country list.●Verified ·
Issuing authority
Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (IMT) — Troca de Título de Condução Estrangeiro
Legal instrument
DL n.º 138/2012 — Regulamento da Habilitação Legal para Conduzir
Last verified
Review cadence
quarterly
Notes
Recognition depends on the issuing country of the licence, not the holder’s nationality. This step is only reached once the holder is resident in Portugal (see driving-exchange-obligation); a non-resident cannot exchange at all, regardless of country.
Change history
Initial captureDirect exchange (no driving exam) is available for licences issued by OECD member states, CPLP (Portuguese-speaking) countries, and road-convention signatories, or where a bilateral agreement with Portugal applies. A licence from a country in none of these categories is not directly exchangeable — a Portuguese driving exam is required. The IMT maintains the recognised-country list.
No further changes recorded yet — unchanged since it was first captured.
