Key figures — as of 2026-08-28: Law n.º 59/2026 published 25 August 2026, in force 1 September 2026 — new drivers face 50 hours of mandatory training and a 30-question exam requiring 27 correct answers (90%) — maximum vehicle age raised from 7 to 10 years (12 for electric cars) — foreign nationals made up 48% of Portugal's ~37,500 active TVDE drivers as of March 2025, and all net growth in the sector since has come from foreign drivers, per IMT data.
A law eight years in the making, now with a language test attached
Portugal's ride-hailing sector just got its biggest shake-up since Uber and Bolt were first regulated. The law that alters the previous legal regime for TVDE was published in the Diário da República and enters into force on 1 September, eight years after the regulation of this type of mobility began — Law n.º 59/2026 amends the previous Law 45/2018.
Buried in the technical detail is a change that will land hardest on the sector's immigrant workforce: the road training course now has to include verification of "functional command of the Portuguese language" appropriate to working as a driver. That requirement did not exist in the previous law. It sits alongside a much tougher qualifying exam: future drivers will have to attend a minimum initial training of 50 hours, combining theoretical and practical components, followed by a final exam of 30 questions, with at least 27 correct answers required to pass. A 90% pass mark on a 30-question test is a meaningfully higher bar than the training-centre assessments many current drivers went through.
Platforms will also have to let riders act on the new rule directly. Passengers will be able to "choose a driver with knowledge of Portuguese," while training courses now verify "functional command" of the language.
Why this hits migrant drivers specifically
TVDE has become one of the few entry points into paid work for newly arrived migrants with a car, a category-B licence and limited Portuguese — no CV, no interview, no employer vetting language skills up front. That's precisely why the numbers are so lopsided. In March 2025, 37,495 TVDE drivers were active, of whom 52% (19,815) were Portuguese, followed by Brazilians at 20.6% (7,735) and Indians at 10.4% (3,900). Drivers of 98 different nationalities were behind the wheel that month.
The trend has only deepened since. IMT data shows the total number of active drivers rose from 40,596 to 40,858 between April and May 2026. Industry body APTAD says all of that net growth in May was driven exclusively by foreign drivers — nationals of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries, which the association reads as a sign Portuguese nationals continue to find better options elsewhere.
GrowIN's calculation: applying the last confirmed nationality breakdown (48% foreign, March 2025) to the current fleet size of 40,858 drivers (May 2026) implies roughly 19,600 foreign nationals are already working under TVDE licences — and because every driver added since has reportedly been foreign, that share is almost certainly higher today. A language and exam requirement landing on a workforce this size isn't a technicality; it's a labour-market event.
"A rule aimed at protecting passengers from communication problems will, in practice, decide which migrants can keep driving for Uber and Bolt," says GrowIN Portugal Editorial.
The vehicle rules are tightening too
It isn't only drivers facing new hurdles. The maximum age of vehicles allowed into the fleet rises from seven to 10 years, or 12 years for electric vehicles — a change that loosens one constraint even as the training and language rules tighten another, likely reshuffling which cars and which owners stay viable in the sector. Operators also lose the ability to lend or lease vehicles under comodato arrangements except in limited cases, and platforms gain the option (not obligation) of consent-based, audio-free in-car video recording.
Practical implications and what to watch
The law took effect 1 September 2026, but the exact language-testing methodology — how "functional command" is assessed, and by whom — still needs to be defined by ministerial portaria (implementing regulation), so drivers already licensed should watch for detail on whether the requirement applies retroactively to renewals or only to new applicants. Existing TVDE cardholders are not automatically required to resit training under what's been published so far, but IMT and the platforms are expected to clarify enforcement in the coming weeks. Migrants weighing TVDE as a route into the Portuguese labour market — including many on family reunification or D7 status exploring self-employment — should treat A2-level functional Portuguese as a practical prerequisite now, not a nice-to-have; our visas hub covers residence categories that commonly lead people toward gig and platform work.
For a sector where roughly half the workforce didn't grow up speaking Portuguese, an exam requiring 90% accuracy is going to filter people out — that's the point, supporters argue, and the risk, critics say.