# New Portugal Decree Ties Foreigners' Driving Licences to Residence Permits

> Decree-Law 114/2026 links non-EU drivers' Portuguese licence validity to their residence permit expiry date, adding a recurring renewal step.

- Source: https://www.growinportugal.com/news/third-country-drivers-your-portuguese-licence-now-expires-wi-2026-09-24
- Publisher: GrowIN Portugal (https://www.growinportugal.com)
- Published: 2026-09-24
- Last reviewed: 2026-09-24
- Language: en

> **Key figures — as of 2026-09-24:** Decree-Law 114/2026, published 8 June 2026, added a new Article 16(9) tying non-EU drivers' Portuguese licence validity to their residence permit's expiry date — not the normal multi-year term; affected licences carry restriction code **794**; IMT confirms the licence **stays valid while a renewal is pending** at AIMA; standard licence exchange fee remains **€30** (10% off if paid online).

## A licence that now runs on visa time

Foreigners who exchange a foreign driving licence for a Portuguese one no longer get a card that lasts on its own clock. Under Decree-Law No. 114/2026, published on 8 June, which changed the driving licence rules, established that when the driver is a non-EU citizen holding a valid visa or residence permit that allows them to live in Portugal, the licence's validity no longer follows the normal terms. Instead, the licence now runs until the expiry date of the residence document. In practice, a D7 retiree, a D8 digital nomad or a Golden Visa investor who exchanges their licence now gets a card that dies the same day their AIMA permit does — regardless of how many years a Portuguese licence would normally run.

## The code that flags it

The change is visible on the plastic itself. A restriction code 794 will be added, indicating the licence is valid only while the visa or residence authorisation remains valid or is in the renewal process. As the decree's own drafters put it, "in practice, the driving licence's validity will be tied to the holder's residence status". The rule isn't limited to licences issued after June: Article 4 of the decree establishes that the new regime also applies to licences already issued before the diploma came into force, subject to verification of the visa or residence permit's validity, without needing the 794 code to be added to already-issued cards. IMT hasn't yet published detailed guidance on how that retroactive check will work in practice.

## The AIMA delay problem — and IMT's fix

The obvious worry: AIMA's renewal backlogs are notorious, and if a licence expires the same day as a residence card that's stuck in the queue, does the holder simply lose the right to drive? IMT has now answered that directly. Asked by DN Brasil whether the decree accounted for AIMA's delays, the institute confirmed foreigners' driving licences remain valid throughout the entire residence permit renewal process. An IMT spokesperson told the outlet the intent is "not to restrict the right to drive while the renewal process is under way", adding plainly that "the driving licence remains valid during the residence permit renewal period". So a pending renewal — even a slow one — should not, on paper, ground anyone.

## The GrowIN calculation: a recurring errand, not a one-off

The bigger practical shift is what this does to how often people deal with IMT. AIMA typically issues a first residence permit for two years, then renews it for longer stretches. Under the old system, exchanging a foreign licence was largely a one-time job — the Portuguese card then ran for years on its own schedule. Under the new rule, a third-country national on a fresh two-year permit gets a driving licence valid for exactly two years, then needs it re-issued or re-validated at every subsequent AIMA renewal. Over a typical seven-to-ten-year path to permanent residency or citizenship, that could mean the exchange fee — €30, or slightly less online, per current IMT pricing — is paid three or four times rather than once, on top of a fresh medical certificate each round. It's a modest sum individually, but it turns what used to be a single administrative task into a recurring one tied to every visa renewal cycle.

**"The card in your wallet now has the same expiry anxiety as your residence permit — plan the renewal together, not separately," says GrowIN Portugal Editorial.**

## What this means day to day

For anyone currently holding, or about to apply for, a non-EU licence exchange, the practical takeaway is to line up the licence renewal with the residence permit renewal on the same calendar reminder, not treat them as separate errands. Anyone already mid-exchange should confirm with their local IMT office whether their card will carry the 794 code or fall under the retroactive check in Article 4. For full background on the underlying exchange process — documents, timelines, EU versus non-EU rules — see our [visas](/visas/) hub, and for the mechanics of registering versus exchanging a licence check our dedicated driving licence exchange guide.

## What to watch next

IMT has yet to publish detailed operational guidance on how the retroactive rule applies to licences issued before June 2026, and it's unclear whether renewal notices will be sent automatically or left to the holder to track. Anyone relying on a residence permit renewal that's running late at AIMA should keep written confirmation of their pending application, in case a traffic stop requires proof that the "in renewal" exception applies.

Third-country drivers in Portugal now have one more date to circle on the calendar — the same one that already governs their right to stay.

## Sources

- [Diário da Cidadania](https://diariodacidadania.com/2026/07/18/nova-regra-para-estrangeiros-em-portugal-validade-da-carta-de-conducao-passa-a-depender-do-titulo-de-residencia-2/)
- [DN Brasil](https://dnbrasil.dn.pt/imt-garante-validade-da-carteira-de-motorista-durante-renovao-da-residncia)
- [IMT – Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes](https://www.imt-ip.pt)
- [gov.pt – Exchange a foreign driving licence](https://www2.gov.pt/en/servicos/trocar-carta-de-conducao-estrangeira-por-portuguesa)

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© GrowIN Portugal. Cite as: GrowIN Portugal, "New Portugal Decree Ties Foreigners' Driving Licences to Residence Permits", https://www.growinportugal.com/news/third-country-drivers-your-portuguese-licence-now-expires-wi-2026-09-24