July 2020 

BREXIT: Driving Licenses in Portugal

I am a British citizen and only live six months in Portugal. Can I continue to drive with my British driving license in Portuguese territory?

Given that the UK's departure from the EU, 31.01.2020, was agreed, a transition period has been established that remains until 31.12.2020.

A UK citizen will, therefore, be able to drive with the British license until 31.12.2020, as in this transitional period the UK driving licence recognition and exchange scheme, which exists before departure, is to say, for all intents and purposes, the UK driving licences are considered Community driving licenses.

From 2021, driving licenses issued by the UK will be considered third country titles, and legislation on the recognition of driving licences issued by third countries applies *. That is, a UK driver's licence holder may drive motor vehicles for 185 days from their entry into Portugal if they are not a resident.

However, if the rules of that agreement on the mutual recognition of driving licences are signed in the bilateral relations between Portugal and the UK, the rules of that possible agreement will prevail.

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