German driving licence in Portugal: validity, registration, exchange

Why a German licence is valid in Portugal

Directive 2006/126/EC requires Member States to recognise each other's driving licences. In Portugal, the Regulation on the Legal Qualification to Drive (Regulamento da Habilitação Legal para Conduzir, RHLC) sets out this principle in Article 13: licences issued in the EU and the European Economic Area entitle the holder to drive the categories they cover, provided they are valid and the holder has reached the minimum age Portugal requires for each category. In the words of the IMT, Portugal's Institute for Mobility and Transport, you can drive in Portugal "until the end of the validity stated on the document".

Registering with the IMT: 60 days, free of charge

Article 15(3) of the RHLC requires holders of a licence issued in another Member State who take up residence in Portugal to notify the IMT within the following 60 days. This rule still applies in the version in force: Decree-Law No 114/2026 of 8 June, the most recent amendment to the regulation, did not change it. According to the IMT, failing to do so is an offence; its information does not state the amount of the fine.

Registration is done in person at the IMT service desk for your area of residence, with an ID document and your valid licence. If you do not have a Portuguese Citizen Card (Cartão de Cidadão), you also need the residence registration issued by the town hall (Câmara Municipal), which is the EU citizen registration described in the article on the documents needed to move to Portugal.

When the exchange is mandatory

Licences with no expiry date. This applies to the old German models: the "grauer Lappen", the "rosa Pappe" and the card licences issued up to 18 January 2013. The RHLC gives them an administrative validity of two years from the date you take up residence in Portugal (Article 13(4)), and the IMT states that, within that period, the licence must be exchanged for a Portuguese one. An EU licence is exchanged without a driving test (Article 14(1)).

Expired licences, with residence in Portugal. According to the European Commission's Your Europe portal, licences are renewed in the country of habitual residence, not in the issuing country. The RHLC provides that renewal follows the requirements of Portuguese law (Article 13(3)), so the application is made to the IMT.

Lost or stolen licences. Your Europe states that a replacement should be requested in the country of residence. The RHLC provides that the IMT may issue a Portuguese licence after confirming the details of the German licence through the EU driving licence network (RESPER) or with the issuing authority (Article 14(6)).

In all other cases, the exchange is optional.

Portuguese renewal rules

If your habitual residence is in Portugal, Portuguese renewal rules apply, including to licences issued in other Member States (Article 17(9) of the RHLC). When a licence is exchanged, the Portuguese licence is issued with Portuguese renewal intervals, regardless of the validity shown on the German one (Article 14(8)).

For car and motorcycle categories (AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B and BE), the current scheme published by the IMT is as follows:

• Every 15 years, without a medical certificate, up to the age of 60
• At 60, 65 and 70, with a medical certificate
• From the age of 70, every 2 years, with a medical certificate

You apply for renewal in the six months before the expiry date; it costs 30 euros (15 euros from the age of 70), with a 10% discount on IMT Online. Driving with an expired licence is an offence; if the licence expired more than two years ago, a special test, including a practical driving test, is required.

German exchange schedule for licences issued before 2013 (Pflichtumtausch)

Directive 2006/126/EC requires all licences issued or in circulation in the Union to meet its requirements by 19 January 2033, which means replacing the old models. Germany has staggered this mandatory exchange (Pflichtumtausch). According to the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Government, the deadlines are as follows:

• Paper licences issued up to 1998, for holders born in 1953 or later: the deadline depended on the year of birth and has already passed (the last one on 19 January 2025)
• Card licences issued between 1999 and 2001: deadline passed on 19 January 2026
• Issued between 2002 and 2004: by 19 January 2027
• Issued between 2005 and 2007: by 19 January 2028
• Issued between 2008 and 2011: one year per year of issue, from 2029 to 2032
• Issued between 2012 and 18 January 2013, and licences of holders born before 1953, whatever the year of issue: by 19 January 2033

The German ministry explains that, once the deadline has passed, the old document is no longer valid, although the right to drive remains. In Germany, missing the deadline incurs a Verwarnungsgeld (warning fine) of 10 euros.

This matters in Portugal because Portuguese recognition requires a valid licence (Article 13(1) of the RHLC). If yours is a paper licence (and you were born in 1953 or later) or a card licence issued between 1999 and 2001, the German deadline has already passed and, as far as the German authorities are concerned, the document is no longer valid. The IMT does not publish what this means in Portugal, so, as a precaution, it is advisable to arrange the exchange before you drive again. According to the German ministry, residents of another EU or EEA country exchange their licence with the authority of their country of residence; in Portugal, that authority is the IMT.

How to apply for the exchange at the IMT

For EU and EEA licences, the IMT publishes the following procedure:

• Your doctor issues the medical certificate on the electronic platform, which sends it directly to the IMT
• On the A Minha Carta de Condução portal, you complete the form and attach your ID document, the German licence and, depending on your situation, the residence registration from the town hall (if you do not have a Citizen Card), the certificate of tax address (certidão de domicílio fiscal) or your passport. For categories C, D or E, the psychological assessment certificate is also required
• The IMT then asks you to attend a service desk, where you hand in the German licence and your photo and signature are taken

The application costs 30 euros, with a 10% discount when made online. The processing time is not published.

Driving licences and the Contact Center roles

If you plan to work in German from home, it is worth knowing that the job postings for the open Roadside Assistance roles do not list a driving licence among the requirements. The work involves assisting customers by phone, 100% remote: the person behind the wheel is the customer. The full requirements are listed in the open positions.

Your licence is therefore mainly something to deal with when you move to Portugal. You can sort it out in your first few weeks, alongside your NIF (tax number) and your address, as set out in the checklist for your first 30 days.

Frequently asked questions

• EU and EEA countries (exchanging and registering a foreign licence), Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes, accessed on 2026-10-26 — imt-ip.pt/…/paises-da-uniao-euro…
• Are driving licences issued by European Union countries valid in Portugal? (FAQ), Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes, accessed on 2026-10-26 — imt-ip.pt/…/as-cartas-de-conduca…
• Revalidação da Carta de Condução (driving licence renewal), Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes, accessed on 2026-10-26 — imt-ip.pt/…/revalidacao-da-carta…
• Revalidação dos títulos de condução, condutores do Grupo I (licence renewal for Group I drivers), Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes, accessed on 2026-10-26 — imt-ip.pt/…/Revalidacao-dos-titu…
• Decree-Law No 138/2012 of 5 July, Regulamento da Habilitação Legal para Conduzir, consolidated version up to Decree-Law No 114/2026, Articles 13 to 17, Procuradoria-Geral Regional de Lisboa, accessed on 2026-10-26 — pgdlisboa.pt/…/lei_mostra_articulad…
• Decree-Law No 114/2026 of 8 June, amending the Regulamento da Habilitação Legal para Conduzir, Diário da República No 109/2026, Series 1, accessed on 2026-10-26 — diariodarepublica.pt/…/114-2026-1130121307
• Driving licence recognition and validity, Your Europe, European Commission, accessed on 2026-10-26 — europa.eu/…/index_en.htm
• Renewing your driving licence, Your Europe, European Commission, accessed on 2026-10-26 — europa.eu/…/index_en.htm
• Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on driving licences, EUR-Lex — eur-lex.europa.eu/…/?uri=CELEX:32006L0126
• Was gibt es beim Führerschein-Umtausch zu beachten?, Bundesministerium für Verkehr, updated on 2026-01-20, accessed on 2026-10-26 — bmv.de/…/faq-fuehrerschein-um…
• Diese Führerscheine müssen umgetauscht werden, German Federal Government (Bundesregierung), 2026-09-21, accessed on 2026-10-26 — bundesregierung.de/…/faq-fuehrerschein-um…