General Daily Briefing: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal
Who must swap, who can keep driving on a foreign licence, and how the IMT (transport authority) process works.
Good morning. Here is your Thursday briefing for 22 October 2026: the day's essential Portugal stories for residents, immigrants and anyone keeping an eye on the country, below this week's featured guide.
- Public spending: parliament has passed the Court of Auditors overhaul, so public contracts will need the court's prior clearance only from 7.5 million euros.
- Employers: firms will get more time to recover about 434 million euros left in the closed work compensation fund, though how much more is not yet settled.
- Health: two family health units in Gafanha da Nazaré are closed until at least Friday after signs of rodents were found.
- Roads: the GNR's cameras recorded a car averaging 292 km/h on the Vasco da Gama bridge, the fastest reading there yet.
- Energy: Galp's Bacalhau oil field off Brazil has produced 25 million barrels in its first year and should reach full output before 2027.
- Weather: IPMA's seasonal outlook points to a warmer and wetter than normal November to January.
Court of Auditors Reform Passes
Parliament approved the new Tribunal de Contas law in its final vote on Wednesday, with PSD, CDS and IL in favour and most of the PS abstaining. Contracts will need the court's visto prévio only from 7.5 million euros, up from 750,000, though every contract above 950,000 euros must still be reported to it. The decree now goes to the President, who can send it to the Constitutional Court.
More Time for the Compensation Fund
At Concertação Social on Wednesday, the Government and the social partners agreed to negotiate pushing back the 31 December 2026 deadline for employers to recover money left in the Fundo de Compensação do Trabalho. Six months is on the table, and employers want small balances paid out freely. Until a change is published, the current deadline stands. We explain what the money can be used for and how to check your balance.
Two Health Units Closed in Gafanha da Nazaré
The USF Atlântico Norte and USF Beira Ria in Ílhavo municipality closed on Wednesday after staff found droppings and urine suggesting rodents, and will stay shut until at least Friday 23 October, when the buildings are reassessed. Patients with an acute illness should go to the Ílhavo health centre or the Costa Nova health post; those with appointments will be contacted.
A Record Speed on the Vasco da Gama Bridge
A company-owned Mercedes crossed the 8.4 km bridge in 103 seconds on Monday night, an average of 292 km/h against a 120 km/h limit, the highest the GNR's average-speed cameras have recorded since 2024. The driver has not yet been named. We set out the fines, licence points and driving bans the Highway Code sets, and when speeding becomes a crime.
Galp's Brazilian Field Nears Full Output
Bacalhau, the Santos Basin field in which Galp holds 20 percent, produced 25 million barrels in its first year, and operator Equinor expects it to reach 220,000 barrels a day within 2026. At that level Galp expects about 40,000 barrels a day for itself. Galp reports its third-quarter results on 26 October.
A Milder, Wetter Winter Ahead
IPMA's seasonal outlook, built on the Copernicus multi-model forecast, expects mainland temperatures 1.0 to 1.5 °C above normal from November to January, with extra rain in the north in November and across the mainland from December. IPMA stresses the forecast is a matter of probabilities. Reservoirs stood at 72 percent on 19 October.
Also published since yesterday's briefing
- More Than 690,000 Nationality Applications Sit Waiting at the IRN, and About a Quarter Come From Immigrants Living in Portugal Read →
- Social Security's Portal Now Gives Relatives and Accountants Access to Only the Parts of Your Account You Choose Read →
- The Average Old-Age Pension Covers About Five and a Half Months a Year in a Private Care Home, a Survey Finds: How Social-Sector Fees Work Instead Read →
- Interest Again Takes More Than Half of the Average Portuguese Mortgage Payment After a Fourth Monthly Rise in the Rate, to 3.194 Percent Read →
- The EU Investigates Booking.com Over Fake Listings, Phishing Scams and Paid Rankings Not Labelled as Ads: How to Avoid Booking Scams and Where to Complain in Portugal Read →
- Portugal Skips This Year's Dental Vouchers for Children Aged 7, 10 and 13 as a New Scheme Starts in January Read →
- A Lisbon Court Acquits Three Navy Sailors of Breaching State Secrecy Over the NRP Mondego, Finding No Competent Authority Had Classified the Data Read →
- Lisbon Airport's Northbound Departures Shift to a New Track by the End of the Year, Meant to Spare About 35,000 Residents From Noise Read →
- Energy Complaints in Portugal Swell 47 Percent in a Year, With Billing Still the Biggest Grievance: How to Challenge a Bill Read →
- Portugal's Job Centres Count 30,616 Fewer Unemployed Than a Year Ago, but the Algarve and Alentejo Edge Up After the Summer Read →
- Portugal Sets Aside 1 Million Euros a Year for the Iberian Lynx to 2030, and Gives Itself Until December to Design Compensation for Farmers Read →
- Loures Lifts Its Tourist Tax From 1.50 to 2.50 Euros a Night From Late November, and Guests Will Pay It at Check-In Read →
- The Azores Create a Legal Right to a Personal Assistant for Disabled People, but No One Gets One Until a Regional Budget Pays for It Read →
