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Getting a Portuguese Driving Licence from Scratch

How to get a first Portuguese car licence through a driving school, sit the theory exam with a translator, learn with a tutor, and what it costs.

Getting a Portuguese Driving Licence from Scratch

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

  • Residents of Portugal who have never held a driving licence and want to drive a car.
  • Non-EU residents whose home licence Portugal will not exchange, so they must start again.
  • Parents or friends thinking of supervising a learner under the new tutor rules.

Not for you if: you hold a licence Portugal can exchange (EU, EEA, or an agreement country). Read "Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal" instead. For road rules once you pass, read "Driving in Portugal".

Updated September 2026. Since 5 July 2026 you can do your practical learning with a tutor, such as a parent or friend, instead of only with a driving instructor.

To get your first car licence (category B) in Portugal, you enrol at a driving school (escola de condução), pass a theory exam, and pass a practical road exam. You must be 18 or over and have lived in Portugal for at least 185 days. The state fees total €90, paid through the school. The school's own fees are separate and are the bigger cost. You can sit the theory exam with an approved translator. Plan on a few months from enrolment to licence.

Who has to learn from scratch

You need this guide if either of these applies to you:

  • You have never held a car licence anywhere.
  • Your licence comes from a country outside the EU and EEA that Portugal does not exchange.

Portugal exchanges licences from EU and EEA countries and from countries covered by international agreements. The list changes, so check it before you pay a school. The exchange is much quicker and cheaper than starting again. Our guide "Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal" explains who qualifies.

If your licence cannot be exchanged, it stops being valid for driving once any grace period for new residents ends. Driving on it after that counts as driving without a licence, which is a crime in Portugal.

If you already hold an EU, Icelandic, Liechtenstein, or Norwegian licence of the same category, you cannot sit for a Portuguese one. You keep driving on yours. You must tell the IMT within 60 days that you now live and drive in Portugal.

Who can apply

You can take a category B licence in Portugal if all of these are true:

  • You are 18 or older.
  • You have lived in Portugal for at least 185 days.
  • You are physically and mentally fit to drive.
  • A court or authority has not banned you from driving.
  • You do not already hold a licence of the same category from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway.

The IMT (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) is the authority that issues licences.

Documents you need to enrol

You apply through a driving school, not directly to the IMT. Bring these to the school:

  • An identity document that shows you live in Portugal, such as your residence card.
  • Your NIF (tax number).
  • An electronic medical certificate (atestado médico eletrónico). Any doctor can issue it.

For a car licence, you do not need a separate psychological assessment. That applies only to heavier and professional categories.

The steps, in order

  1. Check you cannot exchange your licence. Do this first, before you pay any school.
  2. Get your medical certificate. Book any doctor, public or private, and ask for the electronic certificate for a driving licence.
  3. Choose a school and enrol. The school registers you with the IMT and requests your learner's permit (licença de aprendizagem).
  4. Take the theory lessons. Theory lessons stay compulsory, in person or online, whichever route you choose for practical learning.
  5. Pass the theory exam. The school books it at an exam centre.
  6. Learn to drive. Take lessons with an instructor, practise with a tutor, or mix both.
  7. Pass the practical exam. The school books this too.
  8. Update your photo and signature data. You do this on IMT Online if you hold a valid, activated Cartão de Cidadão. Otherwise, go to an IMT counter.
  9. Receive your licence. The IMT posts it to the address on your learner's permit.

The theory exam

Everyone calls the theory exam the código, after the Portuguese Highway Code (Código da Estrada).

For a car licence, the exam works like this:

  • 30 multiple choice questions on a computer.
  • 30 minutes to answer.
  • You pass with 27 correct answers, so you can get three wrong.

The IMT publishes its official exam questions free on its website. Practising on the real question bank is the best preparation. Your school will also give you study material.

Bring your identity document on exam day. The IMT also accepts identification through the id.gov app.

Taking the theory exam in another language

If your Portuguese is not good enough, you can sit the car theory exam with an approved translator. This option has existed since 2020. The 2026 changes extend translated exams to more categories.

Here is how it works:

  1. Tell your driving school you want a translated exam.
  2. Choose a translator from the IMT's approved list. The school gives the exam centre your translator's name.
  3. The exam centre tells the IMT, which issues a payment reference.
  4. Pay the fee by the day before your exam.
  5. The IMT sends the exam to the translator, who translates it before the session.

The IMT's 2026 list includes translators for English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Mandarin, Persian, Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian. Check the current list on the IMT's exam page, as it changes each year.

Translated exams run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00 to 11:00, and on Thursdays from 14:00 to 16:00. Each exam centre can run only four translated exams per session, so book early.

The translator is a private professional and sets their own fee. Ask for a quote before you book.

Learning with a tutor instead of an instructor

Since 5 July 2026, the practical part of your learning can be supervised by a tutor. Typically, this is a parent, grandparent, or friend. You no longer need to start with a block of lessons from an instructor. You still enrol at a driving school, and theory lessons stay the same.

Who can be a tutor

A tutor must meet all of these conditions:

  • They have held a category B licence for at least 10 years.
  • If their licence is from the EU, it counts in full. If it is from outside the EU, it must have been issued at least 10 years ago and recognised in Portugal for at least five.
  • They have no conviction for a serious or very serious traffic offence in the past five years.
  • They are not a driving instructor or exam examiner.
  • They are not paid for tutoring.

A tutor can supervise up to five learners in any 10 year period.

What the tutor takes on

The tutor is legally responsible for fines and damage the learner causes while practising. The only exception is if the learner disobeys the tutor's instructions.

The car's compulsory insurance must expressly cover damage caused by the learner. Talk to the insurer before the first drive. The premium may rise.

Rules while practising

  • Your school tells the IMT electronically who your tutor is before you start.
  • Avoid roads and times with heavy traffic.
  • Your council can ban learner practice in some streets or areas.
  • The police can order the car off the road if these rules are broken.

While you drive with a tutor, the law says:

  • You may not carry passengers.
  • You may not use motorways or roads classed as motorways.
  • The car must be marked as a learner car with a tutor. The sign is a yellow "TUTOR" panel at the bottom corners of the front and rear windscreens; your school supplies it.
  • The tutor should keep you off busy roads at busy times. Councils can ban tutor driving in their busiest areas.

The tutor does not have to take a course. The old rule that required one has gone.

When you can take the practical exam

You can sit the practical exam no sooner than 90 days after the school tells the IMT about your tutor. You then have two choices:

  • Take an optional check drive (teste de aferição) at the school first. The school assesses whether you are ready.
  • Go straight to the official exam. If you fail without having done the check drive, you must wait four months before you can retake it.

Should you use a tutor?

A tutor can cut the number of paid lessons. It does not remove the school fees, the theory lessons, or the exam fees. Driving schools and road safety groups have criticised the change. They warn that a relative teaching a complete beginner can be less safe than a trained instructor with dual controls. Many learners will want at least some lessons with an instructor.

The practical exam

The practical exam for a car lasts at least 40 minutes. Up to five minutes go on checks and preparing the vehicle before you drive. An IMT examiner assesses you on normal roads, including junctions, roundabouts, and parking.

The examiner gives directions in Portuguese, unless your school arranges otherwise. Learn the basics before the day: "vire à direita" (turn right), "vire à esquerda" (turn left), "siga em frente" (go straight on), and "estacione" (park).

If you take the exam in a car with automatic transmission, your licence is limited to automatic cars.

What it costs

The IMT's fees are fixed:

ItemFee
Learner's permit€15
Theory exam€15
Practical exam€30
Licence issue€30
Total€90

The school pays these fees and passes them on to you. Requests made online get a 10% discount.

The driving school's tuition is separate and is the largest cost. Schools set their own prices, and they vary by region. Expect several hundred euros or more for a full course. Ask each school for a written quote that lists:

  • Enrolment and theory lessons.
  • Each practical lesson, and how many they expect you to need.
  • Exam booking and any charge to use the school's car on exam day.
  • The cost of a retake and of extra lessons.

If you sit the theory exam with a translator, add the translator's fee and the IMT fee for a translated exam.

How long it takes

Timing depends on your school, your progress, and exam availability in your area. The IMT publishes statistics on pending exams on its exam page.

As a rough guide:

  • Theory lessons and the theory exam take a few weeks if you study steadily.
  • Practical learning with an instructor takes as long as you need to reach exam standard.
  • With a tutor, you must allow at least 90 days between the IMT notification and the practical exam.
  • After you pass, update your data on IMT Online promptly so the IMT can print your licence.

Your first three years as a new driver

Every new licence starts with a three year probation period (regime probatório). During those three years, these rules apply to you:

  • Your alcohol limit is 0.2 g/l, lower than for experienced drivers.
  • Your licence is cancelled if you are finally convicted of a driving crime, one very serious offence, or two serious offences.
  • If your licence is cancelled, you may have to retake the exam and do extra training.

After three years without cancellation, your licence becomes permanent. You also start with the standard 12 points, like every driver. Our guide "How the Driving Licence Points System Works in Portugal" explains how points are lost and recovered.

What is changing next

The EU adopted new driving licence rules that came into force on 25 November 2025. Portugal must bring them into national law, and most apply from 2029. For car drivers, the main changes are:

  • An EU scheme for accompanied driving from age 17, applying from late 2028.
  • A probation period of at least two years for new drivers everywhere in the EU. Portugal's three years already meets this.
  • A digital licence on the EU Digital Identity Wallet, with a plastic card still available on request.

Until Portugal changes its law, the minimum age for a car licence stays at 18.

Sources

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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