Still have your UK driving licence?

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

If you are living in Portugal and are resident and still have not changed your UK licence to a Portuguese one, then this needs to be done before the end of this month.

If you are planning to move to Portugal and become resident after December 31st then you have 90 days from residency to change this.

This is a screen shot from the UK GOV website.

You can change your licence in Funchal at this address. R. do Seminário n.º 21, 022, 9050-022 Funchal

You will need a doctors certificate to show you are fit to drive, this can be from a private clinic and will cost about 19 euros, plus the usual paperwork, NIF, residency, old licence. The cost to change is 35.00 euros I believe.

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Tobi Hughes

25 Responses

      1. Many rumblings in the eu including:-
        Polexit
        Italexit
        Swexit

        Watch this space………..

  2. Hi Tobi Trust you are well…re driving licences from what I have read if you change your Uk licence to Portuguese and wish to drive in the UK when you go to insure your car in Uk the costs increase considerably
    Questions to be asked is what happens if you are resident here and UK?

    How does effect hire car rentals ?

    Regards Paul

    1. It won’t affect car hire, to drive in Europe you will need a permit from the post office, I think it’s 5 pounds. You cant be a permenent resident in two places, can you.?

  4. I took my UK driving licence to IMT in Funchal last week. Pleasant chap at the door who speaks some English. I was asked if I had an appointment (I didn’t have one), but as it wasn’t busy, I was seen after a 5 minute wait. Some tips: don’t take your own photos, they don’t accept them. They have their own digital camera. The fee is €30. They accept credit cards. Documents needed for exchange of a UK licence are your UK driving licence – they keep it and issue a temporary paper licence until your new plastic licence is ready; your driving licence information from DVLA – https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence – you can print off the information from this website. I have read on forums that IMT accept this, though someone suggested they prefer a printout sent through the post from DVLA (this takes about 3 weeks to arrive in Madeira). I obtained both just to be sure, but I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t accept the online printout. It comes with a code valid for 21 days that IMT could use to check authenticity of your printout; a fitness to drive medical certificate – the most often quoted fee for a private medical is €60, but there is no charge at their equivalent of the NHS (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, SNS) if you are registered as a resident and have a health user number. I obtained my certificate from the SNS. However, as time is short, going privately may be the best option. I understand that if you leave it until after 31st December, you not only have to take a driving test, but it is apparently in Portuguese….

    2. Yes, a very useful post with good detail – thank you, Michael. And cheers to Tobi too for highlighting this issue.

  5. You will need your English licence, DVLA accredited which is valid for 21 days, print this out and take it with your Passport, Residencia NIF , English driving licence, Medical Certificate, to Rua Seminario
    The clerk photographs you and charges 30 euros for the service
    I had the Portuguese Driving licence in 3 days
    I have renewed my English licence as that was to expire in FEB 2021

  6. Can anyone recommend a clinic in Funchal with english speaking staff,which charges circa 19 euro?.

  7. Tried Madeira Medical Center…very helpful, but cost Euro 55. Hospital da Luz also Euro 55. I will try Centro de Saúde do Bom Jesus when my medical card arrives. If anyone knows a clinic charging circa Euro 19,for fit to drive medical certificate service,please post a comment.

  8. Hi Tobi, you are correct, you cannot be resident in both countries, you have to choose one. If you have a 5 year residency and are out of Portugal for more than 6 months you lose it and have to reapply. A 10 year ones gives you an abstinence of 5 years. Even if you are a swallow and flit back and forth, having a residency here means you must change your drivers license, be tax responsible in this country and enter into the public health care system, simply you can’t have both because of Brexit. It’s a difficult situation for many who are not permanent and one that needs to be looked into to decide which is the best option regarding each individuals circumstances. For those who choose not to take residency they then fall under the 90/180 day rule from next year.

  9. Hi there, does anyone know if you have to surrender your UK licence to get a Portuguese one?

  10. As far as I understand Portugal (and hence Madeira) is one of the countries who have confirmed that visiting U.K. license holders will not need an I.D.P. (international driving permit) in order to drive in Portugal after the U.K. leaves the E.U. regardless of the “deal or no deal” situation. This would indicate that hiring a car in Madeira would not need a permit from the Post Office providing the length of the visit was less than 185 days. (I should be so lucky!)

  11. I found you may apply for a replacement English Driving Licence if it has been given in on application for a Portuguese licence and therefore lost to you.
    I find no rules where you may not have licences issued by England Ireland or Portugal or any other country, all simultaneously.
    Both Belgium and Portuguese licences are not unusual with some.
    However one cannot present to enquiring authorities more than one at a time.
    I know of a few with two passports from different countries.

  12. You can (if your application is accepted) have dual residency if you have residences in two countries. If you have dual residency you are meant to have your driving licence from the country of your primary residence. So if you spend 7 months in UK and 5 months in Portugal you should have a UK licence. That is how I understand it.

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