Driving License in Madeira – Advise needed

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News
Kenneth has sent me this email below, and wonder if anyone else has been through the same situation, and can help or advise by using the comment section below, or send me an email and I will pass on to Kenneth. 
See summary of my circumstance / History Below sent to my lawyer, he sent me back this, which does not answer the Question about the UK
I’m an NT Resident here and in effect wish to spend winters here , less than 6 months and Tax Resident in the UK , more than 6 months was always the original plan before Covid
I have checked with lawyers and they say the deadline for exchange is extended to Dec 31st 2022, so I can still exchange now and deive legal but HAVE to Relinquish UK DVLA License
But I’m reading if I can drive in the UK with a Portuguese license, only for 12 months after which you would need to sit a NEW DVLA test to obtain a UK License
This means if you are Resident in Portugal which you should be if staying here more than three months you must give up your UK license within 90 Days and if still ressident in the UK, you cannot drive more than 12 months or you will need a UK License
In effect you cannot Live in Both countries, own a car and drive licensed at the same time
I must be missing something as this sounds Ludicrous
I am a bit worried about this Driving license issue having been reading online about the situation.
It appears through lackof understanding and our general circumstance surrounding my wifes residencey I may been unconciously breaking the law Driving with my UK License at present and risking a fine.
Below is an explanation of how this situation all came about.
New Problem “Dawned” on me this weekend, It appears that I may be driving illegally in Madeira as I presently only hold a UK Driving License I got my residency before Brexit on the 6th January 2020 and we have been waiting to get Jojo,s Residency sorted before making any major Purchases as she had her application Registered on 24th June 2021, I decided in November it would be safe enough to Purchase a Car , I did look into the issue of my license early 2021 last year and and even had a medical appointment arranged but was told that I would need to Relinquish my UK Driving license which considering our circumstances at the time and for the Future I did not wish to do , I was unaware at the time that I should have registered my UK Licence with IMT , And at the time I did not own a Vehicle or have any real intention too , Fast forward to the present and it appears that since acquiring the Vehicle in November I had only one month to the Deadline two years from the date of my Residency for Registering my UK License which as now expired by all accounts and now potentially I read that I may have to Resit a Portuguese Driving test to obtain a license , what an absolute mess , I will be in touch with the lawyers this morning to see what they suggest or advise , I certainly do not wish to retake a driving test at my age. Perhaps an option is to get an International Driving Permit in the UK when we return for the Summer on April 8th , 17 days from now and use that while on Future stays in Madeira if that is acceptable , I do not need to drive again in the interim if Im breaking the law.
Can you advise me as soon as possible what my present situation is concerning Driving andwhat options are available to get around this situation
I can certainly Complete the IMT Form and get a Medical and have everything else at hand but if the Expiry date for my application has been exceeded it may not be of much use
Now confirmed period extended until Dec 31st 2022 , confirmed by DRTT

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Tobi Hughes

4 Responses

  1. You cannot be resident in two countries.
    Either you are a UK resident and thus require a UK license. Or, you are a Portuguese resident and must have a Portuguese license.
    As you have passed the dead line for exchanging your UK license I would think that you will have to take a Portuguese driving test.

  3. I also believe that you will have to take a test in Madeira, I read all about this when I came to live in Madeira, having exchanged my driving license from jersey,you can only hold one license, and it’s quite a lot of work when you decide to do so, make sure you have a letter from the DVLA to say that your license is genuine that letter must not be older than 3 months, plus you will need a letter from a doctor in Madeira to say that you are fit to drive, the doctor in turn will send you for blood tests before he gives you the letter,thus all this takes good timing,good luck,not easy

  4. In the short term, you can relax. The deadline for exchange of your UK driving licence has been extended to 31st December 2022, though you will need to register it with the local motoring office as you have been here for more than 60 days to drive legally.

    You can drive in the UK on an EU licence indefinitely until the age of 70, provided you didn’t get it in exchange for a non-EU licence. In my case, I had a valid EU licence (issued in the UK) and swapped it for an EU licence (issued in Portugal) before the end of the transition period, so I think I’m covered by this rule. You could probably get away with it on the same basis given you were here before the transition period too (assuming you’re under 70).

    You do need to sort out the basis of your residence – I’m not sure what “NT” residence is, but common categories of residence mean you have to be in Portugal for more than 6 months a year for the first 5 years (there are exceptions). If you’re here more than 6 months of the year then you should be treated as a visitor to the UK for driving licence purposes and your 12 months will effectively reset each time you return to Madeira.

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