driving licence

[diamond2]

I am now a resident in portugal and all my papers have got my portuguese address on except my driving licence which has still got my old english address on if i get stopped by the gnr will i get a fine and what is the procedure for registering my licence thanks

[shanagarry]

Is it a UK or Portuguese Driving licence ?

[steve]

It is quite OK as a resident to continue to use a valid English driving licence but you have to register it with the body which took over from the DGV. I am sure that somebody can recall the new name. AFPOP have a notice explaining the procedure and if you don't want to trudge over to Faro I believe that you can get the process completed via a local driving school but at a charge.

The advantage of the UK licence is that it is valid until you reach 70 whereas Portuguese licences have to be renewed before this.

[shanagarry]

Steve

Things have changed a bit - a UK Driving Licence is only valid for 10 years and has to be renewed. You have to apply to have it renewed and it can come with conditions especially if you have health issues.

[diamond2]

It is a british driving licence valid until 2017, I have been to the IMTT in lagoa they seem to suggest i must exchange my licence for a portuguese one,when i asked the guy about registering my uk licence he told me to come back when an english speaking person might be there

[steve]

Shannagarry

Thanks for the update. My driving licence is valid until the day before my 70th birthday but I may well have renewed it less than 10 years ago now I come to think of it. In my sort of situation I think that there is still an advantage in retaining the UK licence because if I remember the position correctly had I changed to a Portuguese licence I would have had to renew it at least once by now and probably get a medical report to boot. At 70 I will have to apply for a Portuguese licence which involves getting and paying for a medical report and going over to Faro or paying a driving school €50 to do the paperwork for me. The new Portuguese licence will last for 2 years and then the same renewal process has to be undertaken.Incidentally I did not know that there was an IMTT office in Lagoa. They should be able to process the registration of the UK licence or at least forward the paperwork to Faro. I will consult them when I need to change to a Portuguese licence.

I have never had any trouble showing my UK licence to the GNR when stopped and they have never asked for the document which proves that it has been registered with the IMTT.

I am pretty sure that AFPOP produce information about the process and provide a draft document to present to IMTT.

[rod...]

My driving licence is valid until the day before my 70th birthday but I may well have renewed it less than 10 years ago now I come to think of it.

I am pretty sure that if you have not changed your home address, there is no requirement to change to the new credit card style licence, which is renewable every ten years, much like a passport. As I have no intention of moving home, my old pink licence should do me for many years yet, providing I avoid getting any points (touches wood).

[shanagarry]

Steve

The 10 year issue caught a lot of people unawares - when they changed to the 'new' format - me included.

Thanks for the heads-up on the process - I will have to do all that from next month.