Driving in Portugal with a UK licence, and getting around Lisbon without one

For years after Brexit, British drivers in Portugal had to scramble to swap their licences. Not any more. Since a UK–Portugal agreement came into force at the end of 2023, residents can keep driving on a UK licence until it expires. In Lisbon itself, though, you might not want to drive at all.

The short version

• Residents: under a bilateral agreement, you can drive in Portugal on a valid UK (or Gibraltar) licence until it expires [1].
• Swapping: you can exchange it for a Portuguese licence through IMT, normally without a test, up to two years after it expires [1].
• Visitors: a UK photocard licence is fine for driving on holiday; paper licences may need updating or an International Driving Permit [2].
• Lisbon: a Navegante pass costs EUR 30 a month (about £25) within one council area or EUR 40 (about £33) across the whole metropolitan area in 2026 [5].
• Free travel: students up to the age of 23 can get their Navegante pass free under the Jovem Estudante scheme [5].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

Your UK licence in Portugal

If you live here

The UK and Portugal signed an agreement on mutual recognition of driving licences in London on 13 October 2023, and it has been in force since 31 December 2023 [3]. It covers both driving on the other country's licence and exchanging it [3].

What that means in practice, according to the FCDO's Living in Portugal guide (updated 10 July 2026) [1]:

• If you're a registered resident with a UK or Gibraltar licence, you can keep driving on it until it expires.
• You don't have to exchange it straight away, and you can exchange it up to two years after it has expired.
• You don't normally need to take a test to exchange.
• Licences from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man aren't covered in the same way: if you hold one, you should exchange it for a Portuguese licence.

That's a big change from the early post-Brexit years, when British residents were told to swap within a set time or face a driving test. Older advice still floats around online (including some Portuguese official FAQs written for the transition period), so go by the FCDO guide and IMT.

Should you swap anyway?

There are good reasons to exchange before your UK licence runs out:

1. Renewal. DVLA licences need a UK address to renew. Once you live in Portugal, you generally can't renew a UK photocard from abroad, so the swap happens when the card expires at the latest.
2. Insurance and rental. A Portuguese licence makes life simpler with local insurers and police checks.
3. Expiry window. Leave it more than two years past expiry and you lose the easy route [1].

How to exchange your licence

The exchange is handled by IMT, the Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes [1]. The application now starts online through the IMTonline portal.

1. Get a DVLA check code (or the Northern Ireland DVA equivalent) so IMT can confirm your entitlements [1].
2. Apply online with IMT, with your passport, residence document and tax number (NIF). IMT may also ask for a medical certificate (atestado médico), depending on your age and licence categories.
3. Wait for approval, then go to your chosen IMT office to give your biometric data and hand in your UK licence [1].
4. Drive on the temporary permit (guia) you're given. If it expires before your new card arrives, email IMT at aminhacarta@imt-ip.pt to have it renewed [1].
5. Collect your Portuguese licence. ePortugal says new licences are delivered in an average of 60 days when no test is needed [4].

If your UK licence was lost or stolen, IMT will exchange it on presentation of a police report [1]. IMT charges a fee for the new card; check the current amount on its website when you apply.

If you're visiting

On a trip to Portugal, you can drive on a UK photocard licence [2]. If you still have an old paper licence, you may need to update it or get the right International Driving Permit as well [2]. You must carry photo ID when driving, check whether your car needs a UK sticker, and you can bring your own car into Portugal for up to 183 days in any 12 months for tourism [2].

On the road

Driving in Portugal will feel familiar after a few days, apart from being on the right. A few things to know:

Lisbon traffic is heavy at rush hour, the old centre is a tangle of one-way streets and tram lines, and parking in Alfama or Bairro Alto is close to impossible. Many Brits in the city get by without a car; most living out at Cascais or in the countryside need one.

Getting around Lisbon without a car

The Navegante pass

Lisbon's public transport is joined up by the Navegante card, a rechargeable smartcard you can load with monthly passes or pay-as-you-go credit. The 2026 monthly prices are [5]:

The EUR 40 pass covers the metro, Carris buses and trams, CP suburban trains to Cascais and Sintra, Fertagus trains across the bridge and the river ferries, across 18 council areas. Compare that with a Zone 1–2 Travelcard in London. Lisbon's council has gone further for older residents: Carris's 2026 fare table gives free travel to over-65s whose tax address is in Lisbon [6].

Single tickets in 2026

If you don't have a pass, from 1 January 2026 [6]:

• A one-hour Carris/Metro ticket costs EUR 1.90 (about £1.58), or EUR 1.72 (about £1.43) on pay-as-you-go Zapping credit.
• A ticket bought on board a bus costs EUR 2.30 (about £1.92).
• A tram ticket bought on board costs EUR 3.30 (about £2.75).
• A 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket costs EUR 7.25 (about £6).
• The Santa Justa lift costs EUR 6.20 (about £5.17).

Metro, trams and buses

The metro has four colour-coded lines (blue, yellow, green and red), and the red line runs to the airport. Carris runs the buses, the trams and the funiculars (elevadores) that haul you up the hills. Tram 28, the old yellow tram through Alfama and Graça, is lovely but rammed with tourists and pickpockets; the FCDO warns about thieves on public transport and at crowded tram stops [2].

Trains and ferries

CP suburban trains run west along the coast from Cais do Sodré to Cascais and from Rossio to Sintra. Ferries cross the Tagus to Cacilhas, Barreiro, Seixal and Montijo, and the crossing to Cacilhas for fish lunch is one of Lisbon's cheapest treats.

Taxis, apps and bikes

Taxis are cream or black and green, and ride-hailing apps work in Lisbon. The council's GIRA bike-share has electric bikes, which makes the hills almost reasonable.

Leaving the UK end tidy

If you're keeping a car registered in the UK, remember that a resident can't drive a foreign-registered car indefinitely; importing it brings Portuguese vehicle tax. And tell the DVLA when your address changes or when you swap your licence. Our guide to driving abroad on a UK licence covers the UK side, and our community group for Brits in Portugal is a good place to ask how long your local IMT office is taking.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Portugal – driving (updated 10 July 2026)
2. GOV.UK (FCDO): Portugal travel advice – safety and security (updated 11 August 2026, checked 8 November 2026)
3. IMT: Agreement between Portugal and the United Kingdom on the mutual recognition of driving licences (25 January 2024)
4. ePortugal (gov.pt): Exchange a foreign driving licence for a Portuguese one (checked 8 November 2026)
5. navegante (TML): Tarifário navegante (read 11 November 2026)
6. Carris: Tarifário em vigor a partir de 1 de janeiro de 2026 (read 11 November 2026)

Keep reading

• Renting in Lisbon
• Cost of living in Lisbon vs London and the UK average
• Nightlife in Lisbon
• Driving abroad on a UK licence