I am a non-EU resident — does my Portuguese driving licence now expire with my residence permit?

Short answer: yes. Since 9 June 2026, a Portuguese driving licence held by a non-EU citizen living in Portugal on a visa or residence permit is valid only until the expiry date on the residence document, and new cards carry restriction code 794. The licence stays valid while the permit is being renewed.

Who it applies to

The rule covers the driver who is a cidadão extracomunitário — a national of a country outside the EU — and holds a visa or residence permit that allows them to live in Portugal. It does not matter how you got the Portuguese licence: it applies whether you exchanged a foreign licence or passed the tests in Portugal. EU citizens are not covered. The text does not mention EEA or Swiss citizens, or family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card rather than a residence permit; if that is your situation, ask IMT how it is applied to you.

What it means on the card

Normally a licence for cars and motorcycles (categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B, BE and T) is valid for 15 years until the holder turns 60, then 5 years. Professional drivers in group 2 (ambulances, school transport, taxis and similar) get 5 years until 70. For a non-EU resident these periods are cut to the expiry date printed on the residence document. IMT confirms in its FAQ that the validity of each category is limited to that date and that code 794 is added.

When your residence permit is renewed

Article 16 n.º 10 says the licence is valid while the residence title is valid or being renewed. Keep proof of the renewal request from AIMA together with your licence. If the permit expires and no renewal has been filed, the licence stops being valid too.

What the law does not spell out: whether, once the new residence card arrives, IMT updates the licence date by itself or you have to apply, and at what cost — the decree sets no fee for this. Ordinary revalidation can be done in the six months before a licence expires (RHLC art. 17 n.º 6). Ask IMT what applies to you, and start the permit renewal early: when to start the renewal and your rights while AIMA processes it. If AIMA is late, the AIMA deadline counter shows which legal deadlines apply.

AIMA has at times extended expired cards by general notice. The decree does not say whether IMT treats such a card as valid for driving; if you rely on one, carry the notice too and check with IMT.

Permanent residence

A permanent residence permit has no expiry, but the card itself must be renewed every five years (Lei 23/2007, art. 76). As the licence rule refers to the validity date shown on the residence document, expect the licence to follow the card's date. The decree has no separate rule for permanent residents — confirm with IMT.

Licences issued before 9 June 2026

The transition rule (art. 4 of DL 114/2026) applies the same limit to licences issued before the decree came into force: their validity is checked against your visa or residence permit, but code 794 is not added to them. How IMT runs that check in practice is not described in the decree.

Other changes in the same decree

• A lost or stolen foreign licence can still be exchanged: IMT confirms its details through the European licence network RESPER or the issuing authority (art. 14 n.º 6).
• In an exchange, only categories obtained in the country where you were habitually resident at the time are recognised (art. 14 n.º 11).
• Where IMT has well-founded doubts about a category, the exchange may depend on confirmation from the embassy or issuing authority, or on a practical test (art. 14 n.º 12).
• If your Portuguese is not good enough, IMT can authorise a translated theory test for any category, on request (art. 44 n.º 2, in effect since July 2026).