The country’s president today signed the government decree approving the “Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the Federative Republic of Brazil on the Mutual Recognition of Driving Licences”, signed in Lisbon on 22 September 2023,” according to a press release published on the website of the presidency office.
In September 2023, Lusa had already reported that the agreement allowing Portuguese drivers residing in Brazil to drive with a driving licence obtained in Portugal – and vice versa had been signed by the Brazilian Minister of Transport, Renan Filho, and the Portuguese Minister of Infrastructure, at the time João Galamba, of the Socialist Party (PS), within the framework of the 13th Luso-Brazilian Summit.
Now, with the enactment of this agreement by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Brazilian drivers living in Portugal will be able to use their “national driving licence issued in Brazil without having to exchange it for a foreign licence”, as explained in 2023 by the Brazilian minister, and the same applies to Portuguese emigrants in Brazil.
According to the document signed by the Portuguese and Brazilian ministers in 2023, this agreement “aims to establish mutual recognition and the conditions for exchanging valid and definitive driving licences issued by the relevant authorities of the parties to their nationals who establish residence in the territory of the other party”, covering drivers under 60 years old.
In turn, it was also clarified that “recognised driving licences (…) allow driving for 185 days from the date of entry into the territory of the other party, before establishing residence” and that “holders of the aforementioned driving licences (…) who are resident in that territory” may drive in the territory of “the other party”. On the other hand, driving licences that have expired are not eligible for recognition.
The document also clarifies that the Portuguese-Brazilian agreement will enter into force 30 days after the day of receipt of the last notification, in writing and through diplomatic channels, “that the requirements of the internal law of the parties necessary for this purpose have been fulfilled”.
Platform with Lusa
