Where your driving licence is recognised if your passport is from Portugal

One question, every country, with your nationality already applied. In 2 of them something is written that changes the answer for you; in the other 41 the general rule is what you get, and that is the answer rather than a gap. Every line is that country’s own record.

Where it changes for you: 2
Where it does not: 41
Blocs you are in: 5

Where your nationality changes the answer

IrelandVerified with official sourceMonitor - can change2026-10-10

A Member State Licence Exchanges, and the Order Says So in Its First Line

reaches you through Union citizens, as Irish law transposes their right

The general rule it sits on

Ireland does not recognise foreign driving licences in general. Section 23A of the Road Traffic Act 1961 lets the Minister declare by order that licences issued by a particular state are recognised for the purpose of exchange, and a licence that is not covered by such an order cannot be exchanged at all - the holder sits the Irish theory test and the Irish driving test like a new driver. The general order is the Road Traffic (Recognition of Foreign Driving Licences) Order 2007, which covers every Member State and twelve named others: Australia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Iceland, the Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Norway, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland. Later orders add states one at a time, and Canada arrives not as a country but as a stack of provinces.

SwedenVerified with official sourceActively changing right nowlast checked 2026-10-10

Your Licence Does Not Expire Here, and It Can Be Exchanged Once You Settle

reaches you through EEA nationals, as Swedish law writes their right of residence

The general rule it sits on

Sweden sorts foreign driving licences into exactly two classes and treats them completely differently. An EEA licence is valid here according to its content and can be exchanged for a Swedish one once you are permanently resident. Any other licence is a tredjelandskörkort - the Act defines it as a licence issued in a state outside the EEA - and since 1 May 2026 chapter 6, section 2 of the Driving Licence Act says such a licence ceases to be valid in Sweden once the holder has been registered in the population register for more than a year. Exchange is open to only four non-EEA issuers, named in chapter 6, section 7: the Faroe Islands, the United Kingdom, Japan and Switzerland. A licence from anywhere else cannot be exchanged at all, which means that after one year on the register the holder has to take a Swedish licence from the beginning. For the thirty-five countries of the Americas this site covers, that is the answer. While a foreign licence is still valid, a licence that is neither in the form of the Geneva or Vienna convention models nor written in English, German or French works only with a certified translation or an international driving permit, and a licence without a photograph works only with photographic identification.

Where the general rule applies to you unchanged

Nothing is recorded in these that treats a citizen of Portugal differently on this question, so what follows is what everyone gets.

Antigua and Barbuda

Driving in Antigua and Barbuda

Visitor's temporary driver's licence:: Up to 3 months
Driving test for a visitor:: May be waived
Resident's driving licence:: Valid 1 year

Argentina

Driving on a Foreign Licence

Basis:: Bilateral agreement with the issuing country
Recognition lapses after:: 1 continuous year of stay
Professional and commercial licences:: Excluded

Austria

An EEA Licence Simply Becomes Austrian. Everything Else Stops Working After Six Months, and Only a Named List Escapes the Driving Test

EEA licence:: Counts as an Austrian licence while your residence is in Austria
Non-EEA licence: how long it works:: Six months from establishing a residence in Austria
Extension:: A further six months, on application, for someone in Austria under a year for work or training

Barbados

Driving in Barbados on a Foreign Licence

What the Act requires:: A valid driving licence authorising you to drive that class of vehicle
Does a foreign licence count as a driving licence under the Act:: Yes, since the definition was substituted in 2017
Visitor Permit fee, stays under two months:: $10.00 BBD

Belgium

Once you are in a Belgian register:: You may only drive on a Belgian or a European licence
Before that:: A foreign national or international licence issued under the international traffic rules is enough
Exchange without sitting the tests:: An exemption from the examinations, not an entitlement of its own

Belize

Driving in Belize on a Foreign Licence

Driving on a valid foreign licence:: a period of twelve months from the date of his last entry into Belize
What restarts the twelve months:: Your last entry into Belize
Temporary driving licence for a bona fide visitor:: any period not exceeding three months

Bolivia

Driving and Licence Exchange

Licence validity for a resident foreigner:: The same as the foreigner's identity card
Minimum age:: 18 for private and motorcycle, 21 for professional categories
Cost, most categories:: Bs 225

Brazil

Driving and Licence Exchange

Foreign licence valid for:: 180 days
Counted from:: The date of entry into Brazilian territory
After 180 days, recognised licence:: Medical and psychological examinations

Canada

No Federal Licence, and Ontario Names Two Countries

Federal licence:: None: no licence is issued under any federal Act, and licensing is provincial
Named in Ontario Regulation 341/94:: The United States, the United States Department of State, Canada Forces Europe and Japan
Of Latin America and the Caribbean:: None named in Ontario Regulation 341/94 or 340/94

Chile

Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence

Countries with a treaty in force:: Spain, South Korea, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Japan, Paraguay, Bolivia
Brazil:: Agreement signed, not yet in force
Licences obtained by exchange elsewhere:: Excluded

Colombia

Recognition of a Foreign Driving Licence

Who qualifies:: People born in a country with an agreement
Registration:: Fingerprint in the RUNT
Identity document:: Cédula de extranjería

Costa Rica

Your Foreign Licence Lasts Exactly as Long as Your Stay

How long a foreign licence is valid for:: A period identical to your authorised legal stay
Minimum uninterrupted stay before converting:: None
Who may convert:: Anyone with an approved migration status, or with an application pending

Cuba

Driving and Licence Exchange

Driving on a foreign licence:: 6 months from entry, non-extendable
Categories covered:: A, A1 and B
After 6 months:: The Cuban national licence is necessary

Dominica

Driving in Dominica

Visitor's temporary driving licence:: Up to 3 months
International driving licence:: Exempts you while valid
Dominican international driving licence:: 12 months from issue

Dominican Republic

Driving: One Article for Foreign Licences, and Nothing for Visitors

Foreign licence conversion:: For residents, while the foreign licence is valid
Visitors driving on a foreign licence:: Not addressed in the law
Licence validity:: 4 years

Ecuador

Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence

Cost:: USD 142, plus the bank's commission
Licence validity:: 5 years
Shorter stays:: The licence is cut to the period authorised by the migration authorities

El Salvador

Driving on a Foreign Licence, and the Easiest Exchange in the Region

Driving on a foreign licence:: 90 days maximum
What you may drive in that time:: Vehicles you own
Reporting on arrival:: Required, to the traffic directorate

Germany

Conversion Without a Test Runs Off a List, and No Country in This Corpus Is On It

Conversion without a test:: Only for states named in Annex 11
Latin America and the Caribbean on that list:: None of the thirty-three
What the exemption switches off:: The medical examination, the eyesight test, the proficiency test, first aid and the training

Grenada

Driving in Grenada

Visitor's temporary licence:: Up to 3 months
Fee for the temporary licence:: Not stated in the Act
International driving licence:: Exempts you from holding a Grenadian licence

Guatemala

Driving in Guatemala

What is issued:: A permiso de conducir, not a licence
Available from:: While the temporary residence application is in process
Guarantor:: A Guatemalan by origin, guaranteeing no other foreigner

Guyana

Driving in Guyana on a Foreign Licence: Sixty Days, Then a Four-Week Permit

Driving on a foreign licence:: 60 days after entry into Guyana
Instrument that allows it:: Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (The Use of Foreign Issued Driver's Licence in Guyana) Regulations 2022
Effective from:: 26 August 2022

Honduras

Driving in Honduras

Driving on a foreign licence as a visitor:: Allowed, subject to reciprocity
Driving on a foreign licence as a resident:: Not provided for
Exchange of a foreign licence:: No procedure in the traffic law

Italy

Conversion Without a Test Exists Only Where Italy Has an Agreement With Your Country

Conversion without an examination:: Only where a bilateral understanding allows it
On what basis:: Reciprocity
What happens to your old licence:: Withdrawn and returned to the issuing authority, with reasons

Jamaica

Driving in Jamaica

Driving on a foreign licence:: No provision for it in the Act in force
Age of the foreign licence that unlocks the exemption:: Issued not more than twelve months before
What the exemption does not cover:: The licensing fee

Mexico

Driving Licences in Mexico

National licence for a private car:: None - the states and Mexico City issue them
Validity of a state licence elsewhere in Mexico:: Full validity throughout the country
Maximum validity:: 5 years in general; 2 years for emergency, medical, police and school transport vehicles

Netherlands

A Foreign Licence Lasts 185 Days, and Whether It Can Be Exchanged Is a List of Thirteen Entries

How long a non-EU licence keeps you legal here:: 185 days from the day you settled in the Netherlands
Exchange without a Dutch examination:: Only for licences designated by ministerial regulation
Who is on the designated list:: Alberta, Andorra, Chinese Taipei, Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, Guernsey, Israel, Japan, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Monaco, Quebec, South Korea and Singapore

Nicaragua

Driving in Nicaragua

Driving on a foreign licence:: For as long as that licence is valid
What triggers the need for a Nicaraguan licence:: The foreign licence expiring, not a period of stay
Nicaraguan licence validity:: 5 years

Panama

Driving in Panama

Driving as a tourist:: 90 days on a foreign licence
Can a tourist get a Panamanian licence?:: No, expressly
Can a tourist get one by extending the stay?:: No

Paraguay

Driving Licences for Foreign Residents

Issuing authority:: The municipality, not a national agency
Minimum age:: 18
Migration document required:: The admission card issued by the migration directorate

Peru

Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence

Knowledge test waived for:: Spain, Korea and Chile
Medical and psychological assessment:: Required for everyone
Foreign licence validity:: Must be valid at the time of the exchange

Poland

Your Own Licence Works for Six Months After You Settle, and Whether You Exchange It Without an Exam Turns on the Document, Not on the Country

How long your own licence lasts after you settle:: 6 months from the start of permanent or temporary residence
EU, EEA and Swiss licences:: Recognised in their own right, and exempt by name from the examination condition
What decides whether you sit an exam:: Whether your licence matches the Vienna Convention model and data range, not whether your state signed it

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Driving in Saint Kitts and Nevis

Visitor's temporary licence, maximum validity:: 1 year
Fee for a visitor's temporary licence:: $50 for three months, $100 for one year
Driving test for a visitor:: At the officer's discretion

Saint Lucia

Driving in Saint Lucia

Visitor's driving permit:: Valid for not more than 3 months
Eastern Caribbean Protocol citizens:: No permit needed
Economic citizens of Protocol states:: Permit still needed

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Driving in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Temporary driver's permit:: EC$125.00
Validity:: 6 months from the date of issue
One-year local driver's permit:: EC$125.00

Spain

Six Months on the Licence You Brought, Then a Convention Decides Whether You Exchange It or Start Again

How long your own licence lasts here:: Six months from establishing normal residence
Without normal residence:: Six months from entering Spain lawfully
After that:: The licence is not valid to drive in Spain at all

Suriname

Driving: the Rijwet 1971 Governs It, and the Official Collection Does Not Publish It

Governing Act:: Rijwet 1971
Published in the National Assembly's collection:: No
Period a foreign licence may be used:: Not established

The Bahamas

Driving on a Foreign Licence: Three Months, Which Is Not the Eight Months Immigration Gives You

Foreign licence valid for:: A visit of not more than three months
Also required:: Not being employed in The Bahamas
Minimum age:: Seventeen, or fifteen for an excepted motor vehicle

Trinidad and Tobago

Driving in Trinidad and Tobago on a Foreign Licence

On an international driving permit:: While the permit remains valid, with no stated limit
On an ordinary foreign licence from a listed country:: 3 months from the date of arrival
How the list is made:: By Notice of the Minister published in the Gazette

United States

There Is No Federal Licence - and the Federal Rule That Exists Ties Yours to Your Status

A national driving licence:: None - the states issue them
What federal law governs:: Which state licences a federal agency may accept
Temporary lawful status:: Required for a temporary or limited-term licence

Uruguay

Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence

Who handles it:: The intendencia where you live
Countries with a convenio in force:: Spain
Italy:: Convenio expired in 2019

Venezuela

Driving in Venezuela

Issuing body:: Instituto Nacional de Transporte Terrestre
Terms on which a foreigner is licensed:: Delegated by the Act to its regulation
Medical certificate:: Required, issued free by the health ministry