# UK pink paper driving licence



## travelling-man

I went to the IMTT office the other day to transfer my old UK pink paper driving licence to a PT licence but they refused me because my old licence is torn on the folds which is no surprise because it's so old.

I've repeatedly emailed DVLA for advice but don't get any answer.

What should I do now please?


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## canoeman

You need to replace the old pink paper licence with a photocard, then register that with IMTT as you can then still drive the same cats as your UK Licence, if you exchange it , you might well find you have to take further medical and a physological test to drive same cats plus it has to be re-newed every 5 years whereas as a registered UK Licence is valid until expiry but should be exchanged prior to expiry.

Your problem is getting a replacement UK Licence as DVLA *will not accept* a non UK. address, if you did they would send to IMTT Lisbon for exchanging and that could take months

DVLA e-mail forget it, you need to phone and they'll tell you to visit a PO and re-new


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## coati

Mr Canoeman
Can I easily register my UK photocard licence with the IMTT Beja, guess so but as well as money.passport and licence do I need to take anything else?


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## canoeman

It doesn't cost anything

You need original Photocard + paper counter part, Passport, Residencia Certificate (just in case I would also take a proof of address)
*plus* 2 photo copies of each of above Photocard + paper counterpart, front and back, Passport the page your photos on

Form you fill out when you get there

When driving you should carry UK photocard + copy of IMTT registration, keep original safe.
You must exchange the UK D/L for a Portuguese one before it expires 

Should you have problems with IMTT the law that allows you to *register* licence is this
Claúsula 12 do Artigo 122 do D/L 45/2005, Fevereiro 23: porque tenho uma Carta da Condução 

Just a further note Portuguese Licence laws have changed 2013 to be fully inline with EU format, so* if *your *UK D/L does not have an expiry date* you *must* exchange it


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## DREAMWEAVER1

*Licence registration*

What a pleasant surprise.
I knew I had to do it,but kept putting it off until finally I was committed,so off I went to 
Leiria IMTT to register my English driving licence,and what a doddle!!

Other than waiting for some 75 minutes,seated in a queue,all that was required of me was my Residency Cert,my Financas No,and the card part of my English licence.
I filled in a form with my details,and that was it,the person dealing with me was most pleasant and helpful from start to finish,if you need to register YOUR licence,I can recommend Leiria IMTT office.

Good luck


David


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## canoeman

Good to hear, just don't forget now you must exchange it before it's UK expiry date, ideally a good 6 months prior as that seems to be about the time it takes for the Portuguese Licence to arrive


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## DREAMWEAVER1

CM,according to the IMTT office,I must have either a UK ORPortuguese licence in force,I can therefore return with my same UK licence if it is still valid,I am not required to obtain a Portuguese licence at any point.




David


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## travelling-man

DREAMWEAVER1 said:


> CM,according to the IMTT office,*I must have either a UK ORPortuguese licence in force,I can therefore return with my same UK licence if it is still valid,I am not required to obtain a Portuguese licence at any point.
> *
> 
> 
> 
> David


I was told the same thing by both the IMTT in Leiria and the DVLA in the UK........ the latter did however also suggest I get a letter from them confirming I am qualified to drive the appropriate classifications etc. (which they sent me at a very reasonable cost)


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## canoeman

*At some point you will have to exchange your UK D/L for a Portuguese D/L*, as a Resident you are currently allowed 2 options
1. You can register your UK D/Licence to your Portuguese address

_Your UK Driving Licence can only be registered to your Portuguese address* whilst it is still valid i.e. up to the Expiry date as stated at 3 on your photocard.*_
*As a Portuguese Resident you cannot legally renew your UK (photocard)
Driving Licence in the UK or Portugal*

2. You can exchange your UK D/Licence for a Portuguese one

*If you do not exchange* it for a Portuguese Driving Licence before the Expiry date stated at 3 then you would have to take a Portuguese Driving Test 

I make the point about Photocards as they must be renewed every 10 years to be legal.

I think that IMTT have possibly not explained this correctly, in Portugal we are lucky to have the 2 options, in the majority of EU countries you must exchange your UK D/Licence when a Resident


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## travelling-man

This driving licence nonsense irritates the hell out of me because everyone in IMTT & DVLA seems to have their own versions of what can and cannot be done!

RE your option 1, Do you mean I can send my (still valid) UK licence to the DVLA and have them issue me a licence with my PT address on it?


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## canoeman

Why? in Portugal where actually better off than other EU countries including UK, with the recent implementation across EU of D/L format as every EU country now has same cats, same D/L, same format, yes still some local laws like Medicals, even Portugal going forward D/L renewal is now every 10 years rather than 5 years

Option 1 I was referring to your *Portuguese options*
If you are a Portuguese Resident then you* cannot *renew your UK D/L in UK to a Portuguese address, DVLA will only accept a UK address that's the UK law. 
DVLA "If you’re moving abroad, you *can’t *register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence."
If you tried DVLA will send your D/L to IMTT to exchange it, with the risk it could get lost as it won't have relevant form, photos, medical or fee with it.

If you speak to DVLA then they can only tell you about UK Law but your dependent on knowledge or lack with call centre
If you speak to IMTT equally Portugal but as the "knowledge" goes from excellent to zero and attitude office to office?

The information I have posted is 100% accurate, and has been continually updated and checked, I can't refer you to relevant IMTT pages as sites under reconstruction but I have not read or seen any changes to current info posted


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## travelling-man

I don't doubt the fact that you're right for moment but it does irritate me that they turn what could and should be an easy process into a royal PITA! 

I went to the Leiria IMTT with everything I needed, queued for an hour only to be told they won't give me a PT licence just because my pink paper licence was torn along one of the folds....... and that to me is utterly ridiculous. 

Perhaps the answer is to have a driving school try to do it for me because I'm sure we get more hassle than a local would.


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## canoeman

Gone through this before but your lucky they even as such accepted your old UK Paper Licence, even if they wouldn't exchange.

Driving School might well save you queuing but no guarantee answer won't be same

I did suggest a way around for you and that would still be the easiest and allow you to register that D/L with IMTT


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## travelling-man

Ja, the only other way seems to be as you suggested but I'm reluctant to do that for the reasons I mentioned before........ but all that said, whenever I've been stopped by the GNR, I've given them my torn paper licence and my letter from the DVLA and they've been quite happy with that so maybe I'm better off just letting sleeping dogs lay.


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## canoeman

Until you come across that GNR officer that doesn't or you might be involved in an accident where your D/L is more of an issue than just a casual check

Still the major benefit of Registering a UK D/L with IMTT to your Portuguese address is that you can drive the categories as stated on D/L you are not bound to Portugal's cats or possibly extra medical until you exchange


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## travelling-man

I guess I'll give it yet another go after the holiday season has finished and the parking restrictions aren't enforced any more!


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## Nick-San

*Any updates to this? I see a problem on the horizon....*

Hello all previous posters on this thread.

Have there been any updates to what you've been going through? I ask as the issue will probably apply to me before too long.....

I have a UK paper licence (not the two-part plastic form), that has an expiry date of some 15 years in the future. The address on the licence is for a house that I sold over a decade ago: I then went to live in SE Asia and could not change the address as I was not UK resident - is this likely to be a problem? DVLA have advised that the licence is still valid with the wrong address (it's been used for hire cars in PT and the US without any problem so far - but without any police involvement either!).

With a UK paper licence (no tears!) do I have to register it at IMTT? Or can I just continue to use it as it is a valid EU licence? I picked up my residency certificate a week ago, but do not know if there is a deadline for acting.

Any advice much appreciated, and thank you all in advance.

Many thanks for any help.


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## Nick-San

*Please ignore the above....*

...as I've just read the whole spiel in another far more recent thread (entitled "U.K. driving licence paper counterparts" in the PT forum - sorry, I'm not yet allowed to post URLs or links) which I hadn't read previously.

Thanks anyway!!


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