# Motorcycle license exchange



## nt1 (Jul 18, 2016)

Hi,

Has anyone exchanged their full UK motorcycle license for a Portruguese one ? I'm hearing that some people have been restricted to 125 cc on their new Portuguese license and would have to undergo a test to ride anything bigger.

Thanks for any replies.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Depending on age you can keep your UK licence & just register it here with IMTT & the easy way to do it is get a driving school to handle it for you at a cost of about €20


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## In 2 bikes (Apr 18, 2013)

nt1 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Has anyone exchanged their full UK motorcycle license for a Portruguese one ? I'm hearing that some people have been restricted to 125 cc on their new Portuguese license and would have to undergo a test to ride anything bigger.
> 
> Thanks for any replies.


For the benefit of future readers, the actual answer is your U.K. bike class exchanges equally on to a PT licence, (no down sizing). I've personally done it in 2016, in Viseu, and have had full, U.K.,capacity entitlement since having passed my test in 1981 and have ridden for the U.K. cops for 30 years whilst looking after Royalty. A licence drop would have seriously peeed me off. Portugal is continuing to switch on and keep up with the times, especially in the driving licence / entitlement area. Some expats need to catch on to this small revelation.


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## nt1 (Jul 18, 2016)

Thanks very much for the replies, it's good to know that someone's actually done it without any problems.


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## cinderfella (Jan 4, 2013)

nt1 said:


> Thanks very much for the replies, it's good to know that someone's actually done it without any problems.


Well I was at the IMT in Santarem this week to change my U.K. Motorcycle license & after two days arseing around still have my U.K. License. I took my test in 2008 with a restriction for two years & a full license after that. I have a letter from the DVLA stating that my entitlement to a full license commenced in 2010. 
However the women at the IMT did not want to look at the letter or my duplicate license that gives the expiry date of the restriction in 2010, so I am stuck with a U.K. 
license & intend to return to the UK because of it.
I find the Portuguese to be rude & arrogant & I have had enough of their inferiority complexes.
Goodbye Portugal & Hello LONDON - the Centre of the universe :music: yippee


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## robc (Jul 17, 2008)

Unfortunately you have fallen foul of the classic Portuguese "trait" ..........that is a system that allows subjective interpretation by the individual worker at that precise moment in time leading to their assertion that they are right, no matter what.

Sometimes this is closely followed by the condition known as....
"what me??? Make a decision.........no way !!!"

The tragic part is you never know when or where these are going to strike, no two officials ever have the same set of criteria, no two departments ever communicate, even if in the same building.
It is part of the excitement of living here as every interaction with officialdom is a journey into the bizarre and the unknown.
You can either deal with it or you cannot, I am sorry you cannot but wish you well back in the U.K.

Rob


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## cinderfella (Jan 4, 2013)

Very true. I had half a dozen of the bitches to deal with.
The funny thing is that the Portuguese (usually) will vehemently promote that they are completely different from the Spanish. Okay, so their have a different history to the Spanish but at the end of the day in reality they are Spaniards with a different name.
I have lived in Spain & can relate with both Spanish & Portuguese to be the same. In fact the younger Portuguese say they are the same as the Spanish.
The gossip grapevines are identical. If you are on a two hour train commute you can be sure that by the time you get to your destination you are expected (all done by phone) normally with snide remarks. We are foreigners & unfortunately we have hundreds of thousands of these Iberians in the U.K. I just wish we could get rid of them & that's why the British people voted for Brexit so don't call me racist. Everywhere I go the same grapevine ensures that these people talk about you on trains, restaurants & bars.
Someone shouted in the Post Office this week 'that I should go back to England', this happens time & time again.
Contrary to belief Portuguese are not nice in general, they like to be thought of as nice but when they show their true colors they are exactly like the Spanish.
Yes you are right, I shall be better off in good old Blighty.


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## cinderfella (Jan 4, 2013)

Incidentally I was told by the IMT a month ago to get proof of my entitlement to a full motorcycle license. That I duly did with a letter from the DVLA. The reaction from the IMT was 'forget about the letter we only look at the license'.
Sheer hate for the British !
IMT not worth wasting your breath on & I am certainly not wasting my money on a solicitor.
Incidentally they are also very good at shortchanging you in their shops, something which is a rareity in Cyprus. Last week I was charged €45.23 quite clearly spoken by a pharmacist & given change from my €50 - when I got home the bill was €25.23 so he pocketed €20 !


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