When we moved to Portugal it was necessary for us to get Portuguese driver’s licenses. You can’t live in the country and use a driver’s license issued from another country. The process was rather simple for Florence as she had a French license and they just exchanged hers for a Portuguese one. The only problem was waiting for the replacement which took six months to arrive. During this period she had a piece of paper stating she could legally drive, but it was only recognized as legal in Portugal – no rental car company, or other country, would accept it.
For me it was not quite so easy. First, Portugal did not accept Mexican driver’s licenses – it was on their black list. And coming from Mexico and knowing how the system worked, it made sense. They obviously were aware that obtaining a license in Mexico could be as simple as paying the right person. Unfortunately that was the only license I had. Which meant I’d have to take driving classes in Portugal (most likely in Portuguese) and take an example (most certainly in Portuguese). That I did not look forward to doing. Instead, on my next visit to Canada I asked for a renewal of my old license and it was done in a matter of a few days. I then took it back to Portugal where it was recognized under a reciprocal agreement with Canada. However, as with Florence, it took six months to arrive and during that time it was only valid for me to drive in Portugal.
When it was time to renew my license, however, things got weird. I didn’t want to go through the process I went through last time which involved hours of waiting in line at the IMT (Transportation office).
Fortunately, after a little research online, I discovered I could renew my license on the IMT website. I entered my credentials, paid a fee and was told at the end of the process it was accepted and I’d receive my new license in a few days. It seemed too easy, too good to be true.
About ten days later my card arrived – no six month waiting period. But when I opened it up I discovered a license with my name and birth date, but with a picture of a 80+ year-old woman and her signature – Teodora Gonzalez Leiro. It WAS too good to be true.
I found an email address to contact IMT and attached a copy of the card. I got a quick reply back. I could envision what was going through their minds – how many other driver’s licenses had been sent out with the wrong photo and signature? They determined that somehow my photo had been lost and somehow replaced by Teodora’s. Which meant I’d have to have to go back and wait in line at IMT and get another photo taken. I complained about that so they arranged for the photo to be taken at a IMT office an hour south of Lisbon where the line-ups were much less, and it could be arranged for the following week.
They were right, there were no line-ups and quickly I was sitting in front of an IMT representative. She asked what my reason for being there was and I simply slid my new license across the desktop to her. She picked it up, studied it, raised her eyebrows and then looked at me. And then she burst out laughing. The ladies next to looked over and she began passing my license around. I now had the whole office disrupted and laughing. A new picture was taken and I was assured a new one would arrive in a week’s time. I asked if I could keep that one but she laughed and informed me that no, that was not possible. Fortunately I’d take a photo of it to share! A week later I had my license, this time with my true photo and signature.
What I didn’t realize was that my new license did not only have the photo and signature wrong, but it wasn’t even a driver’s license. Instead of a “Carta de Conducao” it was a “Cartao de Condutor”, card that’s used by truckers to record how many hours they are working when driving, with a chip built into the card. Somehow my driver’s license had been changed to this type of card, in the same way an women’s photo and signature were added to the card that was sent me when I went to renew my license. And from 2022, until I was pulled over at a random traffic stop in early 2025, I was driving without a valid driver’s license. For this I was given two fines; one for driving without a driver’s license with me and a second one for having an expired license. As well, my “matricula” (car registration) was taken away and I was to go to the Lisbon Police station once the fines were paid, to pick it up. But I also had to show them a valid driver’s license. Which, as you know, I didn’t have.
I went back to IMT and explained the situation, how I’d received a license with the wrong photo and signature, but also the wrong type of card. But they wouldn’t admit to issuing a wrong card, saying I had asked for it, that I asked them to substitute my driver’s license for this type of card. Which to me made no sense as what good is the second card (for a trucker) if it isn’t also a license? They told me I had two options. 1. Take the written and driving exams again, or 2. File a judicial complaint. I decided to go for the complaint. I returned home and wrote up my side of the story and returned and filed the complaint. They said it would take about a week to get an answer on the issue.
Meantime I went to the Lisbon Police station, showed them proof of payment for my fines and they gave me back my car registration. But then I had to show a valid driver’s license. I explained that I didn’t have one, that I had a problem with IMT who messed up my driver’s license renewal process. All this was in Portuguese up to this point. I handed him a picture of the card I’d been issued with the woman on it. He looked at it, looked at me, and started laughing. And then, in very good English, said, “I have never ever seen anything like this before.” Continuing in English, he then asked if I still had a copy of my expired driver’s license, which fortunately I did have. He then filed the paperwork saying that I had appeared and showed my license, he just didn’t bother to mention it was expired. I finally had gotten a bit of a break. Now I just had to wait to see how IMT would respond. (To be continued…)