BillBullock

Interesting. That could explain the disruption and delays even though the staff in the Faro office are perfectly polite and efficient in front of their customers. Interestingly, my UK driving licence expired last month on my 76th birthday whilst in the hands of the IMT. So I applied to DVLA online for the renewal and the licence arrived at my UK address in less than a week. Now that's what I call service! 14 weeks' wait so far for my Portuguese licence.

Mac and Mabel

I have today received an email from IMT to confirm my application is being processed and requesting the 30€ payment; so, from applying it took 7 working days, if I discount the 2 Tuesday holidays we’ve had. As with others here, the email is also asking that I send to IMT Bragança - not my area - the completed application form (Modelo 37); my original driving licence; a copy of my residence card (I hope they mean the A4 certificate). I’ve just called IMT driver services to ask about how I prove my qualification to drive in between sending off my dl and receiving the new one from IMT. Now, Fatima did not speak English but I’m fairly confident that we understood each other in Pt, and I believe she advised that after I make the 30€ payment, IMT will send me another email with a document that confirms my right to drive, and I can then send off my documents. This would seem to make sense; hope I’m right.

Would just be helpful if they put that info in the email asking for payment and documents!

planky

This hasn't happened to me and mine's through the Braganza branch.
A day after paying my €30 I got acknowledgement by email. That was 26 November. They haven't sent me anything in the way of temporary licence cover yet and have never mentioned it. So when I get my Certificate of Authenticity from Swansea DVLA and then send off that, a copy of Residencia, and my completed Modelo 37 form, I am going to feel very uncomfortable about putting my one and only driving licence in the envelope too
.

Pilotabroad

I'm the same as Planky albeit a week or more before them. Still waiting for the dvla letter, €30 paid 4weeks ago.... No document from IMT as you mention, nor advised so via phone calls.

campos

I'm behind all of you. I just ordered my Certificate from DVLA. Hopefully arrives this side of B-Day!

planky

It's reassuring to be in touch with all of you.

Mac and Mabel

Ditto!

My email didn’t ask for the Cert of Entitlement from DVLA to be sent - perhaps that’s because mine was attached with my online application? Maybe the criteria are personalised. I’m a little confused because I was sure I’d read previously that once we were in the transition period we would have to obtain the Cert of Entitlement instead of IMT taking your U.K. licence from you...Even if I’m right, I don’t think I’d have much luck arguing the toss if IMT believe they need it!

campos

I'm getting a bit confused, again, by the requirements.
Since ordering my Cert Of Entitlement by 'phone from DVLA yesterday, I have this morning received the email reply to the query I made on Monday (bit more than the 72hrs they advise waiting)
In this email they say "If you need proof of your entitlement to drive, you should use our View Driving Licence service. " . Following this link, one enters identity details and gets to print or download a pdf of a 'Licence Summary' with a check code on it, valid for 21 days. Nowhere on this certificate does it say Certificate of Entitlement or D737.
The IMT form to complete (MOD_37IMT) includes in the list of document to send/attach the Certificate Of Authenticity/Entitlement.
Mac and Mabel - did you submit form 37 to IMT with scans of driving licence and passport/ID document? If so, once I get medical check done, I can send these docs by email to IMT ( where the medical certificate will be waiting)?
EDIT: the field on the IMT form to enter the driving licence number is too short- 14characters, although the licence number (mine, anyway) is 16...(?!)

Mac and Mabel

I’m afraid I would advise contacting DVLA again - phone or webchat - to check they have also sent out the proper D737. I suspect, as you have been directed to download your own entitlements, that they have not. Someone else I know was initially ‘fobbed off’ with the promise of an email with a link to download their own - this is not correct. This person contacted DVLA again, using the webchat function, and insisted on the proper D737 being sent. It is not downloadable - when I called, I was even told it couldn’t be sent by email - it is a document physically stamped and signed. Yes; I included a scan of the D737 with my other documents and application with my email to IMT, and now have not been asked to send the original by post, possibly because it was inc with my emailed application.

My Modelo 37 application form didn’t have defined spaces for the alphanumerics of my dl number, just a rather small underlined space. I just about crammed in all 16 characters. Perhaps they have updated the form since I applied in November.

campos

I see. Actually there was some overlap with my DVLA experience. As they hadn't responded in 72 hrs, I called yesterday early evening. Gave my PT address details to woman. This morning the email reply came through, likely from a different operator.
So for the IMT form you, printed it out, completed it by hand, then scanned it, then attached to email?

Mac and Mabel

Sorry - I didn’t answer this. I emailed to the [email protected] address scans of:
- Mod 37 IMT application form completed
- Cert of Authenticity/entitlement (D737)
- Passport
- Photocard driving licence (front and back faces)
- CRUE (A4 residence certificate)
- IMT A4 document I received when I originally registered my U.K. licence with IMT (not necessary/possibly not even helpful)

I added X boxes by hand to the Mod 37 form so I could note on there that I had also attached the residence certificate - don’t know why it’s left off, as they require it - and the IMT register document.

I guess my Medical Atestado had been electronically delivered, as promised, by the dronline service, otherwise I surely wouldn’t have now received the email confirming I’m being processed, and requesting payment and some documents/copies to be posted. I don’t know if you have to, but my gut feeling would be to wait until the medical atestado should have been received and waiting against your NIF/SNS user number, to avoid your application being kicked out for not having the medical. That’s how I played it, anyway.

Mac and Mabel

Yes; printed off Mod 37IMT, completed by hand, and scanned to email as attachment with other document scans.

You shouldn’t be ‘waiting 72hrs’ for anything; they should just be posting/faxing the D737 to you. The 72hr thing is what my acquaintance was also originally told, and it is wrong. Hopefully, the woman last night is now doing the right thing. Or do you think it’s that call that’s generated this DVLA email arriving with you today?

campos

Thanks .
The 72hr thing was just the response time guide they gave on the dvla site when I wrote my initial request for the Cert of Entitlement, saying that if nothing appeared in 72hrs, check spam folder etc. I hope it was just a coincidence that the email arrived, and not that the woman I spoke to was prompted to send the email as a substitute for posting the proper, stamped D737 in the post.
The DVLA form at link above which I followed is a bit confusing in that it has a 21 day expiry date and a unique generated check code for my request. The form is headed Licence Summary

wellinever

what happens if brits dont request exchange before the end of this year ?

Mac and Mabel

On same rules as any other non-EU country. I believe that includes needing to exchange within 90 days of becoming resident and having to take a driving test.

If someone were resident before 31st Dec 2020 and didn’t exchange before the end of the year, if that put them outside of 90 days since becoming resident, I believe they couldn’t drive legally in Portugal.