appman999

Thanks for that, I had the new numbers, I'll just keep ringing then. Welcome from me also and good luck with your residency application and driving licence, we'll be doing the same in the New Year.

Not many Brits have been through the process post Brexit so your tips will be welcome (perhaps on another thread.)

Retired Engineer Vern

Hi there,
Thanks for reply, we have sold up and moved here permanently, and our UK mail is being re-directed to us. We are going to sell our car, and buy a PT one so that will not be a problem (hopefully). Yes we do realise we are not officially a PT resident so can we still apply to exchange our licence with IMT? Does SEF issue us with the residential residency card that IMT require?

Retired Engineer Vern

Hi thanks for welcome, and yes we are moving here permanently, (with two cats, much confusion at Lisbon airport with them but am going off topic!!!)
l am just wondering if l can start the exchange of licence with IMT as l have not the residency card from SEF as yet!!

Retired Engineer Vern

Things are certainly more difficult now after Brexit, we just get asked where are you from and when we say UK they just say BREXIT!!
Things hopefully will get better when we have seen SEF.

Red Eric

With regard to the licence exchange, it's greatly complicated by the fact that your UK licence is due to expire before you have your appointment with SEF. Had it not been for that, you'd have had a reasonable amount of leeway.

You have 2 major problems. The first is that in order to make the application for the exchange, you need to be registered in the PT NHS and have a patient number. Without that, a GP (even a private one) can't submit your medical clearance to drive to the IMT, as required. And your difficulty here will be in enrolling in the public health service without a residence document (I don't think your visa clearing you to apply for residence will be up to snuff on that front).

The other is that IMT themselves also want to see that residence document before they'll embark on effecting the exchange.

I can't really see a way round either of those, other than just trying your luck with explaining the situation, but I wouldn't get my hopes too high.

I think it's probably best for your health that you're not bothering with importing the car at the same time as trying to sort this.

Retired Engineer Vern

Hi RedEric,
Many thanks for your reply. I think this is a catch-22 situation for us!!!
We have tried several times at the centro de saude here to register and they just do not want to know. Also we went to the council offices a few times to get our address registered, and they state UK citizens they do not deal with any more after Brexit, and they sent us to another place in town that helps immigrants, and they say that the council do what they say they don't, it's just that after Brexit they really do not know what to do now!!!
We hired a lawyer before we came away for our fiscal number so we will contact her to see what she can do for us, and also keep trying to get through to IMT and explain.
Other than that try to get an updated driving licence from the UK, not many options left unfortunately.
Thanks again for helping though all suggestions appreciated.
Vern

Red Eric

Yes, you're a bit short of choice.

I'm not sure what this bit's about - could you explain a bit more what you're trying to achieve here :
I can't think what dealings you think you might need with the municipal council at this stage.

Well I guess if you're not resident in PT, then you must still be resident in the UK, so no great moral dilemma there.

Alan PT

One bit of good news on this, Portugal recently extended recognition of UK licenses until 31 Dec 2022, so if you do extend your UK license you then have a reasonable timeframe in which to exchange (but still, do start the process as soon as you are able, once immigration and residency has been sorted, as the process tends to take 6+ months)

Not sure about your lawyer, but generally lawyers are quite expensive for tasks which really only require a Portuguese speaker with some admin skills. It's probably sensible to "outsource" some stuff while you have a lot going on in your life, but if you have a search on the forum you'll see people have posted a few suggestions for these kind of "fixer" services

Not sure where you are based but we found this firm OK in Lisbon, there are some Algarve suggestions in other threads too: https://www.newway.pt/en/

Retired Engineer Vern

Hi again Red Eric,
One of the requirements for the Centro de Saude to be able to register for the health service and obtain a number is called an Atestado de residencies emitido pela Junta de Freguesia, this was listed on the wall outside of the health centre, the security people would not even let us in because we did not have all the paperwork.

Rambling archer

Do you have FaceBook REV? Brits in Portugal often have useful updates via the British Embassy in Portugal unfortunately advice and assistance seem to be coming to an end for pre-Brexit folk and leaves post-Brexit folk in limbo - for example
https://www.facebook.com/BritsInPortugal

https://www.facebook.com/BritsInPortugal/?__cft__[0

=AZVuRM2W1PelMtinMANLCy9ik2cpLwB3j7XGlA_1lHD8YjFMCIO0XjAKr070jD3tudAaL9LLEQyovdWYMYgcL_ggYycwkwV-KauM_OFtM9XhxaO3E0pJy9VhxLGaSuXYmZVDf--Vnf5oJhz6aazKCcBC&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R]19t N0ovnemiusbf4er atrel 14321563:282

·
UPDATE FOR UK LICENCE HOLDERS RESIDENT IN PORTUGAL
The Council of Ministers approved yesterday an extension to the grace period for UK residents in Portugal to continue to drive on their valid UK driving licences until 31 December 2022.
We continue to advise UK nationals to exchange their UK licences for Portuguese ones once they become residents.
Bilateral negotiations are ongoing between the UK and Portugal to agree long term arrangements for the recognition and exchange of driving licences for residents.
You can read the press release (point 6) here =AT0gvDwIjOVckaZO3gdmTHaRiUdFP4DfFTw2HQZc59tS-bMbKwBzfUmqYteW0iky4kZLR28CfUmbbntuHiS6UkTzKbZUwvj NUCamowSSu7SoF951qAvuTdh5-LbIzFCeWiR7gaPp3-4eoyLHVpFzdwESuSyO_RIOi_b_UJzgU6rEcb4]https://www.portugal.gov.pt/.../comunicado-de-conselho-de...

It looks like your only option is to renew your UK licence - perhaps start the process early rather than wait for the expiry date in case of hassle - and then you will be OK until end December NEXT year ... will give you plenty of time to get SEF and the Residency status sorted out. It would seem that you may be able to renew on line but I suppose the new licence will have to be sent to your old UK address as you cannot apply using a foreign address. If your post is being forwarded to you here in PT, then that should be OK?
https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence

Retired Engineer Vern

Hi Alanpt,
Many thanks for reply and suggestions, we are a bit overawed with all this.
We at present are living near Silves, but wii try your suggestion to see if anyone can help us and will look on this website.
A bit impossible at the moment to get through to IMT on the phone, do you have to book a face to face appointment?
Thanks

Red Eric

Ah, my misunderstanding.

Yes, that's obtained from the parish council office, as opposed to Camara Municipal, which I thought you might be referring to.

Alan PT

In one of those amusing weirdnesses of Portuguese bureaucracy it was the only document which our Camara Municipal would accept as proof of address. Which it really wasn't, because we got it by going to the Junta de Freguisia, paying them 6 euro, they asked us where we lived, we told them and they put it on the document

Alan PT

Don't worry about the IMT bit just yet, as Red Eric points out, you don't have all the stuff you need yet

But once you do, there's an online application process, you only get called for a face to face at the very end of the process. The best (/only) way to communicate with IMT on this is via the [email protected] email address, but I'm not sure they will even engage with you until you have applied, since they are overwhelmed with applications

Bomber Harris

Lots of posts about the Council of Ministers approving another extension of the validity of UK licences to 31st December 2022. Nobody, including the UK embassy in Portugal, has mentioned that it is not yet in force. It still has to be approved by the President and only once he has done so can the law be written and published in order for it to come into force. Until that happens the current extension to 31st December 2021 is the only one that applies.