TVDE operator licence: the legal procedure, step by step

The short answer

The TVDE operator licence is requested from the IMT, Portugal’s transport authority, electronically, with nine application items that now include the trademark registration number and proof of a clean tax and social security record. The IMT has 30 working days, counted from payment of the fee, to decide; if it does not, the application is deemed approved. The licence lasts a maximum of five years, compared with ten under the 2018 law, and renewal must be requested six months before the end (article 3 of the revised regime).

This article deals only with the legal licensing procedure. For setting up the company, the fleet and the relationship with the platforms, see theguide to setting up a TVDE operator.

1. Who can apply

Article 2(1) says the operator activity is carried out "by legal persons that provide paid individual passenger transport". Legal persons holding a taxi operator permit can also be TVDE operators, by going through this same licensing (article 2(4), new in 2026).

There is a new exclusion: the operator may not own, finance or have an interest, directly or indirectly, in TVDE driver training bodies (article 2(9)), and the bodies that run the courses may not be operators (article 10(11)). Seeincompatibilities in TVDE.

2. The application items

Article 3(4) lists what the applicant must send to the IMT. Two paragraphs changed in 2026.

Trademark registration is the requirement that may cause the most work for newcomers. A national or European registration is a separate procedure, with deadlines that do not depend on the IMT. It is worth dealing with it before preparing the licence application.

You do not have to submit documents already held by a national administrative authority if you authorise the IMT to obtain them (article 3(5) and (6)). The new article 20-B extends this automatic retrieval, through the Public Administration Interoperability Platform, to criminal records, tax status and social security status. If the lookup is not possible, the IMT notifies you to submit the documents within a deadline; if you do not, the application is rejected (article 20-B(4) and (5)).

3. The managers’ good repute

The operator’s good repute is assessed in relation to the members of its board, management or executive bodies, in particular through their criminal record (article 4(1)). The following are not of good repute: those legally prohibited from engaging in trade, those convicted by final judgment of crimes relating to the pay regime, health and safety at work, the environment or professional liability, and those disqualified as a result of bankruptcy or insolvency while the disqualification lasts.

A conviction does not rule out good repute for someone who has been rehabilitated, and the IMT may, with reasons, consider someone of good repute despite a conviction, taking into account the time that has passed (paragraph 3). These criteria differ from those that apply to drivers, explained in driver good repute. Good repute is not checked only once: the operator must send the IMT the managers’ criminal record every year, or authorise it to be obtained (paragraph 4).

4. Submit the application and pay the fee

The application is made "through the electronic channel provided or indicated by the IMT". The 2018 law required the use of the Entrepreneur’s Desk, with an alternative form in case it was unavailable; that rule was repealed. The amount of the fee is not in the law: fees are set by the competent bodies (article 29).

5. The decision and tacit approval

The IMT examines and decides the application. If no decision is made within 30 working days of payment of the fee, the application is deemed tacitly approved (article 3(1)). The difference from 2018 lies in when the count starts, which is now payment of the fee. Once the deadline has passed, the applicant is informed electronically that tacit approval has taken effect, under the Code of Administrative Procedure (paragraph 7). If a requirement is missing, the application is rejected (paragraph 2).

6. Validity, renewal and changes

The licence is issued for a period of no more than five years, renewable for equal periods as long as the requirements are still met (article 3(8)). In 2018 the limit was ten years, with five-year renewals. The renewal application must be submitted six months in advance (paragraph 9), a rule that did not exist before.

The licence’s validity has a knock-on effect: each vehicle’s registration with the IMT is valid for five years, but never longer than the operator’s licence (article 12(4)). A licence close to expiry shortens the cars’ registration. Seevehicle registration with the IMT.

Changes to the access or operating requirements must be notified to the IMT within 10 days of the date on which they occur (paragraph 10). A change of management, registered office or tax status are examples. This obligation is new and carries its own fine.

The public list of operators

The IMT keeps on its website the list and contact details of authorised operators (article 3(11)). This is a new rule for operators; in 2018 the law only provided for a list of platforms. For a driver, it is a simple way to confirm that the operator they are about to sign with is licensed.

After the licence

The licence is the starting point. The operator must ensure the operating requirements are met at all times, including those for vehicles and drivers, failing which the IMT may order the suspension, restriction or termination of the activity (article 9(1)). It is liable for giving platform access to drivers who do not meet the requirements (article 14(3)), must have a written contract with each driver (article 10(2)(e)) and must notify the AMT of merger operations (article 9(3)). See alsothe contract between driver and operator.

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