The new law makes certification more demanding: more training, an exam with a high pass mark and, for the first time, a functional command of Portuguese. We explain the path, the doubts of those already driving and concrete cases.
A more demanding certification
Access to the activity now comes with tighter requirements. The minimum initial training rises to 50 hours, with theory and practical components, and ends with a final exam. That exam has 30 questions and requires at least 27 correct answers to obtain certification, that is, a very small margin for error. The stated aim is to raise the quality and safety of the service provided to passengers.
The change with the greatest weight is linguistic. A functional command of Portuguese becomes mandatory, something the law in force did not provide for. In the approved wording, the road training course for TVDE drivers includes a check of the functional command of Portuguese appropriate to carrying out the activity of a TVDE driver. This is not a grammar test, but the ability to communicate functionally in the context of the service.
Passengers gain a choice
Alongside the Portuguese requirement, the law gives users a tool: it becomes possible to select a driver with a command of Portuguese in the app. It is a change that strengthens the linguistic component not only in training, but also in the experience of those using the service, and that turns the Portuguese requirement into a concrete choice for passengers.
The certification path
For a new applicant, the path is sequential: attend the 50 hours of training, complete the theory and practical components, have the functional command of Portuguese checked and, finally, pass the exam. Anyone who does not reach 27 correct answers is not certified and will have to repeat the preparation before a new attempt.
flowchart TD
A[TVDE driver applicant] --> B[initial training of 50 hours]
B --> C[theory and practical components]
C --> D[check of functional command of Portuguese]
D --> E{final exam: 30 questions}
E -->|27 or more correct| F[TVDE driver certification]
E -->|fewer than 27 correct| B
certification path for a driver applicant
What about those already driving?
This is the most frequent question and also the one that calls for the most caution. The application of the new rules to already licensed drivers was not settled in the text of the law. According to PS member of parliament Frederico Francisco, how the Portuguese requirement will apply to those already working will depend on regulation by government order (portaria) and, in principle, the certification of those who already hold it does not lapse. This reading rests on a single source and should therefore be taken as an indication and not as a definitive rule. Until there is a government order, no new obligation is enforceable against those already certified.
There are, however, two points in the current regime that help anticipate what may happen. The first is that the TVDE driver certificate (CMTVDE) is valid for 5 years and lapses if not renewed within the deadline; renewal currently requires a continuing training course. It is plausible that the government order will tie the check of Portuguese to that renewal moment, applying the requirement in stages rather than immediately. The second is the 2018 precedent: when the original law came into force, drivers and operators were given a 120-day period to adapt to the new rules. Nothing guarantees the model will be repeated, but it shows that the Portuguese legislator has tended to opt for adaptation periods rather than abrupt cut-offs.
In short: there is no known automatic retroactivity. Those already certified keep their certification; the unknown is what will be required at renewal and on what timeline, and only the regulating government order will clarify that.
Good repute: convictions abroad now count
This change has a high practical impact on most drivers in the sector and was barely reported. The good repute check now expressly covers any convictions, in Portugal or abroad, by a final judgment or its equivalent in the State of conviction, for acts corresponding, under Portuguese law, to the offences listed in the law.
From this follows a concrete new documentary requirement: anyone who has lived outside Portugal for six months or more in the five years before the application must produce a criminal record certificate, or equivalent document, issued by the competent authority of the country or countries where they lived. This applies both to the issue and to the renewal of the driver certificate. The IMT must obtain it on its own initiative wherever it can; where it cannot, it notifies the applicant to produce it, legalised or apostilled and with a certified translation if needed. Failure to produce it, not remedied within the deadline set, blocks the issue or renewal of the certificate.
Drivers may now rate passengers
A complete reversal from 2018. The previous law expressly banned the creation and use of mechanisms for drivers or platforms to rate users. That ban has been repealed, and the new law goes further: platforms are now required to provide a service for rating the trip by the user and by the driver. Rating stops being one-way.
what you can do
apply for certification by attending the initial 50 hours of training, with theory and practical components
obtain certification with 27 or more correct answers in a 30-question exam
be selected by a passenger who is looking, in the app, for a driver with a command of Portuguese
keep working with your current certification while there is no government order changing the situation of those already driving
what you cannot do
obtain certification without a functional command of Portuguese checked during training
be certified with fewer than 27 correct answers in the final exam
work without completing the minimum initial training of 50 hours
treat as settled, for now, rules on already licensed drivers that only the government order will define
Practical cases
I took the exam and got 25 of the 30 questions right. Am I certified?
not allowed
No. Certification requires at least 27 correct answers out of 30. With 25 correct you fall below the pass mark and will have to repeat the preparation before a new attempt at the exam.
I am a foreigner and already certified as a TVDE driver. Do I lose my certification under the new Portuguese requirement?
it depends
It depends on the regulation. The law does not settle how the Portuguese requirement applies to those already licensed. According to one of the sources, that application will depend on a government order and, in principle, existing certification does not lapse. While there is no government order, you keep your current situation.
I want to start driving for a platform, but I do not speak Portuguese. Can I go ahead?
not allowed
No, if you are seeking the new certification. The training course now includes a check of the functional command of Portuguese appropriate to the activity. Without that command checked, it is not possible to complete TVDE driver certification.
Rules dependent on regulation
These changes were signed on 18 August 2026, but they only apply once the law is published in the official gazette (Diário da República). The situation of those already driving, in particular the Portuguese requirement, depends on a government order still to be published. Always check the framework in force before making decisions.
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