Frequently asked questions

Yes. The new law sets a minimum initial training of 50 hours, with theory and practical components. Only after that training, and the certification exam, is it possible to carry out the activity of a TVDE driver.

The final exam has 30 questions and you must get at least 27 right to obtain certification. It is therefore a demanding exam, which raises the bar for access to the activity compared with the previous regime.

Yes. The revision makes a functional command of Portuguese mandatory, appropriate to carrying out the activity, and that check becomes part of the road training course. It is a requirement that did not exist in the law in force.

The application of the Portuguese requirement to those already licensed was not settled in the law. According to PS member of parliament Frederico Francisco, it will depend on regulation by government order (portaria) and, in principle, the certification of those who already hold it does not lapse. As it rests on a single source, it should be read with caution.

The law was approved in the final global vote on 17 July 2026, but it is not yet in force. It only takes effect after the final drafting, promulgation by the President of the Republic and publication in the official gazette (Diário da República), and several details remain dependent on a government order.

There is no known automatic retroactivity. The new law does not provide for the lapse of already issued certificates: the TVDE driver certificate keeps its validity of five years, renewable. The most likely moment for the new Portuguese requirement to be demanded is at renewal, just as continuing training is already required today, but that will depend on the government order that regulates the matter. As a precedent, in 2018 the original law granted 120 days of adaptation to drivers and operators.

No. The new law prohibits comodato (free-of-charge loan) and usufruct contracts for assigning vehicles to the activity, save for exceptions not detailed; according to the PSD proposal, vehicles must belong to the operator or be under a formal leasing or rental arrangement. Using someone else's account is fraud and has always been illegal. The new national data-sharing platform and the tamper-proof badge make these schemes easier to detect.

The law clarifies the two figures. The TVDE operator is responsible for the vehicles and the drivers; the electronic platform manager is the company that owns the app, such as Uber or Bolt. This distinction was less defined in the previous regime.

The intermediation fee keeps its maximum of 25%, but it is now calculated on the trip value excluding VAT, putting an end to divergent practices. The percentage ceiling does not change; what changes is the calculation base on which it applies.

It is an electronic platform run by the IMT that cross-checks information on operators, drivers, vehicles, insurance, inspections and licences, to combat irregular activity. Access will be available to the IMT, the AMT, the Tax Authority, Social Security and the security forces.

For legal persons, fines rise to a limit of 44,000 euros, against the previous 15,000 euros. The law also creates new administrative offences linked to licensing, enforcement, data sharing and compliance with legal obligations.

No. The new law ends the legal cap that set a maximum of 100% above the average of the previous 72 hours. Prices continue to be freely agreed, but the passenger must be clearly informed of the value before the trip begins.

Yes. Taxis can register for the TVDE activity, provided they meet the requirements applicable to TVDE vehicles and are registered with a licensed electronic platform manager. It is one of the most debated changes of the revision.

No. When operating as TVDE, the taxi is subject to that regime's rules and cannot use taxi ranks or BUS lanes in that service. Those facilities remain associated with the taxi activity proper.

No. The reverse is not allowed: a TVDE vehicle cannot provide a taxi service, that is, pick up customers in the street or at ranks or use a taximeter. TVDE vehicles also still cannot use BUS lanes.

The IMT and the AMT opposed the integration, as they are distinct regimes, and the AMT warned that taxis entering and leaving the regime could hinder enforcement. The APTAD considered the equivalence irresponsible and there were demonstrations by TVDE drivers against the measure.

Yes. Despite the end of the limit on dynamic pricing, the passenger must be clearly informed of the value before the trip begins. Prices continue to be freely agreed between the parties.

Yes. Video recording is optional and only exists with the express consent of the driver and the passenger. You may refuse recording without a price surcharge or penalty, unless there is no alternative vehicle available, and you may cancel without penalty if you do not accept it.

No. The capture of sound is prohibited. When video recording exists, it is image only, with the images encrypted, kept for a maximum of 30 days and accessible only to judicial, police or administrative authorities, in specific situations.

Yes. With the new law, users can now select in the app a driver with a command of Portuguese. This possibility goes with the new requirement of a functional command of Portuguese for drivers.

No. Those zones come from a protocol between the Lisbon City Council and Uber and Bolt, dated 26 March 2026, and apply only in Lisbon. They are not part of the national TVDE law; in other municipalities there may be different rules or none at all.