Driver's license - Amy's version

Adapting to Portugal Time and Portugal Bureaucracy

Some time ago we shared with you the process we used to transfer our drivers’ licenses.

Because Scott’s residence card arrived with the wrong address¹, his application was submitted about two weeks after mine. Thus we had different dates for our appointments with IMT: February 14, 2023 vs March 7, 2023. As we said, the process was relatively smooth and just involved some waiting. Ok, a lot of waiting.

Basically, you get an appointment, show up with reams of documents (including your home country's driver's license, which you will not get back), wait well past your appointment time, and hand it all over. In exchange, you receive a piece of paper - your temporary license. You can use it for driving inside Portugal. Some people have successfully driven in other locations with this piece of paper, but there are many cautionary tale of rental car companies and police officers giving it the side eye.

The other fun piece is that the piece o’ paper is only good for 6 months.

I can hear you now, how long can it take for them to print it, laminate it, and mail it off? Try several months, or even - gasp - years. Welcome to Portugal!

But that’s not what I came to tell you about.² Before I we arrived, I was quite concerned how I would handle the bureaucracy here. I’m someone who craves efficiency, order, and fairness. By the end of the first six months, I’d discovered the secret to dealing with it - while maintaining whatever sanity you possess - is to massively Lower Expectations.

I recall the day we tried to do four things. It was the quintessential experience with Portuguese bureaucracy.

But back to the driver’s license.

As I fully expected, I had to renew my temporary driver's license before it expired. Yep, this piece of paper is only good for six months. Given that the August Vacation Month was fast approaching, I hied myself back to the office. While they might be open, certainly they would have fewer workers. Well, it seems August came early, as only one of the two workers was there. The excitement when it was finally my turn!! And then…. I was told that I was too early. I needed to come back the following week. It's ok; I only had had to wait four hours to find that out.

Fortunately the next time I went for a renewal it was a very short wait: a half hour. Uau!³ And I was told that I was not able to renew. Because my driver's license had been created. YAY!!! And was being held for me at a different office in Saldanha.⁴

I had a few questions: Scott had already gotten his in the mail. Why was mine later than his, when I started the process earlier? Why his was mailed and mine not? Unfortunately we had the grumpy worker, so I didn’t bother to try to ask.

I made an appointment for Big Pick Up Day using a website for making an appointment with IMT. It's a pretty easy process. And they’re very helpful: They really don't want you to miss your appointment so I received multiple reminder emails and texts.

And also a text on the day of telling me my appointment had been cancelled, and they would be contacting me about a new appointment date. *sigh*

Which they did! The next day I got a message with the new date! All was grand. Until I received another text on the Big Pick Up Day 2 telling me that, once again, my appointment was cancelled.

This time I did not receive the friendly message with the new date. No fool am I! I made two appointments, a week apart from each other.

Big Pick Up Day 3 arrived - and I did not get a cancellation message. (holds breath, crosses fingers) Hardly daring to hope, I hoofed it over to Saldanha. We waited about 10 minutes (also known as we didn't have to wait), and we were called in.

Instead one or two employees max, they had easily six! We had a few scary moments as our worker repeatedly searched the stacks of envelopes. Eventually she unearthed it and VOILA! PRESTO! I was the proud possessor of a Portugal driver's license!

With the Worst Picture Ever, naturally.

To recap
Length of time⁵ from application to driver’s license in hand:
Amy: 14 1/2 months, 5 visits
Scott: 10 1/2 months, 2 visits

If I hadn’t embraced a more laid-back attitude about timing and efficiency and not managed my expectations, I never would have gotten through this without losing what sanity I possess. I am so grateful to have found this level of peace. In all my years before we came here, I was always thinking/planning/worrying problems, trying to manage a process that was not within my control. It’s a true blessing to have learned to just go with the flow.

That’s all for now,

Love from Lisbon,

Amy

1. One of the documents required is your residence card. Naturally when Scott got his card in the mail from SEF, the address was wrong. He mailed it back (his appointment was in Braga, and you have to go to the place you got the card to get a corrected card). Two weeks later the corrected card came in the mail.

2. With apologies to Arlo Guthrie. For those not familiar with Alice’s Restaurant, you’ve got a treat in store.

3. Portuguese for Wow.

4. Which is closer to my apartment…. but also a legendarily busy office.

5. 1/29/2023: Applied for Amy’s driver’s license
2/14/2023: Amy’s IMT appointment, received temporary license
2/15/2023: Scott’s residence card came and application submitted
3/7/2023: Scott’s IMT appointment, received temporary license
7/25/2023: Amy’s attempt at 1st renewal
8/8/2023: Amy’s successful 1st renewal
9/5/2023: Scott’s 1st renewal
12/27/2023: end of December Scott received his driver’s license
2/2/2024: Amy’s attempt at 2nd renewal. Told it was waiting for me.
4/11/2024: Amy’s successful pickup of driver’s license