US and Portugal are both member countries signatory to the 1967 Hague Convention Apostille. Any public documents required to be use for processing visa, immigration, travel, study, etc are accepted after notarization and authentication (apostille) from the country of origin.
Driver’s License Apostille
US driver’s license is a strong public document accepted in almost all countries over the world. Which is so, US citizens are automatically entitled to a period of certain number of days to continue to drive in foreign country for a certain period of time until they get driver’s license exchange in the destination country.
Driver’s License Apostille for Portugal
In case of Portugal, US citizens are at a liberty to continue to drive in Portugal using their US driver’s license for a period not exceeding 185 days. The only exception to this condition being, the entitled US citizen must not be a legal resident of Portugal during that period.
After acquiring residency in Portugal, the double nationality/residency US citizen is allowed to request the exchange of their US driver’s license with Portugal driver’s license without having to give the driving test. This period is specified to be 90 days only, any extension resulting in the rejection of their driving permit in Portugal.
**Note that failing to request the exchange of driving license will only remit their permission to drive, but they would still be allowed to request the license exchange for upto 2 years from the issuance of legal residency status in Portugal.
The purpose of driver’s license apostille is to authenticate the document and the signatures contained on your US driver’s license. This is in order to make the process of license exchange easier once you arrive in Portugal. Here’s how to get your US driver’s license apostilled for Portugal.
How to Apostille US driver’s license for Portugal
As a US national, you would need to submit an abstract of driving record signed and issued from the latest state of your residency in the US. If you’re unsure of the state/local issuer of your driver’s license you can look it up here.
Once you’ve acquired the original copy of your DMV, make sure that it is notarized by your local public notary. Next, you must make sure that the abstract of driving record attests to the authenticity of your driver’s license, issuance date, expiration date, vehicles you might drive or specified class of vehicles in your driving capability. In addition, your abstract of driving record must contain information such as suspension or revocation due to any feline activity, charges, etc.
Lastly, you would need to authenticate this abstract document from the County Clerk or the Secretary of State depending on who issued your document. If you’re unsure if your abstract fulfills the requirements by both your home country and Portugal, you might visit the US Embassy information desk for Portugal or the Portugal driver’s license exchange information site.
Please note that getting your driver’s license apostille for Portugal could get complicated and time processing subject to the delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and change of terms. Hence, you must not leave it up to luck to acquire the driver’s license apostille. You can seek help from our expert apostille services at Apostille Near Me to avoid unnecessary delays or cancellation of your apostille application. For more information you can contact us.
DOWNLOAD THE APOSTILLE FORM HERE