The legal step-by-step — from your licence and group 2 to the CMTVDE, the IMT exam and a contract with LaraGo to drive on Uber and Bolt.
TVDE is Portugal’s legal regime for paid individual passenger transport in unmarked vehicles booked through an electronic platform — the framework used by Uber and Bolt. It is set out in Law no. 45/2018 of 10 August and supervised by the Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT). In this guide, the TVDE operator you sign with — and through whom you join the platforms — is LaraGo.
The law requires you to work for a licensed TVDE operator under a written contract. Here that operator is LaraGo: you do not connect to Uber or Bolt on your own.
The TVDE Driver Certificate is issued by IMT, valid for 5 years, and gives you a unique driver number used on every platform.
Category B licence held for over 3 years with group 2 endorsement, 50-hour training, good repute, CMTVDE, and a written contract with LaraGo — all cumulative under article 10 of Law no. 45/2018.
These requirements are cumulative: miss one and IMT will not issue the CMTVDE. In practice, a category B licence held for 3 years means you are at least 21.
With group 2 endorsement (restriction 997). Without it you cannot work in TVDE, even with a valid licence.
Initial course at an IMT-recognised training body, theory and practice, followed by IMT’s final exam.
Proven with a criminal-record certificate issued specifically for TVDE drivers. Article 11 lists disqualifying offences.
Certificate issued by IMT plus a written contract with LaraGo, your TVDE operator. Only then do we register you on Uber and Bolt.
Holders of a valid taxi driver certificate (CMT) are exempt from the initial TVDE course, but still need the CMTVDE, an updated criminal record and the fee. Source: IMT — TVDE driver certification.
This order avoids wasted fees: Portuguese licence and group 2 first, then training, then the CMTVDE and a contract with LaraGo. The full process usually takes several weeks.
Before paying for training, check age, licence, residence and legal stay in Portugal.
In practice you need to be 21 or over, because the law requires a category B licence held for more than three years (category B is usually obtained at 18). You must be legally resident in Portugal (Citizen Card or valid residence permit), have a Portuguese tax number (NIF) and, if your licence is foreign, exchange it before training.
If your licence is foreign, do not start the TVDE course yet: IMT is explicit that you cannot add the group 2 endorsement without exchanging the licence for a Portuguese one. Without group 2, the CMTVDE does not go ahead.
Required for TVDE: group 2 can only be endorsed on a Portuguese licence.
Even if you may drive in Portugal on your national licence (EU, EEA, OECD or CPLP), for TVDE you must exchange it. Apply on A Minha Carta de Condução, with an electronic medical certificate sent by your doctor to IMT. The official fee is €30, with 10% off online.
After you submit, IMT asks you to attend a counter, hand in the original licence and provide biometrics. See Licence conversion below for countries and the official link.
Electronic medical certificate plus psychological assessment. Without this, there is no CMTVDE.
Group 2 (restriction 997) authorises vehicles that need extra care, including TVDE. Request it at IMT, a Citizen Space or a partner desk, with:
Categories C or D already cover group 2. Official guide: gov.pt — group II endorsement.
Not the generic certificate: IMT specifies the purpose.
IMT requires a criminal-record certificate for «profession/activity without special law», job «motorista de TVDE – IMT», and the mention «involves regular contact with minors (Law no. 113/2009)». Apply online at registocriminal.justica.gov.pt.
Article 11 of Law no. 45/2018 treats as lack of good repute final convictions for crimes against life, physical integrity or personal freedom; against sexual freedom; dangerous driving, drink-driving or drugs; and offences committed as a driver. Rehabilitated people may still be accepted by IMT in some cases.
Courses at unrecognised schools do not count towards the CMTVDE.
The initial course lasts a minimum of 50 hours, theory and practice, and only counts if the provider is on IMT’s recognised list (published at imt-ip.pt). Ordinance no. 293/2018 sets six mandatory modules:
Check the school’s IMT recognition before you pay. The official list is on IMT’s TVDE driver certification page.
Since Ordinance no. 344/2024/1, the exam is run by IMT, not only by the school.
After the course-completion certificate, you sit a final test at IMT or an authorised exam centre. Under Ordinance no. 344/2024/1 of 19 December:
The first CMTVDE renewal after 20 June 2025 is also subject to this assessment.
Official fee €30, with 10% off if you apply online.
Once training is passed, group 2 is endorsed and the criminal record is correct, submit the request on IMT Online services (Transport → Certificate). You need:
The CMTVDE is valid for 5 years. If it expires without renewal, you cannot renew: you must repeat the initial course and exam. Renewal needs an 8-hour refresher, good repute and, for the first renewal after June 2025, IMT’s test. Details: IMT and gov.pt — request the CMTVDE.
LaraGo is your TVDE operator. Only after the CMTVDE and a contract with us can you drive on Uber and Bolt.
The law requires registration with an electronic platform and a written contract with a TVDE operator. On this path, that operator is LaraGo: you do not connect to Uber or Bolt on your own. We link the driver and vehicle to the platforms, arrange activity-appropriate insurance and check that the car meets the law (under 7 years from first registration, Portuguese plates, up to 9 seats).
You can start with the LaraGo fleet (car, insurance and maintenance included) or a partnership with your own car, if it is eligible. We help with remaining paperwork and onboarding until you are driving with us.
Gather these before you book training: missing papers are the most common cause of IMT delays.
IMT fees are official. Training, medical and psychometric prices vary — figures below are indicative, to help you budget.
€30 (10% off online). Same fee on renewal. Source: IMT.
€30 (10% off online), plus medical certificate. Source: IMT.
Market price, typically a few hundred euros depending on timetable and school. Confirm IMT recognition first.
GP appointment for the AME plus psychological test. Prices are unregulated.
Without a foreign-licence exchange: several weeks (training + IMT exam + issuance). With an exchange: add weeks or months, depending on IMT and document authenticity.
Market prices are not LaraGo or government prices. Always confirm fees and deadlines on imt-ip.pt and gov.pt before you pay.
Portugal does not treat every licence the same way. There are four regimes: EU and EEA; OECD and CPLP (Decree-Law no. 46/2022); convention or bilateral-agreement countries; and countries with no convention. In every case, for TVDE you must obtain a Portuguese licence and group 2 endorsement.
You may drive in Portugal until the EU/EEA licence expires. For TVDE, exchange it for a Portuguese licence and request group 2 in the same file (tick the box and attach the psychological certificate). Usually no driving tests.
Under Decree-Law no. 46/2022 (in force since 1 August 2022), these licences may be used in Portugal even after you become resident, if the title is valid, you are under 60, and no more than 15 years have passed since issue or last renewal. Private driving under this regime is valid only in Portugal. For TVDE, an exchange is still required — without a driving test.
Bilateral-agreement countries or parties to the Geneva (1949) and/or Vienna (1968) conventions: tourists may drive for up to 185 days. After residence, you have 90 days to file the exchange while still driving on the foreign licence; from 90 days to 2 years you may still apply but can no longer drive on it; after 2 years the exchange requires a practical test. Official lists (IMT PDFs, updated 2025): convention and bilateral-agreement countries.
Countries not party to an international traffic convention: the licence is not valid for driving in Portugal. Exchange requires theory and practical tests per category. Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Timor-Leste are CPLP members but are not on IMT’s Decree-Law no. 46/2022 list — check the official page; do not assume automatic equivalence.
Exchange application: A Minha Carta de Condução. Plain-language service: gov.pt — exchange a foreign driving licence for a Portuguese one.
This page summarises public law and government pages. If anything conflicts, IMT, gov.pt and the Diário da República prevail. Last reviewed: 21 August 2026.
CMTVDE requirements, recognised schools, fees, renewal and 5-year validity.
imt-ip.ptTVDE legal regime. Article 10 (driver requirements) and article 11 (good repute).
Diário da República50-hour syllabus and IMT exam of 30 questions with 27 correct.
Diário da RepúblicaEU/EEA, OECD/CPLP and convention regimes. Starting point to convert your licence.
imt-ip.ptPublic service explaining who can convert a licence and which documents to submit.
gov.ptRecognition of CPLP and OECD titles in Portugal, in force since 1 August 2022.
Diário da RepúblicaLast reviewed: 21 August 2026. Informational content; it does not replace IMT or legal advice. Rules can change. Confirm fees, country lists and documents on the official pages linked above before you start.