Lisbon, May 27, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's president, Antonio Jose Seguro, on Wednesday enacted legislation allowing people to learn to drive with a tutor as an alternative to practical lessons at driving schools.

A note on the presidency website said the president simultaneously approved government decrees amending the Legal Driving Qualification Regulation and the Legal Regime for Driving Instruction.

Cabinet Office Minister António Leitão Amaro announced at the time that the cabinet had approved the two decree-laws on 16 April, introducing the option to learn to drive using a tutor, provided the tutor has held a driving licence for at least 10 years.

If the tutor obtained their licence abroad, Portugal must have recognised the driving licence for at least five years.

The measure applies to category B driving licences (the standard licence for passenger cars).

Leitão Amaro said candidates can take an optional assessment test at a driving school before the driving exam.

Candidates who fail without taking this test can only retake the exam after four months, unless they receive specific training.

Portugal's Association of Motor Driving Schools (ANIECA), called the measure a step backward and “a risk to road safety” at the time.

The cabinet meeting approved changes to category B1 driving qualifications, allowing people to drive four-wheeled agricultural vehicles weighing up to 450 kg without additional training.

The measures also include the digital authentication of lost or stolen licences, technologies supporting driving exam evaluations to combat fraud, and the option to take theory exams in foreign languages.

IB/LYT // AYLS

Lusa