Dear Editor,
First of all, I am a Dutch citizen and resident in Portugal. Since my Dutch driving licence needed to be renewed on December 1, 2013, I had to exchange it for a Portuguese one. So I requested a ‘carta de condução’ on November 8, 2013 after filling in all the necessary documents at a local driving school. IMT gave me a temporary paper version valid for six months, but thanks to their ‘quick, efficient work’, they had to extend the licence twice, both times for another six months. The expiry date of the last licence is May 7, 2015!
Since I was 48 at the time I requested a Portuguese licence, I hoped that the IMT would give me my driving licence after my 50th birthday which was on December 3, 2014, because now they have to be renewed every 10 years (at the ages of 30, 40, 50 etc.)
However, on December 1 I received a notification that there was a registered letter for me to pick up, so I headed to the local post office. I was surprised to find that the letter was from IMT (to be honest I expected something for my birthday) including my long-awaited Portuguese driving licence. I immediately checked when it expired and guess what … it was only valid for 1 day!
So I want to give the IMT a big round of applause for their perfect timing. Because of my 50th birthday I can only enjoy my driving licence for one day and then I have to fill in all the documents again for another renewal. Let’s hope they give it back to me before my 60th birthday!
Sylvia Lavalette, by email
Thanks IMT – perfect timing!
