Under the Mobility Package, two decree-laws were enacted by the President of the Republic, António José Seguro, amending the Regulation on Driving Qualification and the Legal Regime governing Driving Instruction. The changes, approved on 27 May 2026, introduce new rules for learning to drive and measures to modernise the driving licence.
But what are the changes for future drivers, and what will the impact be on road safety?
One of the main new features is the possibility for category B candidates to carry out their practical training under the full guidance of a tutor of their choice.
To perform this role, the tutor must have held a driving licence of the same category for more than 10 years, issued in Portugal or in another Member State of the European Union, and recognised in Portugal for at least five years.
The revision of this arrangement has sparked debate, mainly because of the implications it may have for road safety.
Unlike the vehicles used by driving schools, vehicles driven under a tutor’s guidance are not, as a rule, fitted with safety pedals, making any direct intervention in emergency situations impossible.
The absence of specific training for the tutor in the practical teaching of road driving results in a significant devaluation of the profession of the instructors who work in driving schools.
In addition, it will fall to the tutor to choose the learning routes. Although the Government has announced that municipalities may come to define suitable areas for driving instruction, the legislation does not currently set out any specific limitations on where training may take place. Nothing prevents a candidate from having their first contact with driving on highly complex roads, such as motorways — a situation that could pose increased risks for all users of the public highway.
| Tutor | Accompanied driving |
|---|---|
| Liable for the damage and offences committed by the candidate; no partial control of the vehicle (lack of the safety pedals usually located in the passenger’s position); no practical driving-instruction training. | Responsibilities shared between candidate and instructor; partial control of the training vehicle through the safety pedals; professional training to manage the candidate’s driving. |
Accompanied driving does not mean only driving carried out with an instructor. The European objective is to encourage driving alongside an instructor or a companion with road experience, in order to reduce errors caused by inexperience. To this end, the EU has approved a new directive under which persons under 17 may obtain a driving licence, provided that they drive only with a companion who holds a driving licence in the passenger seat, until they come of age. Portugal, as a Member State, has four years to transpose this new directive into its legal framework.
The President of the Republic also enacted a decree-law introducing measures to modernise and simplify the legal regime for driving qualification, promoting more digital, efficient and accessible procedures.
The law broadens the categories of vehicles that may be driven with a category B1 licence, simplifies the procedures for exchanging and confirming foreign driving licences, and strengthens road safety through the use of technology in driving tests to prevent fraud. It also expands the possibilities for translating the theory tests, promoting greater inclusion, and updates the psychological-assessment regime, adapting it to current needs and requirements.
The changes introduced to the driving regime represent one of the most significant reforms of recent years in Portugal’s mobility sector. On the one hand, the modernisation of the driving licence fosters greater digitalisation, administrative simplification, inclusion and stronger road safety, bringing procedures closer to citizens’ current needs and reducing red tape.
On the other hand, the possibility of practical learning with a tutor raises a number of questions concerning road safety, the preparation of future drivers and the standing of the driving-instructor profession. Although the measure seeks to increase flexibility in access to training, its implementation will require close monitoring to ensure that it does not compromise the quality of instruction or the safety of all users of the public highway.
In short, these changes reflect a commitment to modernisation and to adapting to the new realities of mobility. It will be essential to assess their practical impact to ensure that the intended benefits genuinely translate into safer, more efficient and more accessible driving.
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