If your foreign driving licence exchange is already submitted, check Pedidos and Notificações in A Minha Carta de Condução. IMT’s current V5 manual uses five official phases:
Submissão do Pedido → Pagamento → Análise → Atendimento → Emissão de Carta
The status label tells you roughly where the file sits. The notification tells you whether you need to do something.
Quick Answer: after payment, IMT sends the request to análise técnica in order of entry. If the portal changes to Requer Ação, open the notification and respond there. An unanswered information or correction request is closed after 30 days. After approval, IMT’s current manual shows Pedido aprovado - Agendamento necessário and directs the applicant to book the in-person step through SIGA.
Verified 25 August 2026: this article follows IMT’s V5 manual dated 28 May 2026, not the older V3 instructions.
If you have not applied yet, start with our foreign driving licence exchange guide for country rules, the 90-day and 2-year deadlines, documents, fees and how to submit the exchange. This tracker starts after the request has been filed.
IMT driving licence exchange stages in 2026
| What you see | What it means | Your next move |
|---|---|---|
| Submissão do Pedido | The request has been submitted | Confirm the request and registered email, then watch for payment |
| Pagamento | IMT has issued the payment step | The Multibanco reference becomes payable 24 hours after issue |
| Análise / Em Análise | The paid request is in technical analysis | Wait unless IMT sends a notification requiring action |
| Requer Ação | IMT needs information, a correction or a document | Open the notification and respond through the request |
| Atendimento | The request has passed analysis and needs the in-person step | Follow the approval notification and book the correct SIGA appointment |
| Emissão de Carta | The Portuguese licence is at the final issuance stage | Follow the delivery or collection instruction and keep any provisional guide |
IMT’s official five phases are broad. Portal wording can be more specific. Applicants also report labels such as Pedido respondido, aguardar análise técnica and Aguarde atendimento. IMT does not define those as separate official phases in V5, so use the attached notification rather than trying to calculate a new timeline from the label alone.
How to check your IMT licence exchange status
Sign in to A Minha Carta de Condução with Cartão de Cidadão, Chave Móvel Digital, or NIF and your Autoridade Tributária password.
Then check:
- Pedidos, for the current request and status.
- Notificações, for payment, document and appointment messages.
IMT’s V5 manual also tells users to open Perfil and use Enviar email para fidelização. Once that email is confirmed, notifications are sent there and stored in the portal. If an expected message never arrived, check Notificações and spam before assuming the process has stopped.
Something I picked up along the way is to read the notification before the coloured status label. The label tells you the phase; the notification is where IMT tells you what can hold the file up or start a deadline.
What does Pagamento mean?
Pagamento means IMT has created the payment step, but a newly issued Multibanco reference is not immediately active. V5 says the reference becomes available for payment 24 hours after issuance.
If it does not work straight away, check its issue time first. If the email never arrived, open Notificações. Once payment is completed, IMT says the request moves to technical analysis in order of entry.
Keep the receipt. A status that does not change immediately after payment is not a reason to submit a second exchange.
What does Em Análise or análise técnica mean?
Em Análise is the normal technical-review phase after payment. It is not a refusal and it does not show your queue position. IMT says analysis is carried out by order of entry, but V5 gives no fixed number of days for this phase.
Gov.pt separately publishes an average 60-day delivery period for the Portuguese licence, except where a practical test is required. That is not a 60-day deadline for leaving Em Análise.
Recent 2026 applicant reports show why a fixed countdown is unreliable. Some files move quickly; others remain in technical analysis for weeks or months, including cases waiting on additional checks. Those timelines are context, not a prediction for your request.
More often than not, the useful question is not “how many days has mine been in analysis?” but “is there a new notification I need to answer?”
Why did Data Estado change but the status still says Em Análise?
A changed status date without a new status or notification is not proof of approval. Applicants sometimes see Data Estado update while the headline remains Em Análise. IMT does not publish a separate meaning for every date refresh, so look for a new notification or phase change before assuming the file has materially advanced.
What does Requer Ação mean?
Requer Ação means IMT is waiting for something from you. The V5 manual shows this exact status in the request list and a response screen labelled Requer Ação - Troca Título Estrangeiro.
Open the response control attached to the request, answer what IMT asked and upload the requested file. Sending unrelated documents can make the record harder to follow.
The deadline matters: an information or correction request left unanswered for 30 days is automatically closed, with no refund of the fee.
One document worth recognising is the certidão de domicílio fiscal. V5 lists it where a non-Cartão de Cidadão identity document has no address or the address has changed. If that is what IMT asks for, our proof of address guide explains where it fits among Portuguese address evidence.
What if the portal will not let me upload the document?
Use the upload control attached to the action request, not a new exchange application. V5 shows the document field inside the Requer Ação response screen. Recent applicants have reported cases where no upload option was visible once the file had returned to ordinary Em Análise.
If that happens, save a screenshot and follow the channel stated in your notification. IMT specifically asks for a screenshot when a platform error or submission difficulty needs support.
What does Pedido respondido or aguardar análise técnica mean?
IMT’s V5 manual does not list Pedido respondido or aguardar análise técnica as separate official phases. If you see either wording after answering a request, do not read it as approval. Check Notificações for another action. A June 2026 case shows a request still described as aguardar análise técnica after the applicant had responded in the portal.
What does Pedido aprovado - Agendamento necessário mean?
This is the clearest signal that analysis has finished and IMT wants the in-person step. V5 shows the exact approval notification Pedido aprovado - Agendamento necessário and tells the applicant to schedule through SIGA.
IMT says you can choose the service desk where you want to be attended. You normally hand over the original foreign licence and the original authenticity certificate, where applicable.
For applicants who are not Portuguese and do not hold a Cartão de Cidadão, V5 says the first attendance must be made personally because IMT takes the foreign title and collects biometric data such as photograph and signature.
There is a special rule for a valid EU licence: IMT says the original EU licence can be handed over after the Portuguese licence has been issued, at the service desk selected for collection.
What does Aguarde atendimento mean?
Aguarde atendimento appears in current applicant reports around the in-person stage, but it is not one of the five phase names IMT defines in V5. If you see it, open Notificações first.
The official V5 example tells an approved applicant to book through SIGA. If your account says Aguarde atendimento but contains no appointment link or clear category, contact IMT before booking a random appointment. A February 2026 thread describes exactly that confusion, including a wasted trip after the wrong appointment type was selected.
How long do I have to attend IMT after approval?
IMT gives 180 days to attend and deliver the required originals. If you do not do so within that period, V5 says the process is closed for deserção, the fee is not refunded, and a new request can be submitted.
That deadline belongs to the attendance stage. It is not a deadline for a file still sitting in Em Análise.
What does Emissão de Carta mean?
Emissão de Carta is the final phase in IMT’s official exchange sequence. Gov.pt says the Portuguese licence is delivered in an average of 60 days, except in cases requiring a practical driving test, and that a guia provisória is issued during that delivery period.
The 60-day figure is an average, not a guaranteed end date. If attendance is complete and the licence has not arrived, keep the provisional guide, request number, attendance date and any delivery or collection message when you follow up.
Can I drive while the IMT exchange is Em Análise?
A submitted, paid or Em Análise status is not itself a driving permit. Your right to keep driving depends on the foreign licence, when Portuguese residence began and whether IMT has issued a valid guia provisória.
Gov.pt connects the provisional guide to the Portuguese-licence delivery period. It does not say that every online submission automatically creates driving rights. Use the main foreign licence exchange guide for the country and residence rules that apply before issuance.
IMT status problems and what to do next
| Problem | Best first check |
|---|---|
| Multibanco reference fails | Was it issued less than 24 hours ago? |
| Payment completed but no movement | Keep the receipt and check Notificações |
| Em Análise for a long time | Check for a new notification; there is no official analysis countdown |
| Requer Ação | Reply through the action screen before the 30-day closure point |
| No upload button while Em Análise | Screenshot the screen and use the notification/support channel |
| Data Estado changed but status did not | Wait for a new status or notification before treating it as approval |
| Pedido aprovado - Agendamento necessário | Follow the SIGA instruction and choose the correct attendance type |
| Aguarde atendimento with no useful instruction | Check Notificações, then ask IMT which appointment step applies |
| Portal error | Send the screenshot to aminhacarta@imt-ip.pt |
| Attendance complete but licence missing | Keep the provisional guide and follow up on issuance/delivery |
When to contact IMT
Contact IMT when the issue requires clarification, not simply because another applicant moved faster.
Include your name, NIF, request number, current status, submission/payment dates and one screenshot if the problem is visible in the portal. Ask one concrete question, such as whether the request is still in technical analysis or whether IMT is waiting for action from you.
For platform submission errors, V5 gives aminhacarta@imt-ip.pt and asks for a screenshot. IMT’s Call Center is 210 488 488, with telephone service from 09:00 to 17:00. Its contact form also accepts driver questions and supporting files.
IMT licence exchange status FAQ
I answered Requer Ação. Should my status change immediately?
Not necessarily. IMT explains how to answer and upload documents but does not promise an immediate status change afterwards. Keep proof that your response was submitted and watch Notificações. Wording such as Pedido respondido or aguardar análise técnica should not be treated as approval unless IMT also sends an approval notice.
Can IMT close my exchange without approving or refusing it?
Yes. V5 describes two closure points: an unanswered information or correction request after 30 days, and failure to attend with the required originals within 180 days after the case reaches that stage. In both situations the manual says the fee is not refunded.
My documents disappeared after submission. Should I apply again?
No, not just because an attachment is no longer visible. Check the existing request and Notificações first. If the portal does not show the file or an upload control, capture the screen and ask IMT whether the current request is complete. A duplicate application does not fix the original record.
What should I check first when my IMT exchange looks stuck?
Start with Notificações. Em Análise can remain unchanged while the file waits in the ordinary queue, but Requer Ação means IMT is waiting for you. Separating those two situations is more useful than comparing your wait with another applicant’s timeline.