How to ask for a translator at the IMT theory exam

You do not pick a language on the screen. You tell the driving school that you want the prova teórica (theory test) with a translator. A person registered with the IMT writes a translation of that paper.

Two different requests

Article 44 of the driving regulations covers two things. If you are deaf, you can ask the IMT for a sign-language interpreter in the room. That is paragraph 1. The 2026 decree did not change it. The older consolidated text still has the sentence, and the decree marks that paragraph as unchanged.

A translation of the theory paper is paragraph 2. Since 8 July 2026, thirty days after Decree-Law 114/2026 was published on 8 June, the IMT may authorise a translation when you have shown that your Portuguese is not good enough to understand the exam, and when the translated paper can be kept materially the same as the Portuguese one. The introduction of the decree says this is widened to every licence category.

The step-by-step the IMT still publishes is the board decision of 9 September 2020, in force on 10 September. It was written when the law only named categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1 and B. It is still the document linked from the IMT exam page, next to the 2026 translator list. We did not find a newer decision.

gov.pt, updated on 11 September 2026, still says translation is only for AM, A1, A2, A, B1 and B. For a car or a motorcycle, ask the school. For a lorry, a bus, or a professional certificate, confirm with the school before you count on a translation.

Who asks

You tell the school. When the school books the test at the exam centre, it names the translator. The exam centre then sends the request to the IMT. The IMT FAQ of 4 February 2025 says the same in one line: make the request at your driving school.

gov.pt adds that, as a rule, the school books the translated test at the IMT or at a private exam centre. In some situations you can enter the exam on your own, and it gives exchanging a foreign licence as the example. There is no public form number for you to fill in. The 2020 decision describes an email from the exam centre, not a form from the candidate.

The translator

The translator must already be registered with the IMT. Registration needs an identity document, a certificate of being a translator, a CV, and an email address. The IMT publishes a 2026 list. The language labels on that list include English, and also German, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Moldovan, Persian, Romanian, Russian and Ukrainian. The PDF also has names and phone numbers. Use the PDF itself. We do not copy them here.

The school identifies the translator when it books the test. The decision does not publish a fee that you pay the translator directly. What it does publish is a fee paid to the IMT, below.

Sessions, the fee, and the two hours

Translated theory tests run on Tuesday and Wednesday from 09:00 to 11:00, and on Thursday from 14:00 to 16:00. A centre cannot book more than 4 translated tests in one session.

After the request, the IMT creates a Multibanco reference for the fee and sends it to the exam centre. It has to be paid by the day before the test. The decision does not say how many euros that fee is. Ask the school what you will be charged. We could not find an official amount.

Once the fee is paid, the IMT emails the translator the paper in Portuguese and a file to write the translation in. The translator has two hours to send both files back. The IMT then sends the translated paper to the exam centre. If the translation does not arrive, the centre does not receive a translated paper.

The translator is responsible for the words. This is a written translation done before you sit down. It is not someone in the room interpreting for you. That room is for the sign-language interpreter, which is the other request.

The decision does not set how many days ahead you must ask, beyond the payment the day before and those session times. gov.pt says to ask when you enrol. Do it then. Places are limited.

What to study

The paper starts in Portuguese. The translator will not be using a fixed English glossary, so the English on the day may not match the English you revised. Learn the Portuguese terms in the glossary, and practise the official IMT questions in Portuguese. Via Rápida does not have an English version yet. If you are not sure you need the exam at all, read who can skip it.