Driving in Portugal
Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides
Speed limits, the alcohol limit, what to carry, how electronic tolls work, and how to pay or contest a traffic fine and protect your licence points.
Last verified: October 2026.
Who this is for
- You will drive in Portugal as a visitor, a new resident, or in a rental car.
- You want the speed limits, the alcohol limit, the toll system, and what police expect in your car.
- You have a toll bill or a traffic fine and want to know what to do next.
Not for you if: you need the full process for swapping a foreign licence for a Portuguese one. Read Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal instead.
You drive on the right in Portugal. For cars, the speed limits are 50 km/h in towns, 90 km/h on ordinary roads, 100 km/h on roads reserved for motor vehicles, and 120 km/h on motorways. The alcohol limit is 0.5 g/L, or 0.2 g/L in your first three years of driving.
Many motorways have electronic tolls with no booths, so set up a way to pay before you use them. If you get a fine, you pay the minimum amount when you pay within 15 working days. Whether your licence is valid depends on the country that issued it.
Your licence: the short version
The transport authority, IMT (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes), sorts foreign licences by issuing country.
- EU and EEA licences. You can drive on them until they expire, even after you become resident. Within 60 days of taking up residence, register the licence with IMT. Registration is free and done in person at an IMT office.
- Licences from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and other listed OECD and Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) countries. They stay valid after you become resident, as long as you are under 60, the licence was issued or last renewed less than 15 years ago, and it is valid. You may exchange it, with no driving test.
- Licences from other countries that signed the Geneva or Vienna road traffic conventions, or have a bilateral agreement. Once you are resident, you can drive on the licence for 90 days, and you must apply to exchange it within that window. Between 90 days and two years you can still exchange it, but you may not drive on it. After two years you need a practical driving test to exchange it.
- Licences from countries outside the conventions. They are not valid for driving in Portugal. You must exchange the licence before you drive.
Visitors. If you are not resident, a licence from a convention or bilateral country lets you drive for up to 185 days after you enter Portugal. An International Driving Permit only counts when you show it together with your national licence.
Driving outside these limits carries a fine of €300 to €1,500, even if your foreign licence is valid. The exchange costs €30, with a 10% discount online. Delivery takes 60 days on average, and IMT gives you a provisional permit to drive meanwhile. The full steps are in the licence exchange guide linked above.
What to carry in the car
Police checks are routine. When you drive a car, you must carry:
- an identity document (citizen card, residence card, or passport)
- your driving licence
- the insurance certificate, on paper or electronic
- the vehicle registration document (Documento Único Automóvel, or DUA)
- the periodic inspection sheet (ficha de inspeção), once the car is old enough to need inspection
- a document showing your tax number (NIF), if you live in Portugal and the number is not on your ID
You may show the documents in the government's official app instead. If the police cannot check the data on the spot, you have five days to present the paper documents. The fine for not carrying a document is €60 to €300.
You no longer need an insurance sticker on the windscreen. That rule ended in July 2023. Carry the certificate your insurer gives you instead.
Warning triangle and reflective vest. Every motor vehicle must carry an approved warning triangle and an approved reflective vest. Motorcycles, three-wheelers, and quadricycles without a body are exempt. The fine for each missing item is €60 to €300.
When your car stops on the road or the hard shoulder, you must:
- Put on the vest before you place the triangle, repair the car, or move it.
- Place the triangle at least 30 metres behind the car, where drivers can see it from 100 metres away.
- Switch on the hazard lights.
Not using the triangle or the vest when you should costs €120 to €600. Keep the vest inside the cabin so you can put it on before you step out.
Rules of the road that catch newcomers
- Roundabouts. Give way to traffic already on the roundabout. If you take the first exit, use the right-hand lane. For a later exit, move into the right-hand lane after you pass the exit before yours. Getting this wrong costs €60 to €300.
- Pedestrian crossings. Slow down and, if needed, stop to let pedestrians or cyclists cross once they have started. When you turn into another road, give way to pedestrians crossing it. The fine is €120 to €600 and 2 points.
- Overtaking near crossings. Overtaking just before or on a pedestrian or cycle crossing is a serious offence worth 3 points.
- Seatbelts. Everyone, front and back, must wear one. The fine is €120 to €600.
- Children. Children under 12 who are shorter than 135 cm must use an approved seat suited to their size and weight. They travel in the back. There are two exceptions. A child under three may sit in front in a rear-facing seat, with the passenger airbag switched off. A child of three or older may sit in front if the car has no rear seat or no rear seatbelts. The fine is €120 to €600 and 2 points per child.
- Phones. You may not use or handle a phone, or any similar device, while the car is moving. A single earpiece or a hands-free speaker is allowed; two earbuds are not. The fine is €250 to €1,250 and 3 points.
- Red lights and stop signs. Ignoring a red light, or a stop sign at a junction or roundabout, is a very serious offence worth 4 points.
- Lights. Use dipped headlights in poor visibility, and by day in signposted tunnels. Motorcycles must ride with dipped headlights on.
- Emergencies. Call 112 for police, ambulance, or fire.
Speed limits and speeding fines
These are the general limits. Signs can set lower or higher limits, and 30 km/h zones are common in town centres. In a shared space signed as a zona de coexistência, the limit is 20 km/h.
| Road | Car or motorcycle | Car towing a trailer |
|---|---|---|
| Inside towns (localidades) | 50 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Ordinary roads outside towns | 90 km/h | 70 km/h |
| Roads reserved for cars and motorcycles (vias reservadas) | 100 km/h | 80 km/h |
| Motorways (autoestradas) | 120 km/h | 100 km/h |
On motorways you may not drive below 50 km/h. The fine is €60 to €300. Vans and heavy vehicles have lower limits.
For a car or motorcycle, the speeding fine depends on how far over the limit you were:
| Over the limit, in towns | Over the limit, outside towns | Fine | Driving ban | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 20 km/h | Up to 30 km/h | €60 to €300 | None | None |
| 21 to 40 km/h | 31 to 60 km/h | €120 to €600 | 1 month to 1 year | 2 |
| 41 to 60 km/h | 61 to 80 km/h | €300 to €1,500 | 2 months to 2 years | 4 |
| More than 60 km/h | More than 80 km/h | €500 to €2,500 | 2 months to 2 years | 4 |
In a shared space (zona de coexistência), you lose 3 and 5 points instead of 2 and 4. The road safety authority, ANSR (Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária), publishes fixed radar locations on its Radares à Vista site. Speed can also be measured as an average between two points.
Alcohol and drugs
The general limit is 0.5 g/L of alcohol in the blood. A lower limit of 0.2 g/L applies if you:
- have held your licence for less than three years
- drive a taxi, a ride-hailing car (TVDE), a heavy vehicle, an emergency vehicle, or a school or youth transport vehicle
| Level, most drivers | Level, lower-limit drivers | Fine | Driving ban | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 to under 0.8 g/L | 0.2 to under 0.5 g/L | €250 to €1,250 | 1 to 12 months | 3 |
| 0.8 to under 1.2 g/L | 0.5 to under 1.2 g/L | €500 to €2,500 | 2 to 24 months | 5 |
| 1.2 g/L and above | 1.2 g/L and above | A crime: up to one year in prison or a court fine | 3 months to 3 years | 6 |
Driving under the influence of drugs carries the same €500 to €2,500 fine as the middle alcohol band. Breath tests are common, and one drink can put a new driver over 0.2 g/L. The safest rule is not to drink at all if you will drive.
New drivers. In your first three years, your licence lapses if you commit a road crime, one very serious offence, or two serious offences. You then have to sit a special test.
Tolls: how they work
Portugal has two kinds of tolled motorway:
- Traditional toll barriers. You take a ticket when you join and pay when you leave, in cash or by card. Some lanes are for electronic devices only.
- Electronic-only tolls. Gantries over the road read your device or your number plate. There are no booths and no way to pay on the spot. Signs mark these stretches.
What changed in 2025. Since 1 January 2025, these motorways are toll-free: the A4 (Transmontana and Marão tunnel), the A13 and A13-1 (Pinhal Interior), and the A22 (Algarve). So are the A23 (Beira Interior), the A24 (Interior Norte), and the A25 (Beiras Litoral e Alta). The same applies to the A28 between Esposende and Antas, and between Neiva and Darque. Other stretches of the A28, and many other motorways, still charge. Use the official PT Tolls site, run by the state road company Infraestruturas de Portugal, to see where tolls apply.
If your car has Portuguese plates
Option 1: a Via Verde device. The device sits on your windscreen and pays every toll by debit, with no extra fees. Via Verde's price list in force since 10 April 2026 includes:
| Via Verde plan | Monthly fee | With electronic statement |
|---|---|---|
| Mobilidade (tolls and other services) | €1.99 | €1.49 |
| Mobilidade Leve (charged only in months you use it) | €2.49 | €1.99 |
| Autoestrada (motorway tolls only) | €1.04 | €0.54 |
| Buying the device outright, tolls only | €45 one-off | €37.50 one-off |
You sign up on Via Verde's website or at a Via Verde shop.
Option 2: a CTT prepaid device. You buy a device for €45 at a CTT post office and top it up. The minimum balance is €25 for a normal car.
Option 3: pay afterwards. You can drive on electronic-only roads with no device and pay later:
- Wait about 48 hours for the trip to appear in the system.
- Pay within 15 working days at a CTT post office, a Payshop agent, or by Multibanco reference.
- Expect an extra fee of €0.32 per trip, capped at €2.56 per payment.
This option is only for cars with Portuguese plates.
If your car has foreign plates
Set up one of these before you drive on an electronic-only road:
| Option | How it works | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| EasyToll | Link a Visa, Mastercard, or Maestro card to your plate, online or at one of four border stations. Valid 30 days. | €1 to join, plus €0.32 per trip |
| TOLLCard | Prepaid card of €5, €10, €20, or €40 from CTT or motorway service areas, activated by text message. Valid one year. | €1 to join, plus €0.32 per trip |
| Go Toll | Via Verde plan linked to your plate, online only, no device. | €0.77 in months you use it, plus €0.32 per trip |
| Go Toll and Beyond | Via Verde device for foreign payment cards, online only. | €1.99 a month with electronic statement (€2.49 without), only in months you use it |
| Your own device | Some foreign toll devices work in Portugal through Via Verde partnerships. | Set by your issuer |
EasyToll and TOLLCard do not cover the two Lisbon bridges run by Lusoponte (25 de Abril and Vasco da Gama). Check with your issuer before relying on a foreign device.
Rental cars
Rental companies must fit their cars with a toll device and subscribe to a payment system. Ask at pick-up how tolls are charged and read the contract terms.
If you did not pay
Not paying a toll is an offence. The fine is at least five times the toll, never less than €25, and up to twice that minimum. If you missed the 15 working days, or your car has foreign plates, pay through the toll operators' portals listed on PT Tolls. You can also pay the operators' inspectors on the motorway.
Toll exemption for Alentejo residents
Since 8 April 2026, residents and businesses based in Alto Alentejo, Alentejo Central, Baixo Alentejo, and Alentejo Litoral pay no tolls on certain stretches. These are the A2 between its junction with the A6 and A13 and Almodôvar, parts of the A6 between Marateca and Estremoz, and links towards Caia. You need an electronic toll device linked to your plate. You apply through your toll service provider, and you must renew it every year, at least 30 days before it ends.
Parking
Your town council (câmara municipal) sets paid parking zones and resident permits. Pay at the meter or with the app named on it.
| Offence | Fine | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Most parking offences, including breaking the rules of a paid zone | €30 to €150 | None |
| Parking on a pedestrian or cycle crossing, or on a pavement where it blocks pedestrians | €60 to €300 | 2 for crossings |
| Parking in a reserved bay, such as a bay for disabled drivers, or blocking an entrance | €60 to €300 | 2 for a disabled bay |
| Parking on the carriageway outside towns at night | €250 to €1,250 | 4 |
If your car is towed, see Getting Your Car Back After It Is Towed in Portugal.
Insurance and fuel
Insurance. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory for every vehicle on public roads. Driving a car or motorcycle without it costs €500 to €2,500 and 2 points. Comprehensive cover and roadside assistance are optional. See Getting Car Insurance in Portugal for cover and prices, and What to Do After a Car Accident in Portugal if something happens.
Fuel. Most stations are self-service and take cards. Prices change weekly. The energy directorate, DGEG, publishes daily average prices and station prices on its fuel price site.
Your own car. If you bring a car or keep one here, read Importing a Car to Portugal and Paying Road Tax (IUC) and Passing the Inspection (IPO).
Traffic fines: how to pay or contest
Traffic offences are light (leve), serious (grave), or very serious (muito grave). Light offences carry only a fine. Serious ones add a driving ban of 1 month to 1 year, and very serious ones a ban of 2 months to 2 years. ANSR handles the cases.
- If the police stop you, you are notified on the spot. You must pay a deposit equal to the minimum fine, at once or within 48 hours. If you do not, the police can hold your licence or the car's papers and give you a temporary replacement.
- If the notice comes by post, for example from a camera, you may also pay a deposit within 48 hours. The deposit is refunded if you win your defence.
- Within 15 working days of the notice, choose one of these: - Pay the minimum fine, following the instructions on the notice. - Send a written defence in Portuguese, with up to three witnesses and any other evidence. - Name the real driver, if it was not you, using ANSR's form. - Ask to pay in instalments. This is possible if the minimum fine is €210 or more. Each instalment must be at least €50, over 12 months at most.
- Use the Portal das Contraordenações (ANSR's online portal) to see your cases, submit a defence, or ask for instalments. You log in with your citizen card or the digital mobile key (Chave Móvel Digital).
- For serious or very serious offences, paying the fine does not close the case. ANSR still decides the driving ban.
If you pay after the 15 working days, you also pay costs of at least €52.50. The deadline cannot be extended. Unpaid fines go to court for enforcement. Defences against light parking fines go to the body named on the notice, not to ANSR. The full process is in Paying and Contesting Traffic Fines in Portugal.
Licence points (carta por pontos)
Every driver starts with 12 points. You lose points only when a decision becomes final:
- Serious offence: 2 points, or 3 for alcohol, phone use, overtaking at a crossing, or speeding in a shared space.
- Very serious offence: 4 points, or 5 for alcohol, drugs, or speeding in a shared space.
- Road crime: 6 points.
At most 6 points can go for offences committed together on the same day. As your balance falls, extra steps apply:
- 5 or 4 points left: you must attend a road safety course.
- 3, 2, or 1 point left: you must pass the theory driving test again.
- 0 points: you lose your licence and must wait two years before you can get a new one.
You earn 3 points back after three years with no serious offences, very serious offences, or crimes, up to 15. You can also earn 1 point at a licence renewal, up to 16, if you have no crimes and completed the voluntary course. Check your balance on the Portal das Contraordenações. See Understanding the Driving Licence Points System.
Common problems
"I got a toll bill months after returning a rental car." The rental company passed on tolls it paid for you. Next time, ask how tolls are charged when you pick up the car.
"I am resident and over 60, with a UK or US licence." The OECD shortcut does not cover you. Treat your licence like the other convention licences: apply within 90 days of your residence permit, and stop driving on it after that until the exchange is done.
"My licence is from a convention country and I have been resident for four months." You are past the 90 days. Apply for the exchange now and do not drive until you have the provisional permit. Driving on the foreign licence now risks a €300 to €1,500 fine.
"I got a speeding notice but someone else was driving." Name the driver on ANSR's form within 15 working days of the notice.
"I used an electronic-only motorway with foreign plates and no toll product." Pay through the operators' portals listed on PT Tolls as soon as you can.
"My vest was in the boot." The law requires you to wear it when you get out to place the triangle. Keep it where you can reach it from your seat.
For more on Via Verde and the toll map, see Using Tolls and Via Verde in Portugal.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; check the official source before you act.
Sources
This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.
- IMT, licences from OECD and CPLP countries: https://www.imt-ip.pt/condutores/reconhecimento/troca-de-titulo-de-conducao-estrangeiro/cartas-de-conducao-emitidas-pelos-paises-da-ocde-e-cplp/ (country list, under 60, 15 years, valid after residence, no test, €30 with 10% online discount), checked 1 October 2026
- IMT, convention countries and other situations: https://www.imt-ip.pt/condutores/reconhecimento/troca-de-titulo-de-conducao-estrangeiro/paises-aderentes-as-convencoes-e-outras-situacoes/ (185 days, 90 days, two years, practical test), checked 1 October 2026
- IMT, EU and EEA licences: https://www.imt-ip.pt/condutores/reconhecimento/troca-de-titulo-de-conducao-estrangeiro/paises-da-uniao-europeia-e-do-espaco-economico-europeu/ (valid until expiry, free registration within 60 days), checked 1 October 2026
- gov.pt, exchanging a foreign driving licence: https://www.gov.pt/servicos/trocar-carta-de-conducao-estrangeira-por-portuguesa (60-day average delivery, provisional permit, non-convention licences), checked 1 October 2026
- ANSR, republished Código da Estrada (Decreto-Lei n.º 114/94 as republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 102-B/2020): https://www.ansr.pt/sites/default/files/2026-07/republicacao-do-codigo-da-estrada.pdf (roundabouts, speed limits table and fines, minimum motorway speed, parking fines, child seats, seatbelts, alcohol, phones, documents and five-day rule, triangle and vest, lights, pedestrian crossings, foreign licences and €300 to €1,500 fine, insurance fine, voluntary payment, deposit, defence and instalments), checked 1 October 2026
- ANSR, Código da Estrada page: https://www.ansr.pt/legislacao/codigo-da-estrada (later amendments, reflective vest clarification), checked 1 October 2026
- ANSR, infringements of the Código da Estrada: https://www.ansr.pt/contraordenacoes/infracoes-ao-codigo (light, serious, and very serious offences; ban lengths), checked 1 October 2026
- ANSR, points system (carta por pontos): https://www.ansr.pt/contraordenacoes/carta-por-pontos (points lost and earned, course and theory test thresholds, probation, speeding and alcohol tables), checked 1 October 2026
- ANSR, frequently asked questions: https://www.ansr.pt/perguntas-frequentes (15 working days, €52.50 minimum costs, no extension, instalments from €210, deposit, driver identification, phone earpieces), checked 1 October 2026
- ANSR, Portal das Contraordenações: https://portalcontraordenacoes.ansr.pt/ (online cases, defence, points balance), checked 1 October 2026
- Diário da República, Lei n.º 37/2024, of 7 August: https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2024/08/15200/0001300014.pdf (tolls abolished on the A4, A13, A13-1, A22, A23, A24, A25, and two A28 stretches from 1 January 2025), checked 1 October 2026
- Infraestruturas de Portugal, PT Tolls: https://www.pttolls.com/en/ (toll systems, post-payment, EasyToll, TOLLCard, Go Toll, CTT prepaid device, Lusoponte exclusion), checked 1 October 2026
- Infraestruturas de Portugal, PT Tolls FAQ: https://www.pttolls.com/en/faq-frequently-asked-questions (15 working days, Portuguese plates only for post-payment, €0.32 and €2.56 fees, unpaid toll fine, rental car rule under Decreto-Lei n.º 84-C/2022), checked 1 October 2026
- Via Verde, price list version 66 in force from 10 April 2026: https://visitors.viaverde.pt/Portals/0/Documentos/TermosCondicoes/2026/18.DC.1202_Tabela_de_Precos_2026_PT_V66.pdf (Via Verde plan prices, Go Toll, Go Toll and Beyond, roaming), checked 1 October 2026
- Government of Portugal, A2 and A6 toll exemption: https://portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc25/comunicacao/noticias/isencao-de-portagens-na-a2-e-a6-arranca-a-8-de-abril-no-alentejo (start date, regions, stretches, device and renewal), checked 1 October 2026
- Todos Contam (Banco de Portugal, ASF, and CMVM), end of the insurance sticker under Lei n.º 32/2023: https://www.todoscontam.pt/pt-pt/noticias/afixacao-do-distico-do-seguro-automovel-deixa-de-ser-obrigatoria (sticker no longer required, electronic certificate accepted), checked 1 October 2026
- DGEG, fuel prices: https://precoscombustiveis.dgeg.gov.pt/ (daily average and station prices), checked 1 October 2026
Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.
