Subscribing to the Passe Navegante in Lisbon in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the €40 Metropolitano Tarifa, the €30 Municipal Tier, the Carris/Metro/CP/Fertagus/Transtejo/SOFLUSA Network and the Navegante Sub-23, +65 and Família Tracks

The Passe Navegante (Navegante Pass) is the integrated monthly travel title issued by Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML, the Lisbon Metropolitan Transport authority) under the Programa de Apoio à Redução Tarifária (PART) framework. The 2026 tariff schedule, confirmed by TML in December 2025 and unchanged from the 2019 baseline, sets the Navegante Metropolitano at €40 per month for unlimited travel across the entire Área Metropolitana de Lisboa (AML) and the Navegante Municipal at €30 per month for unlimited travel within a single AML municipality. The pass is loaded on the Cartão Lisboa Viva (the multi-purpose contactless transport card) or the equivalent Cartão Navegante issued by TML.

The Passe Navegante is the principal transport-cost lever for residents of the AML and is open to anyone with a Portuguese fiscal residence or a working residence in one of the 18 AML municipalities. Foreign residents — EU/EEE nationals on a Cartão de Residente, non-EU residents on a Título de Residência issued by the AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo), and registered students on a study visa — qualify on the same terms as Portuguese residents.

The €40 Metropolitano vs the €30 Municipal tier

The Passe Navegante carries two principal geographic tiers. The Navegante Metropolitano at €40 per month entitles the holder to unlimited travel across the entire Área Metropolitana de Lisboa, covering the 18 AML municipalities: Alcochete, Almada, Amadora, Barreiro, Cascais, Lisboa, Loures, Mafra, Moita, Montijo, Odivelas, Oeiras, Palmela, Seixal, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Sintra and Vila Franca de Xira. The Navegante Municipal at €30 per month is restricted to unlimited travel inside a single AML municipality of the holder's choice — typically the municipality of residence or work — and does not cover cross-municipality trips.

The Navegante Metropolitano is the default choice for residents commuting between municipalities (Cascais-Lisboa, Setúbal-Lisboa, Sintra-Lisboa, Almada-Lisboa). The Navegante Municipal is the optimised choice for residents whose daily travel is confined to a single municipality and who do not need cross-AML coverage. Holders can switch between tiers month to month by re-loading the card with a different monthly title at any Espaço Navegante counter or via the Navegante app.

The operator network covered: Carris, Metro, CP, Fertagus, Transtejo, SOFLUSA and others

The Passe Navegante covers the entire integrated AML transport network across the principal operators:

• Metropolitano de Lisboa (Lisbon Metro): the four-line metro network (Linha Amarela, Linha Azul, Linha Verde, Linha Vermelha) plus the extensions under the Programa Estratégico para o Metro de Lisboa (PEML).
• Carris (Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa): the Lisbon municipal bus network plus the heritage tram lines (Eléctrico 12, 15E, 18, 24, 25, 28E) and the three funiculares (Bica, Glória, Lavra) and the Elevador de Santa Justa.
• CP (Comboios de Portugal): the Linha de Sintra (Lisboa-Sintra), Linha de Cascais (Lisboa Cais do Sodré-Cascais), Linha do Oeste, Linha do Sado (Lisboa-Setúbal via the Fertagus-shared route), and the Linha de Cintura.
• Fertagus: the south-bank Ponte 25 de Abril cross-Tagus rail service connecting Lisboa Roma-Areeiro to Setúbal and Coina, sharing the Linha do Sado infrastructure with CP.
• Transtejo (Transtejo & Soflusa): the cross-Tagus ferry services connecting Lisboa Cais do Sodré, Belém and Terreiro do Paço to Cacilhas, Seixal, Montijo and Trafaria.
• SOFLUSA: the Lisboa Terreiro do Paço–Barreiro ferry service.
• Carris Metropolitana: the consolidated AML inter-municipal bus operator covering Cascais, Sintra, Loures, Vila Franca de Xira, Mafra, Odivelas, Amadora, Oeiras, the south-bank Almada-Seixal-Sesimbra-Setúbal axis, and the eastern Alcochete-Montijo-Moita-Palmela-Barreiro corridor under the AML concession.
• MTS (Metro Sul do Tejo): the south-bank light-rail network connecting Cacilhas, Almada, Pragal, Cova da Piedade, Corroios and Seixal.

The Passe Navegante does not cover the Aerobus airport shuttle (privately operated by the Carristur subsidiary), the long-distance CP trains (Alfa Pendular, Intercidades, Internacional), or the long-distance bus operators (Rede Expressos, FlixBus, Eva Transportes) — these run separately from the AML PART-subsidised network.

The discount tracks: Navegante Sub-23, Navegante +65 and Navegante Família

Three discount tracks layer on top of the headline €40/€30 schedule:

• Navegante Sub-23: the under-23 discount track applies to all students enrolled in higher education with a valid student status. The pass is issued at half the headline tariff for the Metropolitano tier and matches the municipal tier with a 50% reduction. Applicants need a current student enrollment certificate (declaração de matrícula) from the institution.
• Navegante +65: the senior-citizen track entitles residents aged 65 and over to the Navegante Metropolitano at €20 per month — a 50% reduction on the headline €40. The track is issued on proof of age and Portuguese residence and does not require any income test.
• Navegante Família: the family-bundle track for households with two or more eligible members caps the household monthly contribution at €80 for the Metropolitano tier (€40 for the first member, €40 for the second, and free for any additional household members up to the household ceiling). The Família track is issued on proof of household composition (atestado de residência from the Junta de Freguesia or the Conta Corrente Família registration).
• Navegante Social: the income-tested social-tariff track entitles residents on the Rendimento Social de Inserção (RSI), the Complemento Solidário para Idosos (CSI), the social-energy tariff or other social benefits to a further-reduced tariff. Applicants register through the Loja do Cidadão Espaço Navegante counters with proof of the qualifying social benefit.
• Navegante Estudante (12-18): the basic-education and secondary-education track entitles students aged 12 to 18 enrolled in AML schools to a reduced monthly tariff. Children under 12 travel for free on all PART-subsidised network operators.

The Cartão Lisboa Viva: how to get the card

The Passe Navegante is loaded on the Cartão Lisboa Viva (CLV) — the personalised contactless transport card issued by the operator network through the Espaços Navegante counter network. Residents acquiring their first Cartão Lisboa Viva need to bring: (a) a valid identification document (Cartão de Cidadão for Portuguese, Cartão de Residente for EU/EEE nationals, Título de Residência for non-EU residents); (b) the NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal); (c) the residence address inside the AML; (d) a passport-format photograph (digital capture is available at most Espaços Navegante).

The Cartão Lisboa Viva costs €7 as a one-time issue fee, with subsequent renewals (the card carries a five-year validity) at the same fee. Replacement for lost or damaged cards costs €12. The cards are issued at the Espaços Navegante located across the AML, including the Marquês de Pombal Espaço Navegante (Estação de Metro Marquês de Pombal), the Sete Rios Espaço Navegante (Estação de Comboios de Sete Rios), the Cais do Sodré Espaço Navegante, the Oriente Espaço Navegante and the principal Lisboa, Cascais, Sintra, Almada and Setúbal counters. Some Espaços are also located inside the CP and Fertagus station infrastructure.

Loading the monthly Navegante title: portals, app and counter

Holders can load the monthly Navegante title onto the Cartão Lisboa Viva through four principal channels: (a) the Navegante app on iOS and Android (download from the App Store or Google Play, requires the Cartão Lisboa Viva NFC tap and a Portuguese bank-card or MB WAY payment method); (b) the Multibanco ATM network using the 'Compras com Cartão' menu and the Cartão Lisboa Viva ID; (c) the Espaços Navegante counter network across the AML; (d) the Carris Metropolitana, Metro, CP and Fertagus station vending machines.

The monthly title is valid from the first day of the calendar month to the last day, regardless of when in the month it is loaded. Holders loading the title mid-month pay the full monthly tariff for partial-month coverage — TML does not pro-rate the tariff. The pass is automatically rechargeable through the Navegante app via the Carregamento Automático feature, which charges the holder's registered payment method on the first day of each month.

The Navegante Ocasional (single-trip and zapping) as the day-tourist alternative

For residents whose monthly travel does not justify the €40 Metropolitano tariff, the Navegante Ocasional card carries a zapping (pay-as-you-go) function and single-trip tickets. The zapping function loads credit on the card at €5, €10 or €15 increments and discounts each trip by zone — typical single trips on the Metro plus a Carris bus connection run at around €1.85 with the zapping function. The Navegante Ocasional card costs €0.50 as a one-time issue fee at the metro and ferry vending machines.

The Navegante Ocasional is the appropriate choice for occasional residents, tourists and visitors. The Cartão Lisboa Viva and the monthly Passe Navegante are the appropriate choice for any resident commuting more than around 22 trips per month — the break-even threshold against the single-trip and zapping schedule.

The AML 2026 network stability and the price-freeze envelope

The €40 Metropolitano and €30 Municipal tariffs have been frozen since 2019 under the PART (Programa de Apoio à Redução Tarifária) framework, with the tariff freeze re-confirmed by TML in the December 2025 announcement and renewed for 2026 against the 2.26% CP and the on-board Carris ticket-price increases. The Navegante framework absorbed the inflationary pressure through the PART operating subsidy carved out of the OE2026 (2026 State Budget) envelope and the AML inter-municipal Fundo de Financiamento da Mobilidade.

TML reported 11 million Passes Navegante loaded in 2024, up from 6 million in 2019 — a near-doubling of the active subscriber base since the €40 metropolitan tariff was introduced. The growth profile sustains the political case for the tariff freeze across the OE2026 and OE2027 cycles. Holders should track the December 2026 TML announcement for the 2027 tariff confirmation.

What to know in practice

• Choose the €30 Municipal pass only if your travel is confined to one AML municipality. Anyone commuting between municipalities (Cascais-Lisboa, Setúbal-Lisboa, Sintra-Lisboa, Almada-Lisboa or similar) should default to the €40 Metropolitano tariff.
• Use the Navegante Sub-23 or +65 tracks if eligible. Students up to age 23 and residents aged 65 and over qualify for half-rate tariffs — €20/month on the Metropolitano tier — with no income test required.
• Set up Carregamento Automático through the Navegante app. Automatic monthly recharge through the registered payment method avoids any first-of-the-month rush and the risk of an expired pass.
• The Cartão Lisboa Viva covers the full AML operator network. A single card carries the Passe Navegante across the Carris, Metro, CP, Fertagus, Transtejo, SOFLUSA, Carris Metropolitana and MTS network — no separate cards needed.
• Lost-card replacement carries a €12 fee. Report a lost or stolen Cartão Lisboa Viva at the nearest Espaço Navegante or via the Navegante app and request a replacement — the monthly title can be transferred to the new card if the loss is reported promptly.
• The Passe Navegante does not cover Aerobus or long-distance services. Lisbon Airport (Aeroporto Humberto Delgado) is served by the Metro Linha Vermelha (covered by the Navegante) and the privately-operated Aerobus shuttle (not covered).
• Children under 12 travel for free. Free travel under age 12 applies on all PART-subsidised operators (Metro, Carris, CP, Carris Metropolitana). No separate card is needed for under-12s travelling with a paying adult.

The Passe Navegante is the principal day-to-day transport-cost lever for AML residents and the most cost-effective monthly travel title on the integrated network. The tariff stability since 2019, the universal operator coverage and the Sub-23/+65/Família/Social discount stack make the Navegante framework the operational reference point for any resident planning regular AML travel. The TML Espaços Navegante network and the Navegante app cover the issuance and loading mechanics end-to-end, with the Cartão Lisboa Viva as the principal hardware anchor of the system.