Portugal

From Driverspedia

Handedness of road traffic

Portugal is a right-hand traffic country.

Speed Limits

The general speed limits in Portugal are presented in the following table:[1]

General Speed limits in km/h (mph)
Type of vehicle Built-up areas Rural roads Limited-access roads Motorways
Residential areas Other areas
Mopeds and quadricycles 20 (12) 40 (24) 45 (27) - -
Motorcycles with an engine displacement ≤ 50 cc 20 (12) 40 (24) 60 (37) - -
Motorcycles with a sidecar or a trailer 20 (12) 50 (31) 70 (43) 80 (49) 100 (62)
Tricycles 20 (12) 50 (31) 80 (49) 90 (55) 100 (62)
Motorcycles with an engine displacement > 50 cc (and with a sidecar) 20 (12) 50 (31) 90 (55) 100 (62) 120 (74)
Passenger cars ≤ 3,5 t GVWR without a trailer 20 (12) 50 (31) 90 (55) 100 (62) 120 (74)
Passenger cars ≤ 3,5 t GVWR with a trailer 20 (12) 50 (31) 70 (43) 80 (49) 100 (62)
Passenger cars > 3,5 t GVWR without a trailer 20 (12) 50 (31) 80 (49) 90 (55) 100 (62)
Passenger cars > 3,5 t GVWR with trailer 20 (12) 50 (31) 70 (43) 90 (55) 90 (55)

Documents

Drivers must carry with them the following documents:[2]

  1. ID document or passport.
  2. Driver's license. Driving licenses issued by any of the EU member states or the EEA or Switzerland are valid throughout the European Union. Drivers in possession of a license issued outside the EU are required to have an international driving permit (IDP).
  3. Registration certificate.
  4. Certificate of Motor Insurance plus International Motor Insurance Card (Green Card), if your car is not insured in an EU country. At least third party insurance is required.

Items required in cars or with motorcycles

All motor vehicles in circulation, except those with two or three wheels and quadricycles without a luggage case, must be equipped with:[3]

  1. A Warning triangle. The use of the warning triangle is mandatory whenever the vehicle is immobilized on the road or on the side of the road, without the appropriate lighting according to the provisions of the traffic code. The triangle must be placed perpendicularly to the pavement and the axis of the road at a distance of at least 30 m from the rear of the vehicle and must be clearly visible at a distance of at least 100 m.
  2. High visibility reflective vest, which should be worn under the same circumstances.

Winter conditions

There is no requirement for the use of special tires during winter. Snow chains are compulsory in mountainous regions when indicated by road sign D9 and the conditions make their use necessary.

Studded tires

The use of studded tires is prohibited in Portugal.

Headlights

Motorcycles should have their headlights on, all day long. Cars don't have to use their headlights during daytime, except in low visibility conditions.

Filling stations

Stations are self-service in Portugal. There are stations where you fill your tank up and then pay at the office afterwards, but there are also stations where prepayment (Portuguese: pré-pagamento) is required in order to proceed with pumping fuel in to your vehicle. Usually major cards are accepted in Portuguese filling stations.

Fuel types

  1. Unleaded petrol / gasoline (Portuguese: Gasolina sin plomo or Gasolina sem chumbo). Common octane ratings are 95 and 98 RON.
  2. Diesel (Portugese: Gasóleo).
  3. LPG (Portuguese: Gáz líquido). A list of stations that offer LPG in Portugal can be found by following the previous link.
  4. CNG. Only very few stations offer CNG in the country. A list of CNG stations can be found by clicking the link at the start of the sentence.

Fuel prices

Some sources of locations of fuel stations and real time prices of fuel in Portugal are listed bellow:

  1. Cheap Refuel for Android.
  2. Fuel-Flash website, also available as an app for Android.
  3. 1-2-3 app available for both Android and iOs

Electric vehicle chargers

You can find electric car and PHEVs chargers in Portugal at lemnet.org, also available for Andorid and iOS

Chargers are also listed in electromaps.com

Road user charges

Toll roads

Portugal has a road charge scheme that uses tolls for collecting the fees for using its motorways. It has 2 types of toll roads: conventional ones with toll plazas and roads with electronic tolls system.

You can calculate the toll fees for your journey using this calculator, by entering the starting point of your journey on the left column of drop-down lists and your destination on the middle column of drop-down lists, as well as the class of your vehicle and the method of calculation (Distância for minimum distance whatever the cost or Custo for minimum fees without taking into account the distance difference).

A map of all Portuguese toll roads (it includes both types) is available following the link. The legend in English language is available at the bottom right of the PDF file.

Detailed maps of toll locations and their rates in Algarve, Baixo Tejo, Beira Interior, Beiras Litoral e Alta, Costa de Prata, Grande Porto, Interior Norte, Litoral Oeste, Norte Litoral, Pinhal Interior, Transmontana and the A23 non concessioned section (IP) are available in the PDF files listed following the link.

Conventional toll roads

The available payment methods in toll plazas are listed bellow and vary according the lane:

  1. Payment with cash or with a debit / credit card. When you enter the motorway you are going to receive a ticket that certifies your entry point in order to calculate the fees as the tolls are distance based. When reaching the toll gates you should choose the lane with the inscription above it reading "Via Manual" accompanied by a sign depicting the silhouette of a man in a blue font, which indicates the presence of a manned toll booth in that lane, if you wish to pay in cash to the operator or the lane with the inscription above it that reads "Via Manual" accompanied by a sign depicting Euro coins and a bank card in blue font, if you wish to pay to the automated machine by cash or with your debit / credit card. Just in case your card is not accepted is always a good idea to have cash with you as a back up payment method.

    Note that if you loose the ticket you have to pay the full distance from the start of the road till the toll plaza.

  2. Via Verde electronic transponder. The transponder can also be used for payments at electronic toll roads in Portugal, so if you use it there is no need to check for alternative payment methods for the electronic tolls. Please note that the Via Verde transponder is also compatible with Spanish electronic tolls. Vice versa the Spanish VIA-T transponder (by any of the following providers: VIA-T, VIA-T Pagatelia or VIA-T Bip&Drive), the French Liber-t transponder and the Italian Telepass transponder can be used for paying the Portuguese tolls, so if you previously have purchased and installed one of the aforementioned devices there is no need to buy the Via Verde transponder.

    You can rent a temporary electronic transponder called "Via Verde Visitors". It has a rental cost of 6 € in the first week and 1,5 € in the following weeks and you have to make an initial deposit of 27,50 € (refundable upon return of the device). It´s valid for a maximum of 90 days. You can get the transponder at Via Verde stores.

    In case you visit Portugal frequently and if you have a Portuguese bank account, you can buy the electronic device Via Verde Leve with fees of 0,70 € for each month you use the device and 0 cost for months you don't. You can buy it in Via Verde stores or order it online.

    In order to use the device you have to join the motorway by the dedicated Via Verde lanes (there are one or two in any case), indicated by a sign with the letter V in green background and identical road surface markings. At thew toll plaza by passing through the dedicated Via Verde lanes the appropriate fee for the distance you have traveled will be deducted from your connected bank account.

    Read the installation instructions for the right placement of the transponder that will ensure its smooth operation. Please note that rented devices should not be affixed to the windshield permanently, but instead held in place when the vehicle crosses the toll gates via the dedicated Via Verde lane.

Electronic toll roads

Electronic toll roads have no toll plazas. Gantries over these motorways have cameras installed and use a ANPR system to read your vehicle's plates and calculate the toll fees for your journey.

These motorways are or include parts of:

  1. Autoestrada A4
  2. Autoestrada A13 and A13-1
  3. Autoestrada A17
  4. Autoestrada A19
  5. Autoestrada A22
  6. Autoestrada A23
  7. Autoestrada A24
  8. Autoestrada A25
  9. Autoestrada A27
  10. Autoestrasa A28
  11. Autoestrada A29
  12. Autoestrada A33
  13. Autoestrada A41
  14. Autoestrada A44

The exact motorways or their parts that use electronic tolls are marked on the map with red color.

The available payment methods are:

  1. Via Verde electronic transponder. It's the same transponder that it is used in conventional toll roads (listed as the second method of payment). If you have already rent or bought it and installed it in your vehicle you are also covered regarding electronic tolls' payments and there is no need to read about and of course use any of the following alternative payment methods.

  2. EASYToll. The EASYToll system associates your debit or credit card (Mastercard, Visa or Maestro) to your vehicle´s license plate. You have to visit one of the following EASYToll Welcome Points (before driving on any of the electronic toll roads, otherwise you will be fined for using these roads without paying the toll fees, except of course if you use one of the alternative payment methods):
    1. A22 – next to Castro Marim/Ayamonte border
    2. A24 – at 3,5km from Chaves/Veribn border
    3. A25 – Alto de Leomil Service Area
    4. A28 - Viana do Castelo Service Area
    and without leaving your vehicle place your card in the payment machine. The system automatically associates the vehicle's license plate to the card you used in the terminal. The toll fees will be directly debited from the bank account associated with this bank card each time you drive on electronic toll roads from now on. When signing up a ticket is issued by the machine and must be kept as proof of the procedure. The card association with the vehicle's plates is valid for 30 days. The sign up process has a cost of 0,74 € and each journey has an administrative cost of 0,32 € additionally to the actual toll fees calculated for your journey.

    You cam search which license plates are associated with an EASYToll identifier, correct the license plates' number associated with your card or cancel the membership online or by calling the telephone number 707 500 501 from Portugal or the +351 287 95 55 from abroad.

    If you have rented a car and have associated your card with its plates don't forget to cancel your EASYToll membership after returning the car to the rental car company, because if you don't and the next client drives it on an electronic toll roads the fees will be deducted from your bank account.

  3. TOLLCard.The TOLLCard is a prepaid card, available for purchase at values of 5, 10, 20 or 40 € (with an added service cost of 0,74€ for each purchased card).
    You can buy a TOLLCard online, at CTT post offices or at the following motorways' service areas:
    1. Almodôvar on A2 motorway
    2. Barcelos on A3 highway
    3. Estremoz on A6 highway
    4. Seide on A7 highway
    5. All service areas of A22 motorway
    6. All service areas of A23 motorway
    7. Celorico, Vouzela and Aveiro on the A25 highway
    8. Viana do Castelo and Vila do Conde on the A28 highway

    After purchasing the card you should activate it online by providing the code printed on the card or on the receipt, if you have bought the card online, and the license plate of your vehicle, in order to associate it with the card. You can also enter the number of your mobile phone to receive a free SMS alert when your card's balance runs out. You can activate more than one cards at the same time, with your total balance being the sum of their values.

    Every time you drive on a road with electronic tolls the toll fees will automatically get deducted from your card's balance plus an administrative cost of 0,32 €.
    You can check the card's remaining balance on CTT's website and when the card balance runs out you will be notified by an SMS, if you had provided your mobile phone's number during registration.

    Each card is valid for one year after its activation. A TOLLCard that has never been activated or damaged can be returned at CTT post offices and in that case its value will be refunded. The remaining credit can also be refunded if a credit card was used for the payment, within a 6 months period.

  4. TOLLService. This is a prepaid product that offers 2 available options:
    1. Prepaid card for unlimited journeys for 3 days with a cost of 20 € plus an additional service cost of 0,74 € paid once during the purchase. It is valid for class 1 and 2 vehicles.
    2. Prepaid card for a predefined date and journey:
      • Spain - Porto Airport, via A28 or A41 (one journey or round trip).
      • Spain - Faro Airport via A22 (one journey or round trip).
    You can purchase TOLLService tickets online or at Cepsa Service Areas in Viana dos Castelo (A28), Abrantes (A23) and Olhão (A22), at Porto´s airport and at CTT post-offices.

Unpaid tolls

You can check on the following websites to find out if any unpaid tolls are standing for your license plates:

  1. pagamentodeportagens.pt. It covers only motorways marked with orange on this map. Excluded motorways are marked with the same color as the background, but with a deeper tone.

    You have to wait for 15 days since the day you drove on the motorway without paying the toll fees in order to make sure the fees are available for payment on the website. Specifically for motorways A4 (Vila Real / Parada de Cunhos and Quintanilha), A23 (Torres Novas / Guarda Sul) or on the A25, you can pay 48 hours after the toll fee was registered.

    In case you have received an Outstanding Payment Notice for unpaid tolls (something that is rare, if not impossible for non Portuguese residents), you have to create an account in order to proceed with the payment.

  2. portal.ascendi.pt On Ascendi's portal you can pay unpaid toll fees for motorways managed by Ascendi, shown on the map, also listed in this list.

    Ascendi cooperates with Nivi Credit, a company responsible for collecting the debts owed by the owners of foreign-registered vehicles who did not pay their tolls when traveling on the motorways, on behalf of Ascendi. If you want to pay online, you can use the username and password provided in the letter you received..
    1. References

      1. Diário da República n.º 169/2013, Série I de 2013-09-03, "Código da Estrada", Artigo 12.º Entrada em vigor, Anexo (a que se refere o artigo 11.º da lei), Título II Do trânsito de veículos e animais, Capítulo I Disposições comuns, Secção III Velocidade, Artigo 27.º Limites gerais de velocidade, 2013-09-03
      2. Diário da República n.º 169/2013, Série I de 2013-09-03, "Código da Estrada", Artigo 12.º Entrada em vigor, Anexo (a que se refere o artigo 11.º da lei), Título II Do trânsito de veículos e animais, Capítulo I Disposições comuns, Secção XII Regras especiais de segurança, Artigo 85.º Documentos de que o condutor deve ser portador, 2013-09-03
      3. Diário da República n.º 169/2013, Série I de 2013-09-03, "Código da Estrada", Artigo 12.º Entrada em vigor, Anexo (a que se refere o artigo 11.º da lei), Título II Do trânsito de veículos e animais, Capítulo I Disposições comuns, Secção XIV Comportamento em caso de avaria ou acidente, Artigo 88.º Pré-sinalização de perigo, 2013-09-03