Spain Portugal
Spain 
PortugalLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
The A5/A6 motorway crosses at Caia between Badajoz and Elvas toward Lisbon.
Driving rules in Portugal
- Electronic tolls (Via Verde) — arrange with your rental car.
- Reflective vest and triangle required.
- 0.05% alcohol limit; 0.02% for new drivers.
- Dipped headlights in tunnels.
What to see when you arrive in Portugal
- the Belém Tower in Lisbon
- Porto's Ribeira and port cellars
- the Algarve coast
- Sintra's palaces
- the Douro Valley vineyards
Once you're driving in Portugal
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
EU/EEA licences are valid for the licence's lifetime. Non-EU visitors may drive on a valid home licence (with an IDP recommended, and required if the licence is not in a Roman alphabet) for the duration of a tourist stay; an IDP is strongly advised to avoid rental and police complications.
Tolls & road charges
Portugal mixes staffed toll plazas with fully electronic 'ex-SCUT' motorways that have no booths and read your plate via Via Verde. Rental cars carry a Via Verde transponder (about EUR 1-2/day plus tolls billed to your card); independent drivers can use EASYToll, registering a card to the plate at a border/airport kiosk for EUR 1 setup plus per-transit charges.
Parking in the cities
In Lisbon paid zones are run by EMEL (pay by machine or app), and Porto and other cities have similar metered zones; bays are scarce and illegal-parking fines reach about EUR 300. Peripheral park-and-ride plus public transport into the centre is the practical option.
Fines & camera enforcement
Speeding fines start around EUR 60 and rise sharply, and police can demand on-the-spot payment from non-residents (a deposit) for offences such as speeding, phone use or no seatbelt before allowing you to continue. Camera fines to foreign drivers are passed on by rental firms with an admin fee.
If you have an accident
Call 112 for emergencies (the GNR or PSP handle road policing). For a minor crash, complete the European Accident Statement (Declaracao Amigavel) jointly with the other driver; call police if there is injury, a dispute, or a driver without documents, and do not move vehicles before documenting an injury crash.
Driving in the capital
Lisbon's steep, narrow tram-lined streets and the Baixa/Chiado area are heavily restricted and hard to drive; the city also operates a low-emission ZER zone in the historic centre limiting older vehicles. Trams always have priority and many lanes are tram/bus only.
Sources: hertz.pt · carjet.com · estatefy.com · guerin.pt