Since July 1, new rules have been brought in for fines for non-payment of electronic tolls on Portuguese motorways, including the former SCUT roads and all motorways with gantries.

Forever Young, explains what has changed.

Those who do not have Via Verde, which allows automatic payment by direct debit, face toll fees plus administrative costs. Before 2022, the payment deadline was just five business days, resulting in a lot of accumulated debt. After pressure from DECO, the deadline was extended to 15 working days in February 2022. However, notifications continue to be lost due to outdated addresses, culminating in high fines only received when the process enters the Tax Authority.

More than 14,000 consumers joined DECO to demand changes, and some demands were met. However, there is still a lack of clear information about payment methods at the tolls, and a review of administrative costs for those who do not use Via Verde remains necessary.

Toll Payment Deadline

If you do not have a Via Verde, you must pay the toll within 15 working days after passing through the toll. Payment can be made at CTT stations, via the CTT website to generate an ATM reference, or by sending an SMS to number 68881 with the message “CTTMB registration NIF”. Payment with the ATM reference must be made within 48 hours. Alternatively, you can use the Payshop chain of stores.

New Fine Values

Since July 1, the minimum fine for non-payment is five times the toll amount. For example, for a toll of 6 euros, the minimum fine is 30 euros. If the missing toll is less than 5 euros, the minimum fine is 25 euros. The maximum fine is 10 times the toll value, with additional administrative costs in all cases. These changes respond to DECO's criticisms about the disproportionate amounts of previous fines.

Automatic Reduction of Fines

The Tax Authority automatically applies the reduction in fines to all ongoing processes on July 1st, without the need for a request from consumers. The legislation provides that processes underway on July 1st will be governed by the most favourable regime.

Administrative Costs and Via Verde

Those who do not use Via Verde pay administrative costs in addition to the toll, even within 15 working days. DECO regrets that the change to the law did not address this issue, arguing that the current model unfairly favours Via Verde.

Fines and Notifications

If voluntary payment is not made within 15 working days, the owner receives a payment notice from the motorway concessionaire, with 30 working days to pay or identify the offending driver. If the address is not up to date.

Infringements committed by the same driver, with the same vehicle, on the same motorway concession and in the same month, are converted into a single administrative offense, applying administrative costs for a single process. This measure does not apply to motorways with different concessions.

Payment of the Fine

If you pay the fine within 10 days, the amount is reduced by half. After this period, the offender receives a second notification and has 15 days to pay in full. If you do not pay, the process goes to tax enforcement, which may result in seizure of assets.

The new rules aim to make the system fairer and more transparent, but drivers must be careful to avoid unnecessary fines.