Portugal for Australians 2026: Keep Right, 185 Days to Drive

Portugal is one of Europe’s easiest countries to tour by car, with a coastline made for road trips and a motorway network that works. For an Australian the rules feel familiar. What needs attention is the side of the road, and the motorways that bill you without a booth.

Right-hand traffic is the real adjustment

Australia drives on the left; Portugal drives on the right. Your reflexes are wired the wrong way for the first day or two, and the moment that catches people is pulling out of a petrol station or onto a roundabout, where instinct points you into the oncoming lane. Take your first stretch on a quiet road rather than straight into Lisbon or Porto traffic.

Licence and permit

Portugal’s Highway Code accepts a licence issued by a country party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, and Australia is one, for the first 185 days after a non-resident enters Portugal. An International Driving Permit is not strictly needed, but it is a recognised translation that rental desks and police like to see; get one from an Australian motoring club before you go. The Driving Permit Checker covers other routes.

The drink limit is one less thing to learn

Portugal’s limit is 0.5 g/l (0.05%), the same as in most of Australia, and 0.2 g/l for probationary drivers. Enforcement is routine, so keep it at zero if you are driving.

Speeds, tolls and fines

Motorways allow 120 km/h, above the 110 you are used to, with rural roads at 90 and towns at 50. The surprise is the tolls: some motorways have no booths, only gantries that read your plate. Most hire cars carry a Via Verde transponder, so confirm at pickup that it is active and how tolls are charged back. Since 1 January 2025, the A22 in the Algarve, the A23, A24, A25 and several other former SCUT motorways have been toll-free under Lei 37/2024.

For a car, going up to 20 km/h over the limit in town, or up to 30 km/h over outside, costs EUR 60-300; bigger margins cost more. Estimate it with the Speeding Fine Calculator, and see who pays driving fines abroad for how rental companies pass them on. Carry a warning triangle and reflective vest, which hire cars supply. The emergency number is 112, and the full rules are in the Portugal driving guide.

Sources

• Código da Estrada, art. 125 (foreign licences, 185 days), art. 81 (alcohol), art. 27 (speed limits and fines): pgdlisboa.pt
• Lei n.º 37/2024, toll abolition from 1 January 2025: diariodarepublica.pt
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (Australia, Portugal): treaties.un.org
• GOV.UK, Portugal travel advice, tolls: gov.uk