Portugal on a Swiss Licence 2026: No IDP, 185 Days, Tolls
Switzerland
Portugal
A Swiss licence is valid on its own in Portugal for the first 185 days after entry; no IDP is needed. Ask the hire desk how gantry tolls are paid, and stay under 0.5 g/l as at home.
Swiss drivers will find Portugal’s roads organised along familiar lines: right-hand traffic, a 0.5 g/l alcohol limit and a 120 km/h motorway ceiling. Two things differ from home. Your licence is accepted for a fixed period rather than open-ended, and the motorways charge by the trip through a mix of booths and cameras.
Your licence: 185 days
Article 125 of Portugal’s Highway Code lists the foreign documents that let a visitor drive. One route covers licences issued in line with the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna road conventions; Switzerland ratified the Vienna Convention in 1991. A non-resident may drive on such a licence for the first 185 days after entering Portugal, so a Swiss licence is enough and no International Driving Permit is needed. Keep it with your passport or ID card. The driving permit checker covers other cases.
Tolls instead of a vignette
Portugal has no vignette. Most motorways charge per journey at booths or through the Via Verde lane, but some have no booths at all, only gantries that photograph the number plate. Hire cars usually come with a Via Verde transponder; confirm at the desk that it is active and how the tolls are charged back to you. Since 1 January 2025, Lei 37/2024 has made the A4, A13, A22 (Algarve), A23, A24, A25 and parts of the A28 toll-free.
Limits, fines and kit
Limits are 50 km/h in towns, 90 on ordinary roads outside them and 120 on motorways. Going up to 20 km/h over in a town, or up to 30 km/h over outside one, costs EUR 60-300; the bands then rise to EUR 120-600 and beyond. Try a figure in the speeding fine calculator. Alcohol between 0.5 and 0.8 g/l is a EUR 250-1,250 fine. Every car must carry a warning triangle and a reflective vest, at EUR 60-300 for each item missing. The emergency number is 112.
The Portugal driving guide has the full rule set.
Sources
- Código da Estrada, art. 125 (foreign licences; 185 days), art. 27 (speed limits and fines), art. 81 (alcohol limits and fines), art. 88 (triangle and vest): pgdlisboa.pt
- UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (Switzerland 11 December 1991, Portugal 30 September 2010): treaties.un.org
- Lei n.º 37/2024, toll abolition from 1 January 2025: diariodarepublica.pt
- GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Portugal (tolls and the toll payment portal): gov.uk
- WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Switzerland profile (0.05 g/dl): who.int
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. Article 125 of Portugal's Highway Code accepts licences issued in line with the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna conventions, and Switzerland is party to the 1968 one. A non-resident may drive on it for the first 185 days after entering Portugal.
Some motorways have no booths, only gantries that read the number plate. Hire cars usually carry a Via Verde transponder; confirm at pickup that it is active and how tolls are charged back. Several former SCUT motorways, including the A22 in the Algarve, have been toll-free since 1 January 2025.
0.5 g/l, the same as Switzerland's 0.05%. Between 0.5 and 0.8 g/l the fine is EUR 250-1,250. Drivers on a Portuguese probationary licence are held to 0.2 g/l.