In Portugal, speeding fines for cars and motorcycles range from €60 to €2,500. Up to 20 km/h over the limit in built-up areas, or 30 km/h outside them, is a minor offence: a fine of €60 to €300 and no licence points. Above that it is serious or very serious: fines from €120, 2 or 4 points off and a driving ban of 1 month to 2 years.
This guide sets out the 2026 fines by band, how many points you lose, how long a ban can last and where the 123 sites of the national speed camera network are, including average speed cameras.
Speed limits in Portugal
The general limits are in article 27 of the Portuguese Highway Code (Código da Estrada). For passenger cars without a trailer and for motorcycles, they are:
- built-up areas: 50 km/h;
- roads outside built-up areas: 90 km/h;
- roads reserved for cars and motorcycles: 100 km/h;
- motorways: 120 km/h, with a 50 km/h minimum;
- shared zones (zonas de coexistência), used by pedestrians and cars alike: 20 km/h.
Signs can set lower limits, and the signed limit is the one that counts. Going over a 70 km/h limit on a bypass or a 30 km/h limit near a school brings the same fines as the general limits. Driving below 50 km/h on a motorway is also an offence, with a fine of €60 to €300.
Speeding fines in 2026: amounts by band
The fine depends on how far over the limit you were and where. The amounts for cars and motorcycles come from article 27 and are set out in the ANSR table of the legal consequences of speeding.
In built-up areas
- up to 20 km/h over: €60 to €300, minor offence;
- more than 20 and up to 40 km/h: €120 to €600, serious;
- more than 40 and up to 60 km/h: €300 to €1,500, very serious;
- more than 60 km/h: €500 to €2,500, very serious.
Outside built-up areas (roads, expressways and motorways)
- up to 30 km/h over: €60 to €300, minor;
- more than 30 and up to 60 km/h: €120 to €600, serious;
- more than 60 and up to 80 km/h: €300 to €1,500, very serious;
- more than 80 km/h: €500 to €2,500, very serious.
Two examples, using the adjusted camera speed (explained below). Driving at 75 km/h on a street with a 50 limit is 25 km/h over: a serious offence, with a fine of €120 to €600. Driving at 185 km/h on a motorway is 65 km/h over the 120 limit: very serious, with a fine of €300 to €1,500.
Heavy vehicles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles
For other vehicles the bands are tighter. The fines are the same, but each step comes sooner:
- minor: up to 10 km/h over in built-up areas, or up to 20 km/h outside;
- serious: more than 10 and up to 20 km/h in built-up areas, or more than 20 and up to 40 km/h outside;
- very serious: more than 20 km/h in built-up areas, or more than 40 km/h outside.
Motorbikes count as motorcycles and follow the car bands. If you are thinking about an A licence or riding a 125 on a car licence, see our guide to the A1, A2 and A motorcycle licence.
Speeding: how many licence points you lose
The points-based licence starts at 12 points. Speeding only costs points when it is serious or very serious:
- minor: no points;
- serious: minus 2 points;
- very serious: minus 4 points;
- in a shared zone: minus 3 points if serious and minus 5 if very serious.
Points are deducted on the date the decision becomes final, not on the day the camera caught you. For several offences on the same day you cannot lose more than 6 points, except for alcohol and drugs. To check your points and how to get them back, read our guide to driving licence points in Portugal.
Watch out with a new licence. In the first 3 years, the probationary period, one very serious offence or a second serious one makes the licence lapse. Driving at 100 km/h on a street with a 50 limit is enough.
Driving bans for speeding
For serious and very serious offences, on top of the fine there is an additional penalty: a driving ban covering every motor vehicle. According to the ANSR page on Highway Code offences, the periods are:
- serious: 1 month to 1 year;
- very serious: 2 months to 2 years;
- repeat offence: if you commit another offence carrying a ban within 5 years of a previous conviction, the minimum ban is doubled.
There is some room to soften it. For a serious offence, the ban can be suspended for 6 months to 1 year if you have had no serious or very serious offences or road crimes in the last 5 years and have paid the fine. For a very serious one, the ban limits can be halved under the same conditions.
Driving while a confirmed ban is in force is a crime (aggravated disobedience when the ban was imposed by ANSR). If you have to hand in your licence, plan how you will get around before the period starts.
Paying the minimum fine: deadlines and what it does not fix
The Highway Code allows voluntary payment of the minimum fine within 15 working days of the notification. In the example of 75 km/h on a 50 street, that means paying €120 instead of risking up to €600.
- minor offence: paying the minimum closes the case;
- serious or very serious: the case goes on to decide the driving ban, even with the fine paid;
- if you want to contest it: you can pay a deposit equal to the minimum within 48 hours of the notification, refunded if you are not convicted;
- if you were not driving: if a camera fine reached you as the registered keeper, identify the driver within the deadline given in the notice.
The official notice arrives by post, and your cases can be viewed on the ANSR portal. We explain step by step how to check traffic fines on the Portal das Contraordenações and pay them, including instalments and deadlines.
Speed cameras in Portugal: where they are and how they work
The ANSR national speed camera network is called SINCRO. Since July 2024 it has 123 speed control sites: 100 for instantaneous speed and 23 for average speed. The map and full list, by district, municipality and road, are on the ANSR site Radares à Vista.
- every SINCRO camera is signposted: sign H43 warns of instantaneous speed control and H42 of average speed control;
- they were placed where fatal crashes cluster and excessive speed is one of the causes;
- there are other cameras, fixed and mobile, run by other enforcement bodies such as the PSP and GNR police, outside SINCRO.
According to ANSR, the first sites in the network saw 74% fewer deaths and 36% fewer injury crashes than before the cameras went in.
Average speed cameras: how they work
An average speed camera records the car at two points and works out its speed from the time taken between them. Braking just at the camera does nothing: the average over the whole stretch is what counts. The law treats the offence as committed at the end of the controlled stretch.
The list published by ANSR includes such stretches on the A1 near Mealhada (120 km/h limit), the A3 at Trofa (100 km/h), the A29 in Vila Nova de Gaia (80 km/h), the IC19 at Massamá (80 km/h) and the EN10 in Vila Franca de Xira (80 km/h).
Do speed cameras have a margin of error?
The cameras are approved and verified, and ANSR publishes each one's certificates. By law, the notice shows the recorded speed and the speed after deducting the device's maximum permissible error, and the adjusted figure is the one that counts (article 170 of the Highway Code). That deduction is not extra room to speed. The safe approach is still to watch the speedometer.
Too fast even below the limit
Keeping to the number on the sign is not always enough. The Highway Code treats driving too fast for the road, the vehicle, the weather or the traffic as a serious offence. In heavy rain, fog or outside a school at home time, 50 km/h can be too much and lead to a fine.
In extreme cases, someone who grossly breaks speed limits and puts other people's lives at risk can face the crime of dangerous driving under the Penal Code.
Cars with speed limiters and speed warnings
Since July 2024, new cars sold in the European Union must come with intelligent speed assistance (ISA), which reads road signs and warns you when you go over the limit. Many older cars already had a speed limiter or cruise control; the limiter in particular helps you avoid creeping over 50 km/h without noticing.
If you are looking for a car with these systems, browse more than 10,700 used cars for sale on AUTO.MOTO.PT and confirm the equipment with the seller. In the AUTO.MOTO app for iPhone and Android, you can save the search and get a notification when a new listing that matches it appears.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a speeding fine in Portugal?
For cars and motorcycles, €60 to €300 for a minor offence, €120 to €600 for a serious one and €300 to €2,500 for a very serious one, depending on how far over the limit you were.
How many km/h over the limit gets you fined?
Any excess is an offence. Up to 20 km/h over in built-up areas, or 30 km/h outside, is minor: a fine only, with no points or ban.
Does speeding cost licence points?
Only if it is serious or very serious: minus 2 or 4 points, and minus 3 or 5 in a shared zone.
If I pay the fine, do I avoid the driving ban?
No. For serious and very serious offences, paying the minimum does not close the case, which goes on to decide the ban.
Are all speed cameras signposted?
The 123 ANSR SINCRO sites are signposted. Cameras run by other bodies, especially mobile ones, may not be.
