Tolls in Portugal for foreign plates

You are not legally allowed to do this for free, however my parents drove out to see me in Portugal, last August, they were in their Spanish car and didn't realise about all the new toll systems so drove quite a way through Portugal passing the new tolls.

They have not as yet received a fine or bill. Do you not have one of those machines for passing tolls in your Portuguese cars just use that.

From what I have read, there is no problem driving through the "via verde" toll gate. However if the police stop you and find out that you have not paid (easy to do, because you will not have the electronic gadget in your car), they give you a rather steep fee. Easiest would be to get that electronic gadget, but you need to have a Portuguese bankaccount to which they can charge the costs. As #1 pointed out, do you not have this gadget in one or both of your Portuguese cars, which you can put in your British registered car?

i have it in one of the cars. But does the electronic box not have to match the number plate?

Thanks very much for the info

The one I had didn't

No. The one I have I put from one car into another. Of course mine are spanish, but it would be illogical if the portuguese were different.

How does this work with rental cars nowadays?
The last time i have driven in Portugal was just before this system was implied, but my brother did last year and didn't have the electronic gadget in his rental car. If i am not mistaken he could and had to pay the tolls in post offices.

As far as I know, one has to rent the gadget f.e. in the postoffice, pay ahead and, when leaving the country, bring back the gadget and the deposit and maybe the money that has not been used when the gadget was picked up. Of course you can still pay on the "old" tollroads, which were built with tollgates. It are only the later ones, which were originally free, where one has to use the electronic system.

I was reecentley in Portugal and Europcar offered rental of the gadget for €1.5 a day and then when you returned your car you paid the balance. Not sure if other companies offer this but would presume the other big multinationals do.

Ok richiavo, rental companies probably have adapted by now. But if it is true you risk being fined by the police, there must be a system drivers with a non-Portuguese plate can use and most of them will not have a local bank account.

As far as I know, one has to rent the gadget f.e. in the postoffice, pay ahead and, when leaving the country, bring back the gadget and the deposit and maybe the money that has not been used when the gadget was picked up.

@Liberat, what if you enter and/or leave the country by car on a saturday or sunday, or any day outside of post office opening hours?