PORTUGUESE LICENSE PLATE VEHICLES

Car hire
When hiring a car, please ask the hire company how payment is to be made regarding electronic tolls. For their customers convenience, some car hiring companies have already installed devices on their vehicles and the costs of using the tolls are added at the client’s bill.
If the vehicles are not equipped with electronic devices, the payment of electronic tolls is normally done by the customers at Post Offices.

Payment after having circulated at the roads concerned (only available for vehicles with a Portuguese license plate)
If a vehicle does not have an electronic device when circulating at the highways concerned, a photo of the license plate will be made and saved until the payment is made.
Term for payment: the payment can be made at the second day after having circulated at the roads mentioned above and for a period of five weekdays, at the post office or at one of the shops signalized as “Payshop”.
Costs: normal toll costs + administrative costs (an amount ?0,25 for every time the roads were used with a maximum of ?2 for each payment made)
Note: when a payment term has passed, the driver is in violation of the rules, and fines will be added to the administrative costs.

Payment through electronic devices

In order for the vehicles to use the above mentioned highways, they should have an electronic device, which must be bought or hired beforehand at a Service Area (Área de Serviço) alongside the highways or at a post office (CTT/Correios). There are three types of electronic devices: 

Electronic license plate device (Dispositivo electrónico de matrícula - DEM): the device is linked to the vehicle's license plate and cannot be transmitted to other cars.
Obtaining: at the highway service areas or other locations like the post offices and the Via Verde Portugal-shops.
Costs: ?27,50 to purchase + preloading a minimum ?10 for light vehicles and ?20 for heavy vehicles.
Validity: valid for 90 days as from the date of the last preload. After this period the remaining balance will be lost and the device will be deactivated. To reactivate the device it will be necessary to re-charge it with a minimum of ?10.

Temporary device (Dispositivo temporário - DT): the best solution for a short stay, and as a result for vehicles with a foreign license plate; the license plate is not linked to the device, therefore, anonymity is guaranteed.
Obtaining: it is necessary to establish a lease contract with the responsible entities, at the highway service areas or other locations like the post offices and the Via Verde Portugal-shops.
Costs: deposit of ?27,50 (that will be given back to the driver when the device is returned in good condition within a period of 30 days) + preloading a minimum of ?10 for light vehicles and ?20 for heavy vehicles. The lease has a cost of 6 euros on the first week, and at the following weeks the cost is about 1,50 euros per week.
Validity: valid for 90 days as from the date of the last preload. After this period the remaining balance will be lost and the device will be deactivated. To reactivate the device it will be necessary to re-charge it with a minimum of ?10.

Devices from a toll entity (Dispositivo de uma entidade de cobrança de Portagens - DECP) like Via Verde are also accepted on these highways. Although the license plate is not linked to the device, it is necessary to establish a contract with a toll entity. This can be used by vehicles with a foreign license plate that stay in Portugal for a longer period of time.
Obtaining: Via Verde-shops (wwwviaverde.pt) 
Costs: ?27,50 + direct debit from bank account every time the device is used.
Validity: Until the cancelation of the contract

More information:
wwwportugaltolls.pt