Tolls on the A22

[sunman]

this seems like a helpful article

http://www.heyportugal.com/index.php?op ... Itemid=130

[e-richard]

Thats definitely a helpful article in that it explains what a complicated system it is... and yes, I did manage to understand nearly all of it.

Here's a summary for Tourists and Owner Visitors:

We assume that the A22 will be Electronic Only (i.e. no toll booths)
Payment is either per-pay, or pay within 5 days at the Post Office - just tell them your car regisration. Post pay incurs additional admin charges.

There are two different devices for pre-pay - one tethered to the car registration number, one is not.

The devices tethered to the car registration, would need to be bought by the car rental companies, and stuck on the windscreen.
However:
a) these are out-of-stock
b) if you overrun the amount pre-loaded, then (I think) either you post pay at the CTT (Post Office) or its deducted from the Rental car company's bank account automatically, and they have to take it from your open pre-signed credit card slip

So, I doubt that this will be workable.

The other device is not tied to a car registration, and can be hired for the period of the holiday.
You hire them from Motorway service stations, and leave a deposit equal to the retail cost of the device. No idea how much.

When you hire them, you can either prepay (min €10) or somehow tell the device to automatically deduct from your Portuguese Bank account. Monies loaded on with pre-pay and unused are non-refundable

So presumably, when you arrive, you somehow got to the motorway service station without passing under a gantry and you pick one up there and load some money on to it, or tell it your Portuguese Bank Account - assuming the service station has sufficient stocks
And on your way home, you have to drop it back at the service station - and remember to delete your bank account details - and then get from servcie station to airport without passing under a toll gantry

... or maybe the Rental companies may be able to rent these to us

It may seem that the easiest solution for most will be post pay at the post office even with an admin charge - You have 5 days to pay.
But what happens on your way home ?

Finally, no information about actual toll fees, any admin fees for post pay, rental costs of the devices seem to be available yet.

Portuguese efficiency at its best.

[cereza]

e-richard I really admire your attempt to explain this dogs dinner and it is definitely the best one I have seen so far but regretfully the situation remains a complete shambles and I would suggest a sticky for this topic as there are going to be untold problems

[e-richard]

How about we make it a sticky, if and when we know something useful

[cereza]

Could be a long wait

[Gary/Gaynor]

Do the taxis have to pay this toll It may increase my fare so will have to cut back on my beer consumption

Gary

[Steen Jakobsen]

I have copied e-richards post into a sticky; viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20549, but please continue the discussion here. Any new info will be added to the sticky.

[sam]

We live in the uK, but have a property in CVO. I have portuguese bank account, fiscal number and utilities bills etc needed for proof of ID/address and means of payment. We sometimes drive down thro' Portugal and Spain, sometimes fly and hire a car and use A22.
The simple answer for us would be to buy a Via Verde on-line, delivered to UK address and which cover our UK car and hire cars. This does not seem possible from all the online info I have found. Infact, buying one at all would seems major a hurdle from other people's experiences. Anyone know any different?

[e-richard]

Yes, Sam. The DEM device seems the optimal choice for people in your situation.

But, as you rightly point out they are very hard to get. Apparently, though. If you go through the motions of applying for one, then while you are waiting for it to arrive, and if you have the appropriate documentation to prove that you have applied, then you can post-pay the the Post Office without paying the additional Admin charge.

What I cannot find out yet, is how to go about applying for one
Well, here is a support phone number that I'd hope somebody speaking Portuguese could call and find out: 707 500 900

[sam]

Yes, Sam. The DEM device seems the optimal choice for people in your situation.

But, as you rightly point out they are very hard to get. Apparently, though. If you go through the motions of applying for one, then while you are waiting for it to arrive, and if you have the appropriate documentation to prove that you have applied, then you can post-pay the the Post Office without paying the additional Admin charge.

What I cannot find out yet, is how to go about applying for one
Well, here is a support phone number that I'd hope somebody speaking Portuguese could call and find out: 707 500 900

Thanks. There is quite alot about this on the Expats Portugal site. It looks like you have to specify registration number(s), so does not appear transferrable to other vehicles, so could not use on hire cars. It looks like you can apply on-line with difficulty and a long wait for delivery, or if you have a multibanco card and the post office have the devices in stock then you take the relevant documents to the PO, then activate the device through Multibanco.
I wonder how post offices are going to cope when the tourist season starts, with loads of people trying to buy devices, or finding out and paying how much they owe.

[e-richard]

.. It looks like you have to specify registration number(s), so does not appear transferrable to other vehicles, so could not use on hire cars. .

According to the website that sunman pointed us to, this is a myth being propogated by "various websites". The DEM device specifically is not tied to a registration number or car. There is a different solution that is.

Of course, as with any information on the web about Portuguese laws and beauracracy, your guess is as good as mine as to what the truth is.

[sam]

Thanks - will keep looking.

[James Faro]

I wonder if these toll charges will affect villa owners who hire their property? After all, their customers invariably hire cars to get to the properties. If they don't want to pay a fee for every time they use the A22 or prefer to hold onto dear life and avoid the N125 they may go elsewhere in Europe! Oh dear!

[laserblazer]

I don't hink most people wre too concerned about the tolls, it's the confusion about how they are paid.

[Lesley Jean]

We have a house in the Algarve and travel out from the UK about 6 - 8 times a year, we always hire a car while we are there and this is where the confusion for me lies, how are the hire companies going to work with this electronic toll charge. I don't mind paying it and using the motorway as I think it is a good and safe road but I would like to know how it is going to work for us.

I understand that you can go and pay at a post office after using the road but how will that work when you drive back to the airport to drop off a hire car????

It is all very confusing....