Traffic fines and driving points in Portugal explained

In short: Portuguese road offences fall into three classes — light (leve), serious (grave) and very serious (muito grave) — and the class decides everything: the size of the fine, whether you lose points, and whether you risk a driving ban. Fines range from about €30 up to €2,500, points are docked from a 12-point licence under the carta por pontos system (Lei 116/2015, art. 148 of the Código da Estrada), and you have just 15 working days to contest a ticket. CourtStairs answers Portuguese road-law questions like these in plain language, with citations to the Diário da República you can open and check yourself.

If you drive in Portugal, a ticket (auto de contraordenação) is more than a bill. The same stop can cost you money, points on your licence, and — for the worse offences — the right to drive for months. This post explains the fine bands, the points system, and how to contest a fine, in plain English for expats, foreigners and Portuguese readers who search in English.

What are the three classes of road offence in Portugal?

Portuguese road offences fall into three legal classes — light (leve), serious (grave) and very serious (muito grave) — and the class, fixed by law for each type of conduct, decides the fine, the points and any driving ban.

Every road offence in the Código da Estrada is a contraordenação (an administrative offence, not a crime) and slots into one of three classes. Light offences are everything not specifically listed as serious or very serious. Serious offences are listed in article 145, and very serious offences in article 146. The class is not a matter of the officer's mood — it is fixed by law for each type of conduct.

How much are traffic fines in Portugal?

Traffic fines range from about €30 for light offences up to €2,500 for very serious ones, with the exact figure set by each specific offence in the Código da Estrada. The fine itself is the coima. Beyond the money, serious and very serious offences also carry an accessory sanction of driving prohibition (inibição de conduzir) and cost you points. Light offences carry neither — only the fine.

Each individual offence sets its own band inside these ranges, so your ticket names the exact figure. Speeding is the clearest illustration: going a little over the limit is usually leve; a middling excess (roughly 20–40 km/h over, outside built-up areas) is typically grave; and a very large excess is muito grave, with the fine and ban climbing accordingly.

How does the Portuguese points system (carta por pontos) work?

Every Portuguese licence starts with 12 points; you lose points only for serious offences, very serious offences and road crimes, and as your balance falls the law imposes escalating steps up to cancellation at zero. Since 1 June 2016, when Lei 116/2015 took effect, every Portuguese licence runs on points under article 148 of the Código da Estrada. You start with 12 points. Light offences cost nothing in points. Points are subtracted only when you commit a serious or very serious offence, or a road crime:

• Serious (grave): −2 points, rising to −3 for the most dangerous conduct (drink-driving, heavy speeding in coexistence zones, or overtaking at a pedestrian or cycle crossing).
• Very serious (muito grave): −4 points, rising to −5 for offences such as driving under the influence of alcohol or psychotropic substances, or a very large speed excess.
• Road crime (crime rodoviário): −6 points.

You also earn points back for good behaviour: go three years with no offence and you gain 3 points, up to a ceiling of 15. The points are not just bookkeeping — as your balance falls, the law imposes escalating steps.

1. 12 pointsFull balance. Every new licence and every driver starts here.
2. Down to 5 or 4 pointsYou must attend a road-safety training course (ação de formação de segurança rodoviária).
3. Down to 3, 2 or 1 pointYou must pass the theory exam (prova teórica) again to keep driving.
4. 0 pointsThe licence is cancelled (cassação). You must wait 2 years before requalifying.

Missing the mandatory course without a valid excuse, or failing the retest, also costs you the licence and triggers the same two-year wait. You can check your live balance for free at the Balcão do Condutor on gov.pt or through the Portal das Contraordenações Rodoviárias.

How do you contest a traffic fine in Portugal?

To contest a fine you have 15 working days from being notified to file a written defence (defesa) with the ANSR under article 175 of the Código da Estrada — the alternative is paying the minimum, which admits the offence. You are not obliged to simply pay. When you are notified of the auto de contraordenação, a clock starts: you have 15 working days to choose one of two paths — pay the minimum fine voluntarily (which admits the offence and closes the case) or file a written defence (defesa) with the ANSR (the national road-safety authority). This right of defence is set out in article 175 of the Código da Estrada. If you let the 15 days pass in silence, the fine becomes final and enforceable.

A defence is a letter setting out why the fine is wrong — mistaken identity, a faulty measurement, missing evidence, the wrong class of offence — attaching any proof and referencing the ticket's file number. Send it by registered post or deliver it in person. If you also want to lodge a security deposit to freeze enforcement, that payment must be made within 48 hours of notification; if you then file no defence, the deposit is automatically converted into payment of the fine.

1. You are notifiedThe auto de contraordenação arrives, stating the offence, the fine band and the file number.
2. Within 15 working daysPay the minimum voluntarily, or send a written defesa to the ANSR (art. 175). Silence makes the fine final.
3. The ANSR decidesIt reviews your defence and issues a final decision confirming, reducing or dropping the fine.
4. Within 15 working days of that decisionAppeal to court (impugnação judicial) if you disagree. A judge then reviews the case.

If your appeal ends up before a judge, it is worth knowing how Portugal's low-cost courts work — see our guides to the Julgados de Paz small-claims courts and to prescription periods and legal deadlines in Portugal.

Why does the offence class matter more than the fine amount?

The class matters more than the euro figure because it, not the amount, determines whether you lose points and your right to drive. People fixate on the euro figure, but the class of offence is what shapes the real cost. A €120 grave fine that also docks 2 points and threatens a one-month ban can hurt far more than a larger leve fine that touches neither your points nor your right to drive. When you read a ticket, look first at whether it cites article 145 or article 146 — that single line tells you what is truly at stake.

This is exactly the kind of question CourtStairs is built for: it separates the class, the fine, the points and the deadline, gives a plain-language answer, and links each point to its source — art. 145 and 146 for the classes, art. 148 and Lei 116/2015 for the points, art. 175 for the defence — so you can open the Diário da República and read the provision yourself. It works in English and Portuguese and has a free tier.

This is general information about the law, not legal advice. Fine amounts, point deductions and deadlines turn on the exact offence and its facts, the rules are periodically amended, and short deadlines are unforgiving, so confirm anything important against the primary source or a qualified lawyer before you act.