Driving in Portugal as a New Zealander
In Portugal you drive on the right, the opposite of New Zealand, so the steering wheel is on the left and you go anticlockwise around roundabouts. Your New Zealand licence is all you need to drive in Portugal. At junctions without signs or road markings, traffic from your right goes first, even from a small side street.
Unless signposted otherwise, the limits are 50 km/h in towns, 90 on country roads and 120 on motorways. Watch for fixed, mobile and average speed cameras, and for unmarked camera cars.
Portugal and New Zealand side by side
The rows in yellow are different from home.
| Rule | Portugal | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Drive on the | Right | Left |
| Speed units | km/h | km/h |
| Alcohol limit | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Holding a phone | Banned | Banned |
| Turn on red | No | No |
| Unmarked junctions | Traffic from the right | Traffic from the right |
| Roundabouts go | Anticlockwise | Clockwise |
The rules that catch New Zealanders out
The most important first.
They drive on the right
In Portugal you drive on the right. At home you drive on the left. The steering wheel is on the left, and in a manual car you change gears with your right hand. Habit puts people on the wrong side when they pull out of a car park or turn into a quiet street, so say it out loud for the first day. At junctions, the nearest traffic comes from your left, so look left first.
Lane discipline on roundabouts
On multi-lane roundabouts, only use the right-hand lane if you are taking the first exit. For later exits, stay in an inner lane until you pass the exit before yours, then move right. Expect lorries and cyclists to stay in the right-hand lane. At home you go clockwise.
Average speed cameras
Some cameras measure your average speed between two points. Sign H42 marks the start of the controlled stretch, so slowing down only at the camera does not help.
Mobile radars without warning signs
Fixed cameras are always signposted, but GNR and PSP police also use mobile radars, sometimes in unmarked cars. The law does not require any warning for these.
Priority to the right
At crossroads and junctions without signs, vehicles coming from your right go first. Drivers coming out of car parks, fuel stations and private roads must give way. At a junction with no signs, signals or road markings, give way to traffic coming from your right, even from a small side street. It's the same rule as at home, but at home you rarely meet a junction with no signs.
Lower alcohol limit for new drivers
The limit is 0.2 g/l, not 0.5 g/l, for drivers in their first 3 years and for professional drivers. Fines start at €250.
Toll roads
Many motorways have toll booths, but several have only electronic gantries that read your number plate. A hire car needs a toll device or a registered payment method before you use them. On traditional toll roads you take a ticket on entry and pay at the exit booth by cash or card. Electronic-only sections start at a sign reading Portagem Eletrónica. There are no booths, and cameras on the gantries record your plate. Gantries photograph your number plate, and an unpaid toll leads to a fine of at least five times the toll.
9 more rules worth knowing
Gasóleo means diesel
At the pump, gasóleo is diesel and gasolina is petrol. The words look alike, and putting the wrong fuel in a hire car is an expensive mistake.
Minimum speed on motorways
You must not drive below 50 km/h on a motorway unless traffic is heavy. Keep to the right-hand lane except to overtake.
Hazard lights for sudden slowing
Turn on your hazard lights when you brake hard for a queue, an obstacle or bad weather, to warn drivers behind you.
Carry photo ID
You must carry photo ID, such as your passport, at all times, including while driving.
Fines paid on the spot
Police can ask non-residents to pay a fine on the spot by card. Refusing can mean a deposit, the police keeping your licence for the time being or the car being impounded.
Speed limits
Country roads are 90 km/h here, slower than the 100 km/h at home. Motorways are 120 km/h here, faster than the 100 km/h at home. The sign with the town's name on it sets the town limit by itself, usually with no speed sign.
What the car must carry
The car must carry a warning triangle, a reflective vest and a child restraint. Hire cars should have them, but check before you drive away, because the driver gets the fine.
Lisbon low emission zone (ZER)
On weekdays from 7:00 to 21:00, cars must meet Euro 3 (roughly registered in 2000 or later) in Zone 1 and Euro 2 (roughly 1996 or later) in Zone 2. There are no restrictions at weekends or on public holidays. Where: Central Lisbon. Zone 1 is the Avenida da Liberdade and Baixa axis, from Rua Alexandre Herculano to Praça do Comércio. Zone 2 covers a wider central area. Any modern hire car meets these standards. The rules have not changed in a decade, but in 2026 EMEL is installing number plate cameras at the zone entrances.
Your New Zealand licence is enough
With a New Zealand licence, your own licence is enough. You don't need an International Driving Permit. Licences from countries in the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna road traffic conventions are recognised for tourists for up to 185 days. The Australian and US governments confirm their licences can be used in Portugal.
Open Portugal in the app, set to a New Zealand licence, and keep all of this with you offline.
Open it in the appSpeed limits compared with home
The black marks show your limits at home.
Who goes first
Priority to the right
When your road has priority
Signs that look different from home
Average speed check
Start of a road section where your average speed between two points is measured.
Speed camera ahead
A fixed SINCRO camera that measures your speed at one point is a few metres ahead.
Give way
Give way to traffic on the road you are joining.
Roundabout ahead
There is a roundabout ahead.
Pedestrian crossing ahead
There is a pedestrian crossing ahead.
Signs you won't know from home
You have priority at the junctions ahead.
Drive round the roundabout anticlockwise.
You must not drive slower than this speed.
Start of a motorway.
Start of a road reserved for cars and motorcycles.
Parking is banned. Stopping briefly is allowed.
Stopping and parking are both banned.
Parking is allowed here.
Speed cameras
The national SINCRO network has 123 speed control sites. 100 measure speed at one point and 23 measure average speed over a stretch. Every SINCRO site is signposted in advance, and ANSR publishes the locations and shares them with Waze. GNR and PSP police also use mobile radars, sometimes in unmarked cars, and these do not have to be signposted. Camera fines are processed by ANSR, the national road safety authority. Since July 2019 ANSR can identify the driver of a hire car from a database supplied by rental companies and send the notice straight to that driver, including tourists. Police also stop drivers and collect fines on the spot.
Before you drive
- Your driving licenceThe physical card, not a photo or a digital licence.
- Your passportHire companies and police ask for ID.
- Warning triangleEvery motor vehicle must carry one. Put it out whenever the car is stranded on the carriageway. A missing triangle costs €60 to €300.
- Reflective vestWear it when you place the triangle or deal with the car on the road. Keep it in the cabin, not the boot. A missing vest costs €60 to €300.
- Child restraintSmall children must ride in the back in an approved child restraint. A child under 3 may sit in the front in a rear-facing seat only if the airbag is switched off.
- Lisbon low emission zone (ZER)Any modern hire car meets these standards. The rules have not changed in a decade, but in 2026 EMEL is installing number plate cameras at the zone entrances.
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Where New Zealanders drive next
Portugal for drivers from elsewhere
Sources: the official Portugal sources listed on the Portugal guide, checked 15 October 2026.