In a few weeks we are taking a tour by car across Spain, into Portugal then back into Spain to complete our 30 day trip. We will be using a Spanish rental car for the duration & won’t drop the car in a different country. I am wondering what the border crossings from Spain into Portugal & vice versa when we depart Portugal will entail. A stop to present our passports? We will be registered in EESS.
We have taken similar long drive trips so we are experienced in car travel in other parts of Europe but this is our first Iberian trip, Thanks for any advice.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
1151 posts
And you need to purchase a motorway toll permit - there are tolls but no toll booths.
Posted by
Portland, OR
254 posts
Yes, the biggest difference is in the tolls. Be sure you know the rules in both Spain and Portugal, with Portugal having a stricter way of paying for them. We stopped at the border and bought a toll pass of some sort from a kiosk. We leased a car in Nice France and drove it through the South of France, into Spain, and then into Portugal, where we returned the car; that was the only real thing we needed to look into was the way each country handled the tolls.
We found that a debit card worked better than a credit card for purchasing the pass, but that may have changed.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8844 posts
There won’t be any border checks. It will be like driving between states in the U.S.
Regarding tolls, Lin isn’t entirely correct. While most tolls are collected electronically, there are a few toll roads where there are toll booths. You get the paper ticket when getting on a pay at the machine or person when you exit. Familiarize yourself with its system using the link below.
With a Spain registered vehicle there are a couple options. Maybe the easiest is to register the vehicle online (link above) and add a credit card for payment. The registration will be valid for 30 days. At the end of each day the toll charges will be aggregated and your card will be billed once daily,
When I registered my Spain rented vehicle online, I waited until the night before entering Portugal to do so.
A couple things to remember:
When registering, give the system time as it isn’t instantaneous and it may take a while to receive the confirmation email.
After leaving Portugal for the last time, ensure you go to the website and deactivate your account to ensure you don’t pay charges for the next vehicle renter if he/she decides to drive to Portugal too.
As already mentioned, ensure the rental car company is aware you’ll be taking the car into another country. Some companies will charge a fee.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks to everyone for your advice, the very helpful link & useful information!