The national railway operator CP - Comboios de Portugal runs the premium Alfa Pendular high-speed tilting service (Braga/Porto to Faro; a Lisbon-Porto ticket costs €35.70 Tourist Class / €49.90 Comfort Class) and the more economical Intercidades service. The Passe Ferroviário Verde (Green Rail Pass) offers unlimited national regional/interregional rail travel plus Coimbra urban trains for a flat €20/month (frozen through 2026), fully digitized into the gov.pt app. Metropolitan transit: Lisbon's Navegante Metropolitano pass is €40/month (18 municipalities) or €30/month for a single municipality (Navegante Municipal); Porto's equivalent Andante passes follow the same €40/€30 structure. Both cities are actively expanding their metro networks (Lisbon's Circular Line and Red Line extension; Porto's Ruby Line and Pink Line), targeting completion in 2027. The motorway network operates via private concessionaires (primarily Brisa) using the Via Verde electronic toll system; 2026 state budget revisions eliminated tolls entirely on the A25 and parts of the A6/A2.
The Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (IMT) governs driving licenses. EU/EEA license holders can drive on their foreign license until its expiry but must register it with the IMT within 60 days of establishing residence; indefinite-validity licenses must be exchanged for a Portuguese license within 2 years. Non-EU nationals from countries with reciprocity agreements (e.g. USA, UK, Brazil, Canada) can drive on their home license for 90 days, then must apply for an exchange (Troca de Título de Condução Estrangeiro) within 2 years to skip driving tests (€30 IMT fee + €30-50 medical certificate). Under Decreto-Lei no. 114/2026, non-EU nationals' driving licenses (Code 794) are now tied to their visa/residence permit validity and auto-deactivate if immigration status lapses without documented renewal proof. Foreign residents have 12 months to import a personally-owned vehicle tax-free (ISV exemption) provided they owned it abroad for 6+ months and don't sell/lease it for 12 months post-import; vehicles need an approved inspection before a Portuguese plate (matrícula) is issued, and pay the annual Municipal Vehicle Tax (IUC). Source: Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (IMT).