Dear Editor,
Having entered Portugal by car from Spain I attempted to try and pay for this trip, firstly at the Post Office in Almancil and then at the Via Verde outlet in Faro.
Bottom line is that it is not possible to pay for any previous journeys with a foreign registered car. What you have to do is call Via Livre on 707201292 and take option 4. It is all in Portuguese but option 4 gets you to an operator and they do speak English. They take your registration number and home address and a bill will be sent to you – the email address is [email protected]
As we use the A22 on a regular basis we have purchased a transponder from the Post Office linked to the car we have here now. This cost €25 and our Portuguese Bank account will be debited each time we use the motorway.
Interestingly, we have already been debited for three journeys on the A22 so that, without a doubt, confirms that the cameras can read UK plated cars and secondly that Via Verde are not, as some believe, months behind in collecting the tolls.
The alternative is to rent a transponder although believe this is then linked to a UK Bank account and it has to be returned at the end of the rental period, which I understand is max. 90 days. There is a deposit to pay and the rental for the first week is €6 or thereabouts and after that the figure drops to something under €2.
The very helpful lady at the Almancil Post Office recommended buying as the simpler option and once you have activated the account at a Multibanco machine you are up and running.
If you do buy or rent a transponder you need to take … a fiscal card, passport, car registration details (original), Portuguese telephone number and a bank card. Hope this is of some use
David Summerson
By email
