Truck Driving Bans in Portugal 2026 Ban active now

Data verified: 2026-07-12 · local time: 20:20

Is there a truck ban in Portugal today?

Yes — a ban is active right now (until 23:59 local time).

Portugal has no general weekend or public holiday driving ban for heavy goods vehicles. Restrictions apply only to heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods (ADR). Tankers with dangerous goods may not circulate from 00:00 to 24:00 on Sundays and national holidays across mainland Portugal, and dangerous-goods vehicles also face evening, Monday-morning city-access and Ponte 25 de Abril limits set by Portaria n.º 281/2019. Ordinary cargo trucks may drive on Sundays and holidays.

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Next ban windows (7 days)

Date	From	Until	Details
Thu 15 Oct	00:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; roads A23
Thu 15 Oct	05:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; selected road sections
Fri 16 Oct	00:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; roads A23
Fri 16 Oct	05:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; selected road sections
Fri 16 Oct	18:00	21:00	trucks over 3.5 t; dangerous goods; roads EN6, EN10, EN14, EN15, A4, EN105 and others
Sat 17 Oct	00:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; roads A23
Sat 17 Oct	05:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; selected road sections
Sun 18 Oct	00:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; entire territory
Sun 18 Oct	05:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; selected road sections
Sun 18 Oct	18:00	21:00	trucks over 3.5 t; dangerous goods; roads EN6, EN10, EN14, EN15, A4, EN105 and others
Mon 19 Oct	00:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; roads A23
Mon 19 Oct	05:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; selected road sections
Mon 19 Oct	07:00	10:00	trucks over 3.5 t; dangerous goods; roads A1, A2, A5, A8, IC19, EN6 and others
Tue 20 Oct	00:00	23:59	dangerous-goods transports; roads A23

Weekly ban rules

Rule	When	Hours	Where	Vehicles	Notes
Dangerous-goods tanker ban (Sundays and holidays)	Every Sunday and national holiday	00:00–24:00	All public roads in mainland Portugal	Heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods in tankers	Does not apply when a national holiday falls on a Saturday or Monday.
Evening ban on listed roads	Fridays, Sundays, national holidays and holiday eves	18:00–21:00	Listed sections of EN 6, EN 10, EN 14, IC 1, EN 209, EN 1, EN 101, IC 4 (EN 125) and EN 125	Orange-plate heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods; tankers are also covered on Fridays and holiday eves
Monday morning city-access ban	Mondays, except in July and August	07:00–10:00	Access roads into Lisbon and Porto, entry direction only	All dangerous-goods vehicles covered by the Portaria
Ponte 25 de Abril crossing window	Every day	02:00–05:00	Ponte 25 de Abril and the north viaduct, Lisbon	Dangerous-goods vehicles covered by the Portaria	Crossing is permitted only in this window and prohibited at all other times.

Ban dates 2026 (holidays)

Date	Day	Holiday	Hours	Scope
2026-01-01	Thursday	New Year's Day	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.
2026-04-03	Friday	Good Friday	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.
2026-04-05	Sunday	Easter Sunday	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (Sunday ban). No general truck ban.
2026-04-25	Saturday	Freedom Day		No ban (holiday on Saturday, tanker ban lifted). No general truck ban.
2026-05-01	Friday	Labour Day	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.
2026-06-04	Thursday	Corpus Christi	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.
2026-06-10	Wednesday	Portugal Day	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.
2026-08-15	Saturday	Assumption of Mary		No ban (holiday on Saturday, tanker ban lifted). No general truck ban.
2026-10-05	Monday	Republic Day		No ban (holiday on Monday, tanker ban lifted). No general truck ban.
2026-11-01	Sunday	All Saints' Day	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (Sunday ban). No general truck ban.
2026-12-01	Tuesday	Restoration of Independence	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.
2026-12-08	Tuesday	Immaculate Conception	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.
2026-12-25	Friday	Christmas Day	00:00–24:00	Dangerous-goods tankers only (nationwide). No general truck ban.

Exemptions

Dangerous goods for public or private health units
Dangerous goods for the Armed Forces, military and police forces
Fuels supplying airports and seaports
Fuels supplying civil-protection air-support centres and logistic bases
Dangerous goods from or to refineries and ships
Liquefied natural gas for autonomous gas units (UAGNL)
Strategic fuel reserves (Decreto-Lei n.º 165/2013)
Fuel-distribution strikes: the three days before and the whole duration
Declared civil-protection alert, contingency or calamity situations
Declared energy crisis
IMT special authorizations for loading or unloading, essential continuous production, or urgent public-interest transport (Article 8)
Force majeure: the nearest police post may authorize completing a transport caught by a restriction (Article 9)

Vehicles covered

The Portaria covers two groups: heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods in tankers (Article 1(1)), and other heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods that must display the orange ADR plates under section 5.3.2 of Decreto-Lei n.º 41-A/2010 (Article 1(2)). The full-day Sunday and holiday ban targets tankers; the evening road ban targets the orange-plate vehicles, and tankers as well on Fridays and holiday eves.

Lisbon and Porto access roads (Monday restriction)

On Mondays from 07:00 to 10:00, outside July and August, dangerous-goods vehicles may not enter Lisbon on the A1 (Alverca to Lisbon), A5 (CREL link to Lisbon), A8 (Loures to Lisbon), IC19 (CREL node to Damaia), EN6 (Cascais to Lisbon), EN10 (Vila Franca de Xira to Alverca) and IC22 (A9 to Odivelas), nor Porto on the A3 (IC24 link to Porto), A4 (A3 node to Matosinhos), A28 (Ponte da Arrábida to A4), EN13 (Moreira to Porto), EN209 (Gondomar to Porto), EN222 (Avintes to Porto) and A20 (Ponte do Freixo to A3). The restriction applies only in the entry direction.

Road tunnels

Dangerous-goods vehicles are restricted in road tunnels according to the tunnel category assigned by the IMT under section 1.9.5 of Decreto-Lei n.º 41-A/2010. The Gardunha tunnel on the IP2 between Alpedrinha and Fundão remains closed to these vehicles pending an IMT decision.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a truck ban in Portugal today?

Yes — a ban is active right now (until 23:59 local time).

Are trucks banned on Sundays in Portugal?

There is no general Sunday ban for ordinary cargo trucks. Only heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods in tankers are prohibited, from 00:00 to 24:00 on Sundays across mainland Portugal.

Do public holidays stop truck traffic in Portugal?

General cargo trucks may drive on public holidays. Dangerous-goods tankers are banned on national holidays from 00:00 to 24:00, except when the holiday falls on a Saturday or Monday.

Are there restrictions crossing the Ponte 25 de Abril or Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon?

Dangerous-goods vehicles may cross the Ponte 25 de Abril and its north viaduct only between 02:00 and 05:00. Portaria n.º 281/2019 sets no equivalent crossing window for the Vasco da Gama Bridge, and it places no restriction on ordinary trucks.

I transit Portugal towards Spain. Do Spain's bans affect my plan?

Yes. Spain applies weekend and public-holiday driving restrictions to heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 t on parts of its road network, set annually by the Dirección General de Tráfico. Portugal itself restricts only dangerous-goods vehicles, so plan the Spanish leg against Spain's calendar.

Which vehicles do Portugal's restrictions apply to?

Heavy vehicles carrying dangerous goods: tankers, and other heavy vehicles that must display the orange ADR plates. Trucks without dangerous goods are not covered.

Can I get a permit to drive during a restriction period?

Yes. The president of the IMT board can grant special authorizations for loading or unloading on a restricted road, for goods essential to continuous production, or for urgent public-interest transport (Article 8).

Which basic road rules apply to trucks in Portugal?

The blood alcohol limit is 0.2 g/l for professional drivers (0.5 g/l for other drivers). Speed limits for goods vehicles over 3.5 t are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h on main roads and 80 to 90 km/h on motorways.