🇵🇹 Portugal — HGV driving restrictions 2026
In Portugal, restrictions mainly target two situations: the transport of dangerous goods, regulated on several structures and national roads, and congestion at the approaches to Lisbon and Porto on Monday mornings. Added to this are strict time windows in the heart of the two major cities. Here are the details, road by road.
1. Dangerous goods transport (ADR)
Heavy goods vehicles transporting dangerous goods with a GVW exceeding 3.5 t are subject to two distinct regimes.
🚫Permanent ban. Year-round, in the Gardunha, Barração and Ramela tunnels (A23) and on the 25 de Abril Bridge (Tagus bridge in Lisbon).
⏰Periodic ban. On Fridays, Sundays, public holidays and the eve of public holidays, from 18:00 to 21:00, on the national road sections listed below.
Click to expand the full list of sections subject to the 18:00–21:00 ban:
Show banned sections (Friday/Sunday/public holiday, 18:00–21:00) ▾
EN6 — between Lisbon and Cascais.
EN10 — between Infantado and Vila Franca de Xira.
EN14 — between Maia and Braga.
EN15 — between Porto and Campo (A4).
EN105 — between Porto and Alfena (junction with IC24).
IC1 — between Coimbrões and Miramar.
EN209 — between Porto and Gondomar, and between Gondomar and Valongo.
IC2 (EN1) — between Alenquer and Carvalhos.
EN13 — between Porto and Viana do Castelo.
EN1 — between Carvalhos and Vila Nova de Gaia (Santo Ovídio).
EN101 — between Braga and Vila Verde.
EN125 — between Lagos and São João da Venda, between Olhão and the Pinheira junction, and between Faro and Olhão.
IC4 (EN125) — between São João da Venda and Faro.
EN222 — between Porto and the Crestuma/Lever toll.
Furthermore, the access roads to Lisbon and Porto are closed to dangerous goods transport every Monday from 07:00 to 10:00, except in July and August:
Show access roads banned on Mondays 07:00–10:00 (except July/August) ▾
Towards Lisbon
A1 — Alverca → Lisbon.
A2 — Almada → Lisbon.
A5 — junction with CREL → Lisbon.
A8 — Loures → Lisbon.
IC19 — junction with CREL → Lisbon (Damaia).
EN6 — Cascais → Lisbon.
EN10 — Vila Franca de Xira → Alverca.
Towards Porto
A3 — junction with IC24 → Porto.
A4 — junction with A3 → Porto.
EN13 — Moreira → Porto.
EN105 — Alfena (junction with IC24) → Porto.
IC1 — Miramar → Porto.
EN209 — Gondomar → Porto.
EN222 — Avintes → Porto.
2. Access to Lisbon and Porto on Monday mornings
To reduce start-of-week congestion, the access roads to both major cities are closed to dangerous goods transport every Monday from 07:00 to 10:00, except in July and August.
The roads concerned (A1, A2, A5, A8, IC19, EN6, EN10 towards Lisbon; A3, A4, EN13, EN105, IC1, EN209, EN222 towards Porto) are detailed in the accordion in section 1.
3. Exemptions
Certain transports are exempt from the above bans:
- Transport to health centres, public or private.
- Transport for the armed forces and the police.
- Transport to and from seaports.
- Transport for fuel supply to airports and seaports.
⚠️These exemptions do not apply to the Gardunha, Barração and Ramela tunnels, nor to the 25 de Abril Bridge: the ban there remains total.
4. Special authorisations
The general directorate for road traffic may grant case-by-case derogations for vehicles:
- carrying out loading operations during the ban periods, when the production or storage unit where the vehicle is loaded is only served by a banned road, and that road only gives access to another banned road;
- transporting dangerous goods essential to the continuous operation of production units.
📨Applications must be addressed to the Direcção Geral de Viação.
📞Phone: (+351 21) 791 20 00.
5. Public holidays 2026
These dates count as public holidays for ADR bans (and their eves trigger the 18:00–21:00 window).
1 January — New Year's Day
3 April — Good Friday
5 April — Easter
25 April — Freedom Day
1 May — Labour Day
4 June — Corpus Christi
10 June — National Day
15 August — Assumption
5 October — Republic Day
1 November — All Saints' Day
1 December — Restoration of Independence
8 December — Immaculate Conception
25 December — Christmas Day
6. Urban restrictions (Lisbon / Porto)
Independently of the ADR rules, the city centres of Lisbon and Porto have their own time windows. Click on a city to expand the details:
Lisbon ▾
Transit, loading and unloading of HGVs over 2.6 t GVW are banned every day from 08:00 to 10:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00 in a zone delimited by road signs.
In pedestrian zones, loading and unloading are banned from 08:00 to 10:00 and from 11:30 to 19:00.
Porto ▾
Transit, loading and unloading of goods HGVs are banned from 14:00 to 19:00 in the inner ring road sector, from Ponte da Arrábida to Bessa Leite, namely:
Rua António Bessa Leite, Rua Pedro Hispano, Rua da Constituição, Rua Cinco de Outubro, Rua Domingos Sequeira, Rua Quinta Amarela, Rua Egas Moniz, Rua Damião de Góis, Rua João Pedro Ribeiro, Praça Marquês de Pombal, Rua Latino Coelho, Praça Rainha Amélia, Rua Nova de Crispim, Avenida Fernão de Magalhães, Campo 24 de Agosto, Rua Duque de Saldanha, Alameda Padre Baltazar Guedes, Avenida Gustavo Eiffel, Túnel da Ribeira, Rua do Infante Henrique, Rua Nova da Alfândega, Rua de Monchique, Travessa das Pedras, Alameda Basílio Teles, Travessa do Bicalho and Rua do Ouro.
7. Good to know
☢️Dangerous goods: the core of Portuguese regulations. Remember the double constraint — permanent ban (A23, 25 de Abril Bridge) and the 18:00–21:00 window on Fridays, Sundays, public holidays and eves of public holidays.
🏙️City access: approaches to Lisbon and Porto are closed to ADR on Mondays from 07:00 to 10:00, except in July and August.
📦Urban deliveries: in Lisbon, banned time slots from 08:00 to 10:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00 for vehicles over 2.6 t; in Porto, from 14:00 to 19:00 in the city centre.
📞Special authorisation: Direcção Geral de Viação, (+351 21) 791 20 00.
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