Parking in Lisbon

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Parking in Lisbon

Parking (estacionamento) regulations vary depending on the time of day, day of the week or even the month. 

• No Parking signs (Estacionamento Prohibido) are often white or blue with a red line across
• Yellow or red painted signs and lines on the curb also indicate No Parking
• Where the words Prohibido Estancionar appear beside a police code number on a garage door, police have authorisation to tow away the illegally parked vehicle
• It is illegal to park within 18 metres of a road junction, 15 metres of a bus stop and 3 metres of a tram or bus stop
• Parking offenders risk getting points on their licences for persistently breaking the law
• Always park facing the same direction as the traffic on one-way streets.
• Some places require a residents or company parking permit (Cartaõ de Residente) during work hours between 08:00-18:00
• Some places require residents parking permits (Cartões de Residente) at all times, particularly in residential zones
• Official parking attendants are normally in uniform

Parking in Lisbon City

Lisbon is an old city of narrow, winding streets built on seven steep hills so on-street parking spaces are few, especially at night in the popular downtown Bairro Alto, Baixa and Chiado areas, and parking tickets, clamping and police fines are rigorously applied. There is, however, a large network of privately run underground multi-storey car parks, and Lisbon City Council (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa) has recently signed an agreement with several private parking companies to make parking available for a reasonable fee between 18:00-06:00 and during the weekends to help solve the city's chronic parking shortage problem.

Parking regulations may be different depending on the zone of Lisbon the driver wishes to park in.

• For a full list of Lisbon zones and regulations: Click here (in Portuguese)

Official parking attendants from Lisbon City Council co-partnered with private companies such as EMEL normally wear dark green uniforms and caps with light green reflective bands.

Parking Legally

• Parking is restricted and often roadside parking must be paid for at parking meters (Parquimetros) which are designated by blue pavement signs.
• Individual grey parking meters (Parquimetros) are common across Lisbon
• Blue Zones (Zonas Azuis) indicate that parking must be paid at a ticket machine
• Usually parking must be paid for Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00 and Saturdays 08:00-18:00
• Many Lisbon car parks are underground (Estacionamento Subterraneo) with signs outside indicating if there are spaces (Livre) or if the car park is full (Completo). It is normal to pay at a cash desk or pay station (Estação de Pagamento) before returning to the car and leaving. A ticket is then punched into a machine at the barriers on exit

Parking illegally

A vehicle improperly parked in Lisbon will be removed or clamped under Article 172 of the Road Code (Código da Estrada). 

It is forbidden to park:

• more time than permitted by the regulations in the specific zone
• a vehicle that is not taxed and does not have the Tax Stamp (Título do Pagamento da Taxa Automóveis)
• vehicles which are being advertised for sale
• on a pavement (Em cima do passeio)
• double park (Segunda fila)
• in front of a garage exit/entrance (Saida de garagem)

Parking fines (Multa)

Lisbon Council's Municipal Parking Regulator EMEL will place a parking ticket on the windscreen of the vehicle. It will state the time the offence was noticed - the date, day, month and year - the infraction, the name and or number of the parking enforcer, the fee payable, and the vehicle licence plate number. The ticket will also include how, where and when to pay.

Payment can be made at the Loja do Municípe in the town in which the fine was issued. In Lisbon this is:

• Loja do Municípe
  At: Rua dos Douradores Nº 108, 1100-207 Lisbon
  Tel: 217 803 100
  Open: Mondays-Fridays 08:00-20:00; Saturdays 09:30-13:30
  Website

Vehicle wheel clamped (Bloqueamento)

The car will have a yellow clamp fixed to one of the front wheels and a yellow tape stuck on it. A legal document stating details of the offence and instructions on how to get the vehicle released and the fine to be paid will be attached.

The driver should contact EMEL

• Tel: 217 803 131

The following documents will be required to unclamp the vehicle

• Passport (Passaporte)
• Identity Card (Bilhete de Identidade)
• Driving Licence (Carta de Condução)
• Vehicle Log Book (Livrete), Owner's Registration Document (Título de Registo de Propriedade),  Licence Plate Certificate (Certificado de Matricula do Veículo) or
• DUA All-in-One Vehicle Document (Documento Único Automóvel).

Impounded vehicles (Levantamento de Veículos Removidos)

Note: It is illegal for anything other than an authorised towing company to tow away an illegally parked or broken down vehicle.

• Tel EMEL: 217 808 131
• Go to the following address:
• Parque de Veículos Removidos da EMEL, Sete Rios
  Open: Mondays-Sundays: 08:00-midnight including holidays

The following documents will be required to reclaim the vehicle

• Passport (Passaporte)
• Driving Licence (Carta de Condução)
• Vehicle Log Book (Livrete), Owner's Registration Document (Título de Registo de Propriedade),  Licence Plate Certificate (Certificado de Matricula do Veículo) or
• DUA All-in-One Vehicle Document (Documento Único Automóvel).
• Identity Card (Bilhete de Identidade)
• Tax Number/Details (Carta de Contribuinte)
• Rental Document (if vehicle is rented) (Documento de Alugação)
• Temporary Address in Lisbon (hotel or other) if on holiday.

EMEL will charge the fine (Multa) and the fee for the tow-away which can be up to €300.

Further Information

• See AngloINFO INFOrmation Page Driving in Portugal