auto de contraordenação
Published 30 October 2026, 20:39
auto de contraordenação (record of an offence)
The document that opens a case for an offence: it records what happened, when and where, and who recorded it. It is drawn up by a police officer or a member of a municipal service, and is either handed to you on the spot or sent by post. You need the nine-digit number in the top right-hand corner for any paperwork in the case.
Where you come across it. A speeding or parking fine, any dealings with ANSR or the town hall about an offence.
The record is not yet a decision or a verdict: under article 170 of the Highway Code it is only evidence of what the person who drew it up saw, “until proven otherwise”. The slip under your windscreen wiper is usually not even the record but a notice about it, and you cannot use it to pay.
Official website: ansr.pt/contraordenacoes