guia de substituição
Published 5 November 2026, 15:07
guia de substituição (temporary paper issued in place of seized documents)
If your licence or vehicle documents are taken from you at a roadside check as security for an unpaid fine, you are given this paper instead, and with it you can carry on driving in Portugal. It is valid for six months and is renewed until the case is closed.
Where you come across it. A roadside check when a fine has not been paid and no deposit has been made.
There is a second, harsher scenario: if the penalty has already become final, the paper is issued for just 15 calendar days. If you don't pay within that time, the car itself will be seized — it stands as security for the debt.
Official website: ansr.pt