The A22, the motorway that runs the length of the Algarve, has been free since 1 January 2025. You do not need to pay, register your car or carry a toll device to use it. The old gantries with cameras are still over the road, but they no longer charge anything.
For more than a decade, the A22 was one of the most confusing parts of a trip to the Algarve. There were no toll booths, only cameras on gantries, and visitors had to work out how to pay electronically or risk fines in the post. That chapter is now closed, but many guides, rental desks and navigation apps have not caught up.
The law that made the A22 free
Tolls on the A22, also called the Via do Infante, were introduced on 8 December 2011. In 2024 the Portuguese parliament passed Law 37/2024 of 7 August, which abolished tolls on a group of former “SCUT” motorways: roads originally built to be free for drivers and later tolled. The list includes the A22 in the Algarve, as well as the A4, A13, A23, A24, A25 and parts of the A28 elsewhere in Portugal.
The abolition took effect on 1 January 2025, as confirmed by Decree-Law 119/2024 of 31 December 2024. Since that day, driving on the A22 has been free for every vehicle, including rental cars and cars with Spanish, British or other foreign plates.
Why the gantries and cameras are still there
If you drive the A22 today, you will still pass under the large metal gantries with cameras that once recorded every car. They were never taken down when the tolls ended. Local road users and politicians have been asking for them to be removed since the end of 2024, and the national road operator has started removing some toll information signs on former SCUT roads, but on the A22 most of the gantries remain.
What we see on the road. We drive the A22 regularly. The gantries with cameras are still standing, and some of the old signs that announced the electronic tolls have simply been taped over. The cameras do not charge anything, even when your navigation app still warns about a toll section ahead. You will see plenty of drivers, often in rental cars, braking as they pass under the gantries. There is no need: just drive on.
Do you still need EASYToll, TollCard or Via Verde?
Not for the A22. Here is how the old systems fit in today:
- EASYToll machines near the Guadiana bridge from Spain still work. In April 2025 the road operator explained that they are kept only so that foreign drivers can register voluntarily for toll roads elsewhere in Portugal. Nothing is charged for the A22.
- TollCard and Via Verde are only relevant if you plan to drive on other electronic-toll motorways in Portugal.
- Rental company toll devices are still offered at the desk. You only need one if you will drive on toll motorways outside the Algarve, for example the A2 to Lisbon.
Toll roads you can still meet
The A2, the motorway from the Algarve to Lisbon, is still a toll road. If you drive north, you pay at toll booths or with an electronic device. A few other motorways in Portugal also keep electronic-only tolls. Within the Algarve, the A22 and the bridge over the Guadiana to Spain are free.
Driving in from Spain
Coming from Huelva or Seville, you cross the Guadiana on the A22 bridge and continue straight into the Algarve. There is nothing to pay and nothing to register. Ignore any old signs about electronic tolls near the border.
Why some sources still get this wrong
You may still read about A22 tolls on rental company pages, older travel blogs and even some official pages that have not been updated. If something you read tells you how to pay for the A22, check its date: anything written before 2025 is out of date.
Questions people ask
Is the A22 in the Algarve still a toll road?
No. Tolls on the A22 Via do Infante were abolished from 1 January 2025 under Law 37/2024. Driving on it is free for all vehicles, including cars with foreign number plates.
Why are there still toll gantries and cameras on the A22?
The gantries were never dismantled after tolls ended. They no longer charge anything. Removing them has been requested by local users and politicians, but many are still standing.
Do I need to register my Spanish or UK car at the border?
Not for the A22. The EASYToll machines near the Guadiana bridge still work, but only as an optional way to register a foreign car for toll roads elsewhere in Portugal.
Why does Google Maps still say the route has tolls?
Some navigation apps and older guides have not been fully updated. On the A22 itself, nothing is charged.
Are there any toll roads left near the Algarve?
Yes. The A2 motorway from the Algarve to Lisbon is still a toll road, paid at toll booths or electronically. The A22 and the bridge to Spain are free.
Sources
- Lei n.º 37/2024 of 7 August 2024, Diário da República
- Decreto-Lei n.º 119/2024 of 31 December 2024, Diário da República
- SAPO / Lusa: tolls on the A22 are no longer charged, but EASYToll machines keep working (April 2025)
- Observador: A22 users' committee to demand removal of the gantries (31 December 2024)
- Algarve Primeiro: MPs ask for the A22 gantries to be removed (February 2025)