Portugal Parking Fine

chaser · Jul 20, 2017

Langtoftlad said:
Terribly sorry for bothering you Mr Chaser
But the way I read the OP was that this letter, the appeal, was written a year ago when the alleged offence took place. He heard nothing more until receiving notice yesterday - but I accept the post is ambiguous.

@JJ answered my post about how they know about thirty posts ago that yes they can get your address from your number so all this stuff about letters is by the by and I am quite willing to take your version just to put an end to all these posts about nothing.

The Nomad · Jul 20, 2017

chaser said:
@JJ answered my post about how they know about thirty posts ago that yes they can get your address from your number so all this stuff about letters is by the by and I am quite willing to take your version just to put an end to all these posts about nothing.

Umm - he gave AN answer, but it wasn't the CORRECT answer.

JJ · Jul 20, 2017

The Nomad said:
Umm - he gave AN answer, but it wasn't the CORRECT answer.

Oh dear, dear me...

Believe me the Portuguese authorities can get your address from the appropriate UK ones via your reg number and send fines to your UK address.

Guess how I know?

But please... ignore me and take notice of Mr Nomad...

JJ

Tea Bag · Jul 20, 2017

Hi.
It is in a post some time ago,that a Funster was parked up when he was aproached by the GNR,who asked if he could show a valid "road use " Ticket,which he could. While he was there,the officer looked back through his Computor,to see if there were any "Outstanding" fines...............
Portugal have their fair share of people who can count up to twenty without taking their shoes off and operate the latest electronic wizadry................ Running water,electric lights,etc........ BE WARNED.
Tea Bag

Zepp · Jul 20, 2017

We met a couple of people who had been fined last year in Portugal one couple from Jersey got fined at Armação de Pera and the fine was sent to there home in Jersey

spitfire · Jul 20, 2017

A French couple we know were fined 200€ for staying at Altea. Was sent after 6 months to them in France

glastry · Oct 1, 2017

StanandShirley said:
Just received after one year a parking fine for staying overnight on a large car park which advised overnight parking for Motorhomes. Not to boar you with the whole story but gist is we payed for an overnight stay then in the morning we along with twenty or thirty vans many French were given papers from the police. We drove to Faro to the police station to be told we had to go to Silves to complain. After speaking to a nice Gent he told us we would have to write in Portuguese to Appel. Having a friend who lives in the USA who is Portuguese he translated a letter for me. Not receiving any notice I thought that was the end of it until yesterday. So now I will send of my appeal and see what happens. The fine is for 150 to 200 euros. Anyone out there had anything like this and what was the result.

After many weeks and some good advice from really kind people on here,we paid up 252 euros.
if you are planning to be in portugal ,it probably is less stressful to pay - but not necessarily to forget-just try to be a bit more careful about the parking.
i cannot find an old parking permit from that "football field", but i am reasonably sure that it does not cover overnight!!
from memory it says something like -"to park for the day"
Do let us know how the appeal goes??
The wild camping days are generally finished in the Algarve at any rate,the sooner more legitimate Aires are established the better,and
we just might get a bit of respect from the Portuguese public,
if they can see that we respect their law,and are paying our way!

Pia · Oct 2, 2017

Reading all this is kinda putting me off going to Portugal in a couple of weeks

sonny · Oct 2, 2017

Pia said:
Reading all this is kinda putting me off going to Portugal in a couple of weeks

Me too

StanandShirley · Oct 2, 2017

I would be the first person to pay a fine if I did something wrong, but when your told along with many others that you could stay overnight by the person on the entrance that’s what I am complaining about. I am still waiting for a reply from Portugal, depending on what happens I will then decide to travel back to Portugal or not. We enjoyed our time in the country and the local people along with the police who were polite they were only carrying out orders. With reg numbers coming up on borders or police computers there would be no getting away with an unpaid fine if my appeal fails so you can’t get out of paying. Those who are planning a trip to Portugal enjoy yourselves it’s a great place and the people are so nice.

Pia · Oct 2, 2017

It seems to me that one of the difficulties is that the fines seem to pop through the post some time after the 'offence' is committed. We would never park 'illegally' and would check the rules for parking thoroughly but it appears to be implied on here that regardless of whether or not you have paid for parking the fines are still imposed. I think I may revisit our plan for Portugal and stay at campsites rather than car parks...I noticed in my research that there are very few official 'aires' in Portugal rather motorhomes park in car parks where that is permitted. At the end of the day one can buy a fair few nights in a campsite for the cost of a fine. Our Portugese visit may well be shortened as a result.

JJ · Oct 2, 2017

Pia said:
but it appears to be implied on here that regardless of whether or not you have paid for parking the fines are still imposed.

Everyone chooses how to live their lives themselves of course but...

I never, never, never ever would make life decisions based on "implied" information found on internet forums.

Just saying

JJ

Pia · Oct 2, 2017

.....

JJ said:
I never, never, never ever would make life decisions based on "implied" information found on internet forums.

.....not sure I would call a decision of whether or not to use car parks or campsites in Portugal a 'life decision' but using all information available to calculate risks of one decision or another is always useful..I find

buttons · Oct 2, 2017

Pia said:
It seems to me that one of the difficulties is that the fines seem to pop through the post some time after the 'offence' is committed. We would never park 'illegally' and would check the rules for parking thoroughly but it appears to be implied on here that regardless of whether or not you have paid for parking the fines are still imposed. I think I may revisit our plan for Portugal and stay at campsites rather than car parks...I noticed in my research that there are very few official 'aires' in Portugal rather motorhomes park in car parks where that is permitted. At the end of the day one can buy a fair few nights in a campsite for the cost of a fine. Our Portugese visit may well be shortened as a result.

What is it that motorhomers don't like about campsites. Makes life a lot easier to be an official visitor with all the facilities at arms length. What is the attraction with sleeping in car parks......?

Pia · Oct 2, 2017

buttons said:
What is it that motorhomers don't like about campsites. Makes life a lot easier to be an official visitor with all the facilities at arms length. What is the attraction with sleeping in car parks......?

We use Aires or car parks for stop overs for one night only....if we want to explore or stop longer than a night we use campsites. We would never leave our Harvey when parked in an Aire or car park for any longer than an hour or so whilst we went shopping for bread or for a drink in the local bar. Some of the places we want to visit in Portugal do not have campsites close enough to where we want to be or we want just to stop over as we don't like driving long journeys, we usually drive for about two and a half or three hours. We quite like staying at campsites but it's not always possible especially at in winter as lots close for the winter

buttons · Oct 2, 2017

Pia said:
We use Aires or car parks for stop overs for one night only....if we want to explore or stop longer than a night we use campsites. We would never leave our Harvey when parked in an Aire or car park for any longer than an hour or so whilst we went shopping for bread or for a drink in the local bar. Some of the places we want to visit in Portugal do not have campsites close enough to where we want to be or we want just to stop over as we don't like driving long journeys, we usually drive for about two and a half or three hours. We quite like staying at campsites but it's not always possible especially at in winter as lots close for the winter

Are the camp sites shut because motorhome's prefer not to use them, from what I read on here there is a real demand for overnight stops. Perhaps by introducing these draconian parking restrictions the authorities will encourage campsites to open in the low season.

Pia · Oct 2, 2017

buttons said:
Are the camp sites shut because motorhome's prefer not to use them, from what I read on here there is a real demand for overnight stops. Perhaps by introducing these draconian parking restrictions the authorities will encourage campsites to open in the low season.

Don't think it's because MHs don't want to use them...I suspect it is because the owners want a holiday

and sometimes maybe (in northern France particularly) the site is grassy and in wet weather is not useable. Also, I suspect there may not be so much business around so it may be too expensive to keep the facilities useable in low season. We usually plan carefully when we go this late in the season so that we don't have the hassle of trying to find somewhere to stay in the moment. We have a plan usually based on loads of research ( I love doing the spreadsheets so as soon as we arrive home from one....I usually start my research for the next adventure) but we don't often stick to the plan exactly...however, we know where we can stay if we want to and I quite like knowing the areas we want to visit and what kind of exploration opportunities there are....it's all good fun and we always have a wonderful time...even when things 'go wrong' like our door wouldn't lock last year but we found somewhere near the campsite we were on who downed tools when we arrived in order to mend our door for us whilst we waited...it was a simple repair some 'pin' or other in the lock had 'dropped' and charged us pennies or rather cents.

glastry · Oct 2, 2017

Getting excited now ,that might be 3 van loads deterred from going to portugal ,with a bit of work from the professional doom sayers,it looks like a meaningful bit of space could be cleared.
Just to be sure i am on the right track here- can you confirm which
parking you are being fined for?
This whole episode just shows how correct the Tourist Board were in
planning a colour coded "hand rail " map down through the country.
When that is in place everyone will know where to go ,what route to take ,and off course the parking too will be colour coded ,which will be a great help in the decision making.
It has been calculated that by April next year,the framework will be in place and there should be a lot less stress in deciding where to park up.
At this stage ,it would only be fair to point out ,that the number of places for rufty tufty free campers (including those who dig holes to bury shit in) has been seriously reduced and now might be the time
to buy our latest "burying kit"-which will include little flags to mark where you dug the last time.(7 ,14 and 28 day flags are available,and will allow you to fearlessly revisit old haunts)
the kit includes a folding trenching tool and at £44.95 is a bargain
for the wild and free camper.(the online site will be running shortly).
On a more serious note- should you happen to dig up any shiny flat tins- first check that it is not a mine,-then keep digging.
5 tins with the original FB logo gets you a free night in any Silves
campsite- not many know that!!
good luck.

maxi77 · Oct 2, 2017

IN general being fined for parking or anything else in Portugal is not a big problem. Sometimes it is bad luck and it is best to pay up on the spot and move on other time it is down to being stupid. Portugal has a penalty system on all official unpaid items be it water bills or road traffic fines which do mean it will be in 100s of Euros if you wait till it gets sent to the UK. Immediate payment saves a lot of money. There are plenty of campsites, none I know closes in the winter and for basic services can be as low a 5 euros a night top of the range can be up to 15 a night for long stay. There are many non Portuguese camper vans roaming around the Algarve on an almost permanent basis. When you are there get talking with other vehicles parked there and you will soon pick up all the local lore about where to stop and what local attitudes are. Much of the trouble is caused by Brit expats who are anti caravan/motorhome, try reading the letters page in either the Resident or the Portugal News.

Stretto Boy · Oct 2, 2017

makems said:
Hopefully not this season!

JJ · Oct 2, 2017

It's a marathon not a sprint...

JJ

JJ · Oct 2, 2017

Pia said:
not sure I would call a decision of whether or not to use car parks or campsites in Portugal a 'life decision'

Where I spend the night is one of the more important decisions I have to make in my life...

JJ

glastry · Oct 2, 2017

bloody football hoolligans- pansys game anyway!-
much better game with sticks.

gus-lopez · Oct 2, 2017

StanandShirley said:
I would be the first person to pay a fine if I did something wrong, but when your told along with many others that you could stay overnight by the person on the entrance that’s what I am complaining about. I am still waiting for a reply from Portugal, depending on what happens I will then decide to travel back to Portugal or not. We enjoyed our time in the country and the local people along with the police who were polite they were only carrying out orders. With reg numbers coming up on borders or police computers there would be no getting away with an unpaid fine if my appeal fails so you can’t get out of paying. Those who are planning a trip to Portugal enjoy yourselves it’s a great place and the people are so nice.

Change the van/buy a private number plate.

buttons said:
What is it that motorhomers don't like about campsites. Makes life a lot easier to be an official visitor with all the facilities at arms length. What is the attraction with sleeping in car parks......?

Butlin's, full of people , even kids!

.There is no reason for me to use one as there is nothing I wish to stop & see. just to sleep.
Not going to happen on a site is it ?

buttons · Oct 2, 2017

gus-lopez said:
Change the van/buy a private number plate.

t
Butlin's, full of people , even kids!.There is no reason for me to use one as there is nothing I wish to stop & see. just to sleep.
Not going to happen on a site is it ?

Not sure gus, I have had a couple of really interesting weekends at Butlins..

Joking aside, areas can get really fed up with motorhomes in mass abusing the local hospitality. The UK and southern Europe are now making a motorhomers life more difficult year on year for this reason.

MitchandJenny · Oct 2, 2017

Nice of DVLA to give out our details (for a fee)
Pity it doesn't work the OTHER way round with foreign vehicles here ! ! !
Mitch.

Tea Bag · Oct 2, 2017

Pia said:
Reading all this is kinda putting me off going to Portugal in a couple of weeks

sonny said:
Me too

Hi.
Then you will never know what you have missed. Rule of thumb. do NOT park on access tracks into wooded areas Bombeiros /Fire fighters need to get in/on 24/7. Anywhere with a bit of string/twig fence..is Private (We have a fair bit of land,Mo/ho parked up under basic shelter....and what stops the Portuguese coming in ? 1.NOBODY wants to go to a Portugues jail.2. It is fiercely guarded by some...GPO Blue string...so there.)
Park the way the traffic flow is for your side,stop at stop signs,look for SPEED limits on bridges and if you feel the need to park somewhere for the night,climb down from your mighty charger... and ask a native.
Fines. It would appear

..that if you do get caught out,when a letter drops on the Mat...YOUR mat

it is a basic fine,however,should you delay paying....... The fine goes up...... "Well,slap my thigh!"
The above script was written under duress,Jennifer has confiscated my stash of Argus Alc.5% Est. AD 1844 and i have been told to come off the computor .....
Tea Bag.
PS. Oh,and Portugal...Come on down,if you are lucky,you may not even get fined and worse.....You could enjoy it,we came on holiday in 2009 and never went back

sonny · Oct 2, 2017

glastry · Oct 2, 2017

Tea Bag said:
Hi.
Then you will never know what you have missed. Rule of thumb. do NOT park on access tracks into wooded areas Bombeiros /Fire fighters need to get in/on 24/7. Anywhere with a bit of string/twig fence..is Private (We have a fair bit of land,Mo/ho parked up under basic shelter....and what stops the Portuguese coming in ? 1.NOBODY wants to go to a Portugues jail.2. It is fiercely guarded by some...GPO Blue string...so there.)
Park the way the traffic flow is for your side,stop at stop signs,look for SPEED limits on bridges and if you feel the need to park somewhere for the night,climb down from your mighty charger... and ask a native.
Fines. It would appear..that if you do get caught out,when a letter drops on the Mat...YOUR mat it is a basic fine,however,should you delay paying....... The fine goes up...... "Well,slap my thigh!"
The above script was written under duress,Jennifer has confiscated my stash of Argus Alc.5% Est. AD 1844 and i have been told to come off the computor .....
Tea Bag.
PS. Oh,and Portugal...Come on down,if you are lucky,you may not even get fined and worse.....You could enjoy it,we came on holiday in 2009 and never went back

MR. FUSION · Oct 2, 2017

All the happy friendly Portuguese must have been out of the country when I visited last year

Portugal Parking Fine

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