Portugal's new TVDE law, explained through practical cases

The essentials in two minutes

Law 45/2018, known as the Uber law, was the first to regulate transport in vehicles booked through electronic platforms such as Uber and Bolt. Almost eight years later, parliament has approved a thorough revision of that regime, based on bills from the PSD and the CDS-PP. The acronym itself changes meaning: TVDE now designates the paid transport of passengers in vehicles made available electronically, dropping the reference to unmarked vehicles.

The changes with the greatest impact on daily life are the possibility for taxis to operate on the digital platforms, the requirement for drivers to have a functional command of Portuguese, the optional video recording of trips, the end of the legal cap on dynamic pricing and stronger enforcement, with far heavier fines for companies. At the same time, the maximum vehicle age rises to 10 years (12 for electric vehicles), the badge becomes tamper-proof and carries anti-fraud features, and advertising on cars is no longer prohibited.

For those working in the sector, there are also less visible structural changes: the law clarifies the distinction between the TVDE operator and the electronic platform manager, creates a national data-sharing platform run by the IMT and establishes that the 25% intermediation fee is now calculated on the trip value excluding VAT. Madeira and the Azores gain the possibility of adapting the regime to their island realities.