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Glossary of the new TVDE law
The terms that appear across the site, explained in plain language. From the acronym TVDE to the badge, from comodato to the intermediation fee, each entry links to the pages where the topic is covered in detail.
- Administrative offence (contraordenação)
- An administrative infringement punishable by a fine, distinct from a crime. The revision creates new administrative offences linked to licensing, enforcement, data sharing and compliance with the sector's legal obligations.
- AMT
- Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes, the sector regulator. The AMT opposed the integration of taxis into the TVDE regime, warning that vehicles moving in and out between regimes could complicate the records and enforcement. It gains access to the national data-sharing platform.
- Badge (dístico)
- A tamper-proof identifying element of the TVDE vehicle, issued by the IMT, with anti-fraud security features such as holograms or equivalent technology. It stays permanently tied to the vehicle; the technical characteristics and fees will be set by government order (portaria). See vehicles.
- Bus lane
- A lane reserved for buses and some authorised vehicles. TVDE vehicles still cannot use bus lanes, and a taxi operating as a TVDE cannot use them in that service either.
- CMTVDE
- The TVDE driver certificate, issued by the IMT after training and passing the exam. Under the current regime it is valid for five years and is renewable, lapsing if not renewed in time. It is the document that qualifies you to carry out the activity. See the guide to becoming a driver.
- Coima (fine)
- A monetary penalty applied for an administrative offence, that is, a fine of an administrative nature. Under the new law, the maximum fine for companies (legal persons) rises from 15,000 to 44,000 euros. See the enforcement and fines page.
- Comodato (free loan)
- A contract by which someone lends a thing to another person free of charge, to be used for a certain time. The new law prohibits the use of comodato and usufruct for assigning vehicles to the activity, save for exceptions, seeking to curb informal lending of cars and accounts. See vehicles.
- Diário da República
- The official gazette of the Portuguese State, where laws are published. A law only takes effect after being published in the Diário da República. The TVDE revision, approved on 17 July 2026, still awaits promulgation and publication. See the state of the process in updates.
- Dynamic pricing
- A price that varies according to supply and demand at each moment. The new law scraps the legal cap that limited dynamic pricing to 100% above the average of the previous 72 hours; the passenger must be told the price before the trip. See fares and prices.
- Electronic platform manager
- The company that owns the app through which passengers request trips, such as Uber or Bolt. The law clarifies that this is a figure distinct from the TVDE operator: one runs the platform, the other is responsible for vehicles and drivers. See platforms and operators.
- Group 2 endorsement
- An endorsement on the driving licence that attests to medical fitness to carry passengers professionally. To be a TVDE driver you must hold a category B licence for more than three years and a valid group 2 endorsement.
- IMT
- Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes, the public body that licenses operators, certifies drivers and issues the badge. It will run the national data-sharing platform for the sector. It was one of the bodies that opposed the integration of taxis into the regime.
- Intermediation fee
- The commission the platform charges on each trip. It keeps its maximum of 25%, but now applies to the trip value excluding VAT, standardising practices that previously varied. The fee calculator illustrates the calculation.
- Leasing
- A finance lease, that is, the rental of an asset with an option to buy at the end of the contract. According to the proposal behind the revision, vehicles assigned to the activity must belong to the companies or be on a lease or formal rental, and not on informal loans. See the operator guide.
- Portaria (government order)
- A Government instrument that regulates points of a law. Part of the TVDE revision depends on a portaria, such as the characteristics of the badge, the fees and the way to apply the Portuguese requirement to those already licensed. Until there is a portaria, those points are not enforceable.
- Promulgation
- The act by which the President of the Republic confirms a law approved by parliament, allowing its publication. The TVDE revision goes to promulgation by the President of the Republic after the final drafting. See updates.
- Slot
- An informal term used in the sector for the place or account that allows operating on a platform, often lent or rented irregularly. Tackling these schemes is among the aims of prohibiting comodato and usufruct.
- Taxi rank
- A public place reserved for the parking and waiting of taxis. TVDE vehicles cannot use taxi ranks, and a taxi operating as a TVDE cannot use them either while providing that service.
- Taximeter
- A device that calculates the price of a taxi ride based on distance and time. It belongs to the taxi regime; TVDE vehicles do not use a taximeter and set the price through the platform. See taxis and TVDE.
- TVDE
- The acronym that designates the service. It previously meant the individual paid transport of passengers in unmarked vehicles from an electronic platform; it now means the paid transport of passengers in vehicles made available electronically, dropping the reference to unmarked vehicles. See the new law.
- TVDE driver
- A certified driver who provides the service, always registered with an operator. Under the new law, certification requires 50 hours of training, a 30-question exam with a minimum of 27 correct and a functional command of Portuguese. See what changes for drivers.
- TVDE operator
- The company or trader responsible for the vehicles and drivers assigned to the activity, licensed by the IMT. It is distinct from the electronic platform manager. See how to set up an operator.
- Usufruct
- The right to use and enjoy an asset belonging to another without owning it. Like comodato, usufruct becomes barred as a way of assigning vehicles to the activity, save for exceptions, to curb informal lending of cars. See vehicles.
- Video recording
- The capture of image inside the vehicle, optional and only with the express consent of the driver and the passenger. Capturing sound is prohibited; the images are encrypted, kept for a maximum of 30 days and can only be accessed by authorities in defined cases. See vehicles.