How to pay SCUT tolls: methods and deadlines

In 1997, SCUT routes were launched as “Motorways with No User Charges”, with the aim of improving connections between the coast and inland areas. However, since 2011, driving on SCUT roads has no longer been free.

How SCUT electronic tolling works

Unlike conventional motorways, SCUT roads do not have a toll plaza where you stop and pay. Instead, charges are recorded automatically using an electronic system fitted to overhead gantries.

That raises a common question: how do you settle the amount owed after using these widely debated SCUT routes?

SCUT payment methods

If you use the Via Verde system, paying is straightforward: each time your vehicle passes under a gantry, the fee is charged automatically, just as it is on standard motorways.

If you do not have Via Verde

Drivers who do not use Via Verde can choose from five alternatives:

1. Pay at CTT: you pay after travelling on the SCUT road. You simply go to a CTT post office branch and provide the vehicle’s number plate.
2. Through Payshop: you can also pay after the journey using the Payshop network, following a similar process to paying at CTT.
3. Via the SCUT concessionaire: you may ask the SCUT operator either for the payment details or for a notification number to be included in a postal order. Once you have that number, you must complete payment at a CTT branch.
4. Multibanco: another route is to pay using a Multibanco reference. You can request the reference through the CTT website, the app, or by SMS. To do so, send an SMS with the text “CTTMB (space) Number plate (space) NIF” to 68881. The SMS costs 0.30 cents + VAT.
5. Pre-payment: one of the least familiar options allows you to pay before using the SCUT road. You load a balance onto an account linked to an “Electronic Number Plate Device”, and the tolls are then deducted until the available balance is used up. You can top up via CTT branches, Payshop agents, or using a Multibanco reference.

Deadlines for SCUT payments

You have five working days to pay SCUT charges, with the clock starting 48 hours after you pass through the gantries. In practical terms, that gives you roughly a week to settle the amount.

You can check outstanding amounts and download invoices for payments made via the CTT website or the app.

What happens if you miss the deadline

If you do not pay within that initial window, the payment information is moved from the CTT site to the “Toll Payment” website. From that point, you have 30 working days, and any debt can only be viewed there.

If the charge still is not paid within those 30 working days, the case is passed to the Tax Authority. At that stage, the user may see administrative fees, late-payment interest, procedural costs and even fines added to the original SCUT charge.