Complaining about a car rental company in Portugal: Electronic Livro de Reclamações

What is the free remedy after renting in Portugal?

The trader is legally required to answer within 15 working days, and the complaint is automatically forwarded to the supervisory authority for the sector. For vehicle rental that is the Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (AMT). It is the most binding free remedy in southern Europe, and it works from abroad.

Step by step

1. Go to livroreclamacoes.pt and pick "Make Complaint", not "Information Request". Check that the address contains /Pedido/Reclamacao.
2. Consumer profile. The "Tax Identification number" field expects your own personal tax number, not the company's. Document type: "ID Cidadão Estrangeiro" or "Passaporte Estrangeiro".
3. Identify the trader through advanced search, VAT Number field, using the number printed on your rental agreement.
4. Service: "Aluguer de Veículos de Curta Duração". Reason: "Faturação incorreta" for a billing dispute.
5. Write in plain characters: the site rejects the euro symbol, long dashes and curly quotes. Use "EUR", "-" and straight quotes.
6. Submit, then confirm through the emailed link (valid 24 h, single use), option "Submeter sem criar conta". You receive a ROR000… reference: that is your official complaint number.

Where to click, in order

We walked this path ourselves on 2026-08-16. The walls flagged below are the ones we hit, not the ones the law describes.

1. On the home page, choose « Make Complaint », never « Information Request »: it is the only route that obliges the trader to answer.
2. Check that the page address contains /Pedido/Reclamacao before filling anything in.
3. Search for the trader by tax number in the advanced search, then pick the company from the list.
4. Fill in the fields below in order, then choose « Submeter sem criar conta » if you would rather not create an account.
5. Confirm through the link you receive by email, valid 24 hours, then download the receipt within three hours: the link expires.

Verified entry point: www.livroreclamacoes.pt.

Four more remedies, independent of this one

The country remedy is the second of five. The others do not depend on it and run in parallel: you only need one to succeed.

1. Written complaint to the rental company, dated facts, exact amount, a 14-day deadline. It is the prerequisite every other procedure demands. Template
2. European Consumer Centre of your country of residence, free, which refers the case to its counterpart in the company's country. The network covers the European Union, Norway and Iceland. Text
3. Card payment dispute for services not provided and unauthorised charges, within 60 to 120 days of the charge, the deadline that expires first. Use your bank's secure messaging or complaints form, not a plain email. If the bank refuses, insist on a written and reasoned refusal: it is what opens the free financial ombudsman. Template
4. Legal expenses insurance, often included in a car or household policy: the insurer appoints a lawyer at its own cost. Email

Your letters, already filled in, in ten minutes

The portal writes the complaint to the rental company, the filing with Electronic Livro de Reclamações, the letter to the European Consumer Centre, the card dispute and the email to your broker, all in your name. It picks the right remedy automatically from the rental country you enter. Free, no commission, no power of attorney: you send them yourself.

All countries Rented somewhere else? The remedy changes, and so does the page. Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, France, Belgium, Cyprus, Malta, Türkiye.