The Lighthouse Fee is paid to the respective Captaincies of the National Maritime Authority, which is why you should contact them.

In the case of the Douro, there is the Captaincies do Porto do Douro in Porto e a Régua Delegation.

Article 15 of the Regulations for the Operation and Use of the VND explains the timetables and procedures for requests for navigation on the VND.

Navigation between sunset and sunrise is considered nocturnal, and therefore varies throughout the year, with the timetables being parameterised in the respective systems.

All navigation requests must be made through the systems:

Single Port Window (JUP) - for Maritime Tourism and Commercial Shipping

VND Virtual Service Counter (RIS) - for Recreational Navigation

Official nautical charts can be downloaded here.

Navigation may be interrupted or restricted due to flood flows, the need to carry out work, breakdowns, etc.

For reasons of necessary maintenance of the locks, the unavailability of their use is announced in  Notice to Skippers.

The procedures for pleasure boating are indicated:

1. Register at theVND Virtual Services Centre (RIS).

1. Log in with the credentials you have received. If you are a new user, you can request your access credentials.
   Fill in the first registration form with your name and e-mail address, as requested, after which a notification will be sent to the e-mail address indicated so that you can send an e-mail with: Access link to complete the registration and the respective Access Conditions.
2. After receiving the e-mail, you must access the link provided and fill in the membership form with your personal details, as requested. If the organisation associated with your user is already registered on the portal, registration will be pending approval by the user responsible for maintaining it.
3. Once the user has registered and been approved (if applicable), an SMS notification is automatically sent with the access code to the APDL Virtual Counter.

2. Register / Share Vessels:

1. To register a new vessel, the user must access their profile, and in the ‘Vessels’ tab, create the respective vessel.
2. After submitting the registration of the new vessel, it will be pending approval by the VND Control Centre.
3. Once the vessel has been approved, the user will receive a notification indicating whether or not the vessel has been approved.
4. If approved, the user will then be able to request lock requests.

The fluvines with an operating licence have their own tariff. You should contact the concessionaire Concessionaire directly for information on tariffs.

In the case of a non-licensed riverboat, you should contact APDL using the form below.

All the structures that hold the respective licence are available for consultation in Comunidade Douro where you can also find information on concessionaires, their contact details, location and capacity.

The fluvines with an operating licence have their own tariff.

You should contact the concessionaire directly for information on tariffs.

In the case of a non-licensed riverboat, you should contact APDL using the form below.

A Leaflet Informing you of the distances between the various quays on the VND is available for consultation and download, or you can also consult the maps of the River Douro.

The procedures for requests for lockage for recreational navigation are listed in Notice to Skippers no. 128/2017, available for consultation here.

n a nutshell, you have to register at the VND Virtual Services Counter (RIS),  register the vessel, and after validation by the Control Centre you can make the lock request(s).

We suggest consulting the Regulations for the Operation and Use of the Douro Waterway as well as the Tariff Regulations for the VND.

Regulation no. 647/2019, 2nd series, of 16 August, establishes the rules and procedures to be observed in the use and operation of the Douro River waterway.

Nothing stands in the way of boats with two-stroke engines.

Recreational craft are not allowed to sail at night.

However, it may be authorised on an exceptional basis under the conditions set out in Article 15 of the REUVND.

For safety reasons, locks are not accepted for stand-up paddleboards.

Requests for kayaks are accepted, but some safety requirements must be checked.

You can consult the daily Lock Plans for all the VND locks.

The status of requests can be consulted at the VND Virtual Services Centre (RIS), in the ‘My requests’ area.

The ramps are freely accessible.

However, in the event of a rescue or emergency, they must remain unoccupied.

Those with access control should use the intercom or contact the Control Centre on +351 254320020.

Password recovery is carried out at the VND Virtual Services Centre (RIS) in the ‘Forgot your password?' private area which will open a window for you to enter your email address and receive a link to choose a new password.

1. In general terms, the exercise of tourist entertainment activities requires registration in the National Register of Tourist Entertainment Agents (RNAAT), on the website of Turismo de Portugal, IP, in compliance with Decree-Law no. 108/2009, of 15 May, amended by Decree-Laws no. 95/2013 and no. 186/2015, of 19 July and 3 September, respectively;
2. With regard to the movement of vessels on the Douro River waterway, from the mouth of the Águeda River (near Barca d'Alva) to the Douro bar, this is regulated by the current Regulations for the Operation and Use of the Douro Waterway (REUVND), Regulation n.º 647/2019;
3. The circulation of a vessel on the waterway of the Douro River requires a certificate issued by APDL (CUV - Certificate of Use of the VND) proving, in particular, the suitability of the vessel's characteristics for the waterway (See Article 5 of the REUVND);
4. The boat must be registered with the Douro Harbour Master or the DGRM (depending on the case) as a tourist boat;
5. The issue of the CUV is conditional, among other things, on the existence of a suitable base quay to guarantee the safety and operation of the vessel, AIS in the same context;
6. The private use of water resources in the public domain for the installation/occupation and/or use of berths to be built/existing is subject to licensing under the terms of the Water Law and complementary legislation, and any request for the issue of a title for the private use of water resources must be submitted to APDL's Legal and Property Management Department (email dominial@apdl.pt);
7. For the circulation of vessels on the Douro Waterway, particularly for the use of each lock, for the use of the navigation channel and for the use of non-licensed/concessioned river infrastructures and equipment, the tariffs set out in the APDL Tariff Regulations are due.
8. With regard to river calls and intentions to operate in areas under the jurisdiction of APDL in VND or for any other information on navigation and the respective support systems, including the request for a CUV, the Navigation Control Centre in VND should be contacted by calling +351 254320020/022 or emailing suporte.ris@apdl.pt, which will inform you of the necessary procedures.

The CUV renewal process is carried out online at the VND Virtual Services Centre (RIS).

The respective forms must be filled in and submitted for evaluation by our services.

Contact the respective services via email dominial@apdl.pt.

Contact the respective services via email dominial@apdl.pt.

Contact the respective services via email dominial@apdl.pt.