The Douro waterway is open along its entire length to all types of recreational vessels, except for sailboats with masts taller than 7.20m. The navigation channel is marked with regulatory buoys, and there are around 50 river docks along the waterway that can accommodate these types of vessels.

Passage through the navigation locks requires prior booking through APDL's Virtual Desk.

 

Procedures

1- Register on the RIS Douro Portal (Douro.apdl.pt)

  • Log in with your received credentials.

If you are a new user, you can request your access password in the “Private Area.”

Registration Process:

        1- Complete the initial registration form with your name and email, as requested. A notification will then be sent to the provided email address for verification. The email will include:

  • Name:
  • Login Name:
  • Access link to complete the registration.
  • Access conditions.

       2- After receiving the email, click on the provided link and fill out the registration form with your personal details, as requested.

  • If the entity associated with your user account is already registered on the portal, the registration will be pending approval by the user responsible for maintaining that entity.

         3- After registration and approval (if applicable), a notification will automatically be sent via SMS with the access code to the APDL Virtual Desk.


2. Register / Share Vessels

To register a new vessel, the user should access their profile and, under the "Vessels" tab, create the respective vessel.

  • After submitting the registration of a new vessel, it will be pending approval by the VND Control Centre.
  • Once the vessel is approved, the user will receive a notification indicating whether the vessel has been approved or not. If approved, the user can then request lock passages.
  • To share a vessel with another entity, the user should access their profile, go to the "Vessels" tab, and select the option to share the desired vessel.

Please note that it was not possible to migrate the old vessel registration records for the Douro waterway, so all vessels must be re-entered.

3. Creating a Lock Passage Request

In the “RIS Douro” area, select the “Lock Passage Request” option:

Phase 1: Entering Trip Details

  • Indicate the departure dock and destination dock.
  • In addition to the mandatory fields (Date, Reservoir, Dock, Location), provide the KM or the georeferencing coordinates (geographical latitude and longitude in DMS format).
  • Vessel: All fields must be completed.

Phase 2: Entering Lock Passage Details

Create a lock passage record for each lock you wish to pass through. For each record, indicate:

  • Lock
  • Type of Movement: Upstream or Downstream
  • Extraordinary: No or Yes
  • Type of Lock Passage: Common or Isolated
  • Date and Time: Only available time slots will be shown by the system.

Phase 3: Payment

  • Amount to Pay: The system calculates the payable amount, which will be displayed in the "Amount to Pay" field.
  • Payment: Make the payment using the reference provided for the request.

The response to the request may be sent in full or partially, depending on the number of locks involved. The user who submitted the lock passage request will receive a notification regarding the response(s).

The request is only submitted for review after the automatic service payment has been made. If payment is not made within 24 hours, the request will be automatically cancelled.

Modifying the Trip Request

Changes to the trip request that do not alter the final amount, such as changes to schedules or travel areas, can be made.

If the trip modification results in an increased amount, you must cancel the request (an IBAN will be requested for a refund) and submit a new request.

According to Regulation No. 443/2018, of 20 July (Douro Waterway Tariff Regulation 2018), from 1 August 2018, recreational vessels must pay a lock passage fee whenever a vessel uses a lock. The fees are as follows:

  • For vessels up to 6 m in length, the fee is €6.80 including VAT (€5.53 excluding VAT).
  • For vessels longer than 6 m and up to 12 m, the fee is €13.60 including VAT (€11.06 excluding VAT).
  • For vessels longer than 12 m, the fee is €27.18 including VAT (€22.10 excluding VAT).

The fee for an extraordinary lock passage has an additional cost of €135.90 including VAT (€110.49 excluding VAT).