Car Matriculation in Portugal

odysseus · #1 (**permalink**) 13th June 2007, 08:56 AM

Has anyone matriculated a car into Portugal recently? I am in the process and have spoken with a couple of agencies who do this sort of thing. Has anyone managed to matriculate without having to pay the excise duties on a used car?

synthia · #2 (**permalink**) 14th June 2007, 05:17 PM

Is this use of the word matriculate one of those 'English English' as opposed to 'American English' things. We matriculate at universities, pretty much. Does matriculate mean import? Or register so it is legal?

odysseus · #3 (**permalink**) 14th June 2007, 08:06 PM

Matriculate in this instance means "to import the car at the same time as taking up residency. EU rules allow EU member states to transfer "goods and chattels" across country borders as part of mobility around the EU. However, you have to show utility bills for your former country of residence (in this case the UK). Unfortunately I am not in possession of any utilty bills that can demonstrate my residency in the UK so I am looking for someone in a similar position to myself that has matriculated acar without the need for such evidence.

synthia · #4 (**permalink**) 16th June 2007, 01:44 PM

So if you live in the UK, with your parents or with roommates, and the utility bills aren't in your name, you can't bring a car with you when you relocate? Since residence is required, does that mean that if you had been living in a non-EU country, say Norway (that's right isn't it - Norway didn't join?), you couldn't go back to the UK, buy a car and use it for a long road trip, then move?

synthia · #5 (**permalink**) 16th June 2007, 01:50 PM

Now that I think about it, I shouldn't be surprised. This is the organization that decided cheese had too much bacteria in it and couldn't be shipped across borders.

In the US we've had problems with companies that want you to have a land line telephone number, to get a credit card, for instance. Now that lots of people don't have land lines, they've had to abandon that as a way of proving 'stability'.

mkettner · #6 (**permalink**) 18th June 2007, 06:24 PM

When bringing a vehicle into another country where you need to register it and have it properly insured there is often a tax that is added on that the government administers. I am not sure if there is a way around this, but it is common practice.

Michael

synthia · #7 (**permalink**) 19th June 2007, 04:56 PM

I've been looking at retirement visa programs in some countries, and when they want to encourage retirees as immigrants, duty-free importing of a car is one of the things they offer. Would this be a tax on top of that?

mkettner · #8 (**permalink**) 19th June 2007, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by synthia

I've been looking at retirement visa programs in some countries, and when they want to encourage retirees as immigrants, duty-free importing of a car is one of the things they offer. Would this be a tax on top of that?

If this is the case with Portugal I just am not sure.

sling · #9 (**permalink**) 21st June 2007, 07:48 PM

I, too, was intrigued by the title. Countries have some really peculiar laws about cars. In the US they vary by state, so it is even more confusing.

Japan charges more to register a car once it is six years old. This started as a way to boost their auto industry, but it has helped them a lot in controlling pollution. As cars become more efficient, they force the old ones, that pollute the most, off the road.

I know Singapore makes it as difficult and expensive as possible to own a car. Before they had the central business district charge, you could only drive into the center of the city three days a week, depending on the last letter on your license plate. Now you just pay. They charge huge duties on cars, and then charge a fortune to register them. They really don't want people to own cars, and have put a lot of money into expanding the subway system to reach people who live farther out on the island.

jsar · #10 (**permalink**) 7th July 2007, 10:17 AM

Hi Odysseus,

The importation rules seem to be changing for EU residents but not sure what the changes are. Here's the link to the British Embassy page on car importation - might be worth checking every now and then.

It seems I can only post a link after I've made 20 posts or more!??? So have a look at the British Embassy Lisbon site.

The old rules were that you had to prove residency in a EU country and the car had to be in your name for at least six months prior to exportation.