Cars

[allannshirley]

Hi

We are in a dilemma, do we sell our cars in the uk prior to moving to Portugal or import it?

What are the pit falls, costs etc?

Regards Allan

[silvers]

Hi Allan,
If you have owned the vehicle for at least the last twelve months and are planning on becoming full time residents in Portugal, then go for it. You will need to prove all your tax payments and social benefits received both here and in the UK.

[notlongnow]

Really depends how much you like paperwork and whether you are happy to drive a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side. Provided you don't mind and you have owned the car for over a year the matriculation costs are fairly low and cars here are VERY expensive...

[-mia-]

Sell your car and buy one when you get to Portugal.

[siobhanwf]

Have a look at the details on the Embassy site ...

Importing cars

Permanent Importation of Motor Vehicles
If you are transferring your residence to Portugal from another EU member state or from a third country, you may be able to import your motor vehicle tax-free, provided

• You are over 18;

• You have been resident in the country from where you are transferring for a minimum period of 12 months, consecutive or otherwise;

• You have held a valid driver’s licence in that country for a minimum of 12 months;

• You are transferring your normal place of residence to Portugal;

• Your vehicle was purchased fully-tax paid in the country of your former residence;

• You owned the vehicle in the country of your former residence for at least 12 months prior to transferring your residence to Portugal, from the date of issue of the vehicle registration document, or from the date on which the leasing contract was signed, as appropriate.

Importation Procedures
In order to import a vehicle, you should submit an application within six months of the date on which you transfer your residence to Portugal. The application should be made to your nearest Customs office.

The application should be submitted, together with:

a customs declaration relating to the vehicle
the vehicle’s registration certificate/logbook, as proof of ownership
your driver’s licence, valid for at least 12 months prior to the date on which you transferred your residence to Portugal
official residence certificate, issued by the competent authorities in the country of your former residence. If it is not possible to obtain this in your country of former residence, a certificate from the consulate is also acceptable. This will be issued once you have taken a statutory declaration and on presentation of your passport, tax-payer’s ID card, your residence certificate and vehicle registration document
documentary evidence of residence in the country from which you are transferring , such as rent receipts, utility bills, salary slips, proof of pension payments or national insurance contributions.
The Customs authority may request official translations of all documentary evidence.

A motor vehicle that has been imported in this way may not be sold, loaned, pledged or hired for a period of 12 months following the date on which the Portuguese registration number is attributed. In addition, in order to maintain eligibility for tax-free importation, you must continue to reside in Portugal for a minimum period of 12 months. Only one vehicle may be imported tax-free per person once every ten years.

If your application for tax-free importation is turned down, you will be notified by the Customs authority and have to declare to them, within a period of 30 days, what you intend to do with the vehicle. If you fail to do this, they will consider that the vehicle has been brought into Portugal illegally.

[christopherdouglas]

Hello Siobhán,
Just had to write:
Of all the (very) numerous replies regarding importing cars that have appeared over the years yours is just the most succinct that I've ever read. Amazing.

(Er, that all sounded a bit creepy didn't it- sorry! Pass the sick bag please . . .)

Hellen

[siobhanwf]

Originally Posted by christopherdouglas

Hello Siobhán,
Just had to write:
Of all the (very) numerous replies regarding importing cars that have appeared over the years yours is just the most succinct that I've ever read. Amazing.

(Er, that all sounded a bit creepy didn't it- sorry! Pass the sick bag please . . .)

Hellen

Ta Helen

Think I may place it as a "sticky" post as it is a question that comes up soooo often

[jellybean]

Originally Posted by notlongnow

Really depends how much you like paperwork and whether you are happy to drive a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side. Provided you don't mind and you have owned the car for over a year the matriculation costs are fairly low and cars here are VERY expensive...

I agree. If you can, bring your old car and get it legally registered here (if you don't like/want to do the paperwork, there are people who'll handle it for you). Cars here are RIDICULOUSLY expensive!

[kate1717]

Hi everyone, my first post here...

I have recently imported my car from the UK to Portugal and it was one of the most complicated and expensive things I have ever done.

I hadnt owned it for long enough to get a free import but it is only a smart car so I was told that my matriculation fee was only €200. Simple it would seem. I fully expected the additional costs such as the MOT equivalent but these would be needed to register a car regardless of an import or not. What I wasnt expecting was all of the hidden costs which arent metioned until you get to them, €40 here, €50 there, it soon adds up.

There is also the paper work to tackle. If it isnt perfect it isnt accepted. For example I had to provide a conformation from Mercedes stating the chasis number of my car, which I had. But it wasnt in Portuguese so wasnt correct and you arent told that until the paper is needed. Luckily on that the friend that was with me knew the person dealing with my process but it still took a bribe of €20!

The final thing that they caught me on was my road tax. I have a 2004 smart so it should be €16 a year. However because I received Portuguese plates in 2010 I have to pay €90 a year because the law changed for new cars, even though it says '04' on my plates its now considered a new car!

It is possible to import a car but be prepared to spend much more than you are told by the ladies in the alfandga and to spend hours and hours of you life in goverment buildings waiting to get a piece of paper stamped to go back to a different government building to get them to stamp it too, then travel again with your piece of paper to the original building.......you can see where I am going with this!
May I suggest paying someone to do the paperwork for you if you chose to bring your car. As you can probably see from the length of my post it was quite a scaring experience!

[silvers]

I do sympathise Kate, but just think how much the same car would have cost you to buy in Portugal.