bazzer70

Thanks everyone for help on previous submissions.....
If I import my car I obviously don't want to pay import taxes so please can somebody give step by step timings if these below are not correct or I have missed something out:
i.e.
arriving in, say, January,
first step - get an address (I plan to rent for at least a year)
step 2 - apply for a tax number
step 3 - apply for residency
step 4 - apply for NHR status
step 5 - I assume I have to have done all previous steps before I can apply to register my car as being imported by me?
Also what timings might be involved in these steps?
Thanks again in anticipation
regards
Baz

mfesharne

I seem to post this fairly regularly & FWIW, it's a much easier process than it sounds.... The most important thing is that the engine & VIN numbers etc on the documents tie up absolutely perfectly with what's on the vehicle.

Each adult new immigrant is allowed to import one motor vehicle free of import tax IF (note the big IF) the vehicle meets the required criteria which is:

The importer can prove the vehicle has been registered to the him/her for at least 12 months previously (in the country it's coming from) & that he/she has lived in that country for that time period, the importer must provide a Certificate of Conformity or if the vehicle was manufactured pre CoC they will accept a downloaded copy of the original sales brochure that shows the tech spec of the vehicle.

The vehicle must be standard or any (obvious) changes to the vehicle must be listed on a letter from a main dealer or manufacturer listing all changes from standard stating & that all said changes from standard are acceptable replacements.

The matriculation process must be started within 6 months of the applicant getting his/her Residencia. Whilst you can do the matriculation process yourself, it's much easier if you have a local agent do it for you & current (at time of writing (October 2017)) cost is usually about €400 plus the one off matriculation inspection of about €125 + annual road tax.

Road tax is calculated on engine size & emissions and priced as a new car on the date of matriculation not on year of manufacture. If you do go the tax free import route, you are not allowed to sell the car for 5 years unless you repay the tax you've avoided on a pro rata basis ie 20% per year. NOTE: The UK Govt are now (Jan2018) claiming that has dropped to 1 year but the Portuguese Govt have not confirmed that as far as I’m aware.

If you pay the import tax it's calculated on age of vehicle, engine size & emissions NOT on value & is often VERY expensive, especially for cars with large engines/high emissions & some cars can cost tens of thousands of Euros & one day difference in the date of manufacture from one year to the next can sometimes mean a massive increase/decrease in tax payable (**see message from ACP Classicos below) so do your research on the simulator link below very carefully.

You're allowed to keep a foreign registered car in Portugal for 180 days maximum before you either matriculate it or remove it back to the country it came from for a further 180 days. The only exception to this rule is for some (but not all) students on some (but not all) study permits

If you have a foreign registered car in Portugal, it must be taxed, tested & insured in it’s country of registration all the time it’s in Portugal & if the GNR catch you with an overstaying vehicle or without tax, test or insurance, they can & often do, permanently confiscate the vehicle which they will then sell or destroy. Note that whilst a foreign registered vehicle can be put through a Portuguese IPO/MOT inspection the pass certificate has no legal standing & is not a replacement for the test certificate from the country of origin.

During the Portuguese matriculation/registration process the vehicle has to be submitted for a one off matriculation inspection which is a greatly enhanced safety inspection which includes a rolling road test & if the vehicle comes from a country that drives on the left the headlight units will need to be changed. Beam deflectors are not acceptable.

Once matriculated the vehicle is subject to the ordinary Portuguese IPO annual inspection.

If importing from the UK you will be expected to provide a ‘Car Importation Certificate’ Details of how to obtain that here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial...e-for-portugal

mfesharne

Taxes can be calculated here:

https://aduaneiro.portaldasfinancas....muladorISV.jsp

Mitzi2012

As well as a car would I be able to bring a motorcycle free of tax?

mfesharne

No...... it's one motor vehicle per adult immigrant (tax free) but the good news is the taxes on motorcycles are very low compared to cars so you could import the car on the tax free basis & pay the tax on the bike.

Mitzi2012

I am thinking of importing my Vespa. Do you know what the costs might be to receive the approval? It might be better to sell it in the country I currently reside and buy another one in Portugal?

mfesharne

You can calculate it on the link I posted above but it won't be much for a scooter.

Parklife99

EMR

Portugal is doing nothing illegal.
It was taken to task for charging iiva on the import costs but no longer does this..
Internal tax regimes are the responsibility of the individual member country.w

Red Eric

In the case of a new resident bringing a car with them, provided they comply with the conditions there is no tax, as discussed above.

If you're talking about people or vehicles not complying with those conditions, the tax that is levied is a registration tax, (not, as incorrectly stated above , an import tax), which is levied on all cars on registration in Portuguese territory including those vehicles manufactured in Portugal (thus not contravening any free trade regs, since there is no discrimination between a vehicle manufactured in Portugal and one manufactured elsewhere in the EU and imported)

Registration taxes charged on transferred vehicles are permissible under EU law :
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...s/index_en.htm

Portugal chooses to waive those charges on personal imports by someone transferring their residence - even those from outside the EU.

riv

I can see how they can check Registration Docs, Insurance, and maybe MOT - but how do they check that you have paid road tax now that there is no disc ? Jus' wondrin'.

Red Eric

Who's "they"?

It's the Finanças that the annual tax is paid to and non-payment is now purely a matter between them and the vehicle owner. The traffic patrol officers don't check on it any more.

EMR

I think the poster was asking about checks to a UK reg vehicle, many as we know are overstayed out of UK mot , no UK road tax and questionable insurance..

Red Eric

Ah, gotcha.

I can't imagine the PT cops being any more interested in whether UK tax is up to date than if it were a PT car and PT tax (ie not at all bothered). The other things would be of interest, though.

RichardHenshall

If they want to they could access https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax - much the same data as UK enforcement officers would use.