wiggle

My wife and I are relocating to Portugal in September.
We are driving out in our right hand drive, UK registered car but once there will only require it until we buy a left hand drive car.
The car is probably worth about £1000.
Any advice as to whether or not to export the car etc etc and whether I am likely to be able to sell it - maybe to someone returning to the UK.
It's a Vauxhall Astra Estate so plenty of room for luggage, dogs and stuff.
Thanks in advance for any help or advice.
Keith

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE
I have moved your thread over to our Portugal forum. Someone will probably be along shortly to help you.

EMR

If it is only worth that much then do not bother.
There is only a tiny demand for rhd vehicles and the cost of returning it to the UK would eat into anything you got for it back in the UK.
Your other option is to sell it for spares in PT and take the loss.

MrBife

Since it would cost more like £3000 to hire a car in Portugal for six months you are already on the winning side. Plan a holiday trip back to the UK just before the deadline and sell it quickly when you get back for £750+ and you are really winning.

Red Eric

I agree
With Mr B

Red Eric

One word of warning to add.

According to the law you are not permitted to drive a foreign-plated vehicle in Portugal once you are resident here, unless you have started the matriculation process (import procedure).

k2397

I think I'm right in saying that you can't matriculate a UK registered car in Portugal (without paying lots of duty) unless you have owned it for a year and a day first.

But , do you have to own it for a year and a day.....

Before the car leaves the UK?
Before the car enters Portugal?
Before you begin the matriculation process?
..... ore none of the above!

We're planning to move to Portugal next year, and will be bringing out a UK registered (LHD) car, so it would be useful to know this.

mfesharne

Each adult new immigrant is allowed to import one motor vehicle free of import tax if t has been registered to them in the country it's coming from for at least 12 months & you will need a Certificate of Conformity from the manufacturer plus a few other small items such as workshop manual etc and the matriculation process needs to have started within 6 months of the importer getting his/her residencia.

If you cannot meet the criteria then you have to remove the vehicle within 6 months of import OR pay the import tax & that tax is calculated on engine size & emissions and this charge is particularly high on vehicles with large engines....... I believe cheapest is cars under 1400 cc.

There are agents here that'll handle the paperwork for you & current cost of having them do the matriculation process is in the region of €400 per vehicle.

You also need to be aware that the road tax is calculated as if the vehicle is new at the date of matriculation...... So a vehicle that was manufactured in (for example) 2000 is priced as if it was 2016 and that can make a considerable difference. - Especially to cars with big engines.

liveaboard

There is no import tax if you're coming from the UK.
Everyone here is talking about the registration tax.

If you were to bring a vehicle from outside the EU, then you would have to pay import tax, as well as VAT and [possibly] the registration tax.

mfesharne

We've had this debate several times but the fact is that you have to pay an amount to the PT govt when you import a motor vehicle whether from the UK or anywhere else in the world (unless you can import it tax free as a new immigrant) and that amount is stipulated by the Govt.

If the Govt stipulate an amount you have to pay to import/matriculate then to my eyes, it's a tax...... no matter what the Govt choose to call it.

Definition of the word 'Tax'
1.
a compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits, or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you can be pretty sure it is a f**king duck......... even if the Govt chooses to call it something else.

liveaboard

Yes, it's a tax; but not an IMPORT tax.
If you built the car in Portugal, you would pay the same amount of tax to register it. This tax is not based on the origin of the vehicle, but on registering it to drive on Portuguese public roads.
All countries have a registration fee or tax; Portugal's is just exceptionally high.

There IS also an import tax; you would have to pay that if you brought a vehicle from outside the EU. I know because I wanted to bring one, and checked.

By constantly using the wrong terminology, the issue is constantly confused.

mfesharne

I bought mine in from South Africa which is obviously outside the EU and exactly the same rules & fees applied....... I had a choice of either paying the import tax (note that exact term was used by customs, import agent & ACP Classicos etc) or meeting the criteria for a new immigrant and bringing it in tax free.

I met the criteria.

liveaboard

Then you were exempt from import tax as well as registration tax, and perhaps IVA as well.
That's 3 separate taxes.
For imports between EU countries, there is no IVA or import tax, only the registration tax is applied.
Or not.

mfesharne

Correct in theory except with IVA/VAT which I'll address just now)

In reality, PT does charge a tax to import a vehicle and has done for many years & are fined every year by the EU for doing so but the PT Govt are happy to pay that annual fine because they make more from the import tax they charge than they lose when paying the fine.

ACP, ACP Classicos & some individuals have been involved in several legal challenges to this but have lost every time but there's a number of media reports on the internet about it & ACP/ACP Classicos report on it in their magazine from time to time.

As regards IVA/VAT PT has the right and often does charge the difference between IVA/VAT levels between different EU member countries.

For example if the EU country where the item is sent from has a IVA/VAT level of 19% and PT has 23% then they can and often do charge the 4% difference.

They usually only enforce this on more expensive items.

Going slightly off topic, it should be noted that when importing goods from outside the EU they often charge import tax AND IVA/VAT not only on cost of goods but also on cost of packaging AND post.

Whether you call it an import tax or a registration tax is irrelevant. It's a tax you have to pay to import a motor vehicle whether you like it or not.

As I said previously, if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, you can be pretty fu**ing sure it's a duck.

Red Eric

I think you'll find this is to do with Portuguese residents importing vehicles - ie not related to a personal import on immigrating - and relates to the way the value of 2nd hand vehicles is calculated (not taking proper account of depreciation) and not to do with the imposition of the tax per se, which is perfectly legal and within EU rules.