# Police and cars



## Jeff TT (Aug 1, 2010)

The recent questions on importing cars in to Portugal have me thinking, how is the rule below actually policed?

*(As a NON Resident you can bring a vehicle into Portugal for 183 days in total in any 12 month period)*

By that, when you drive from the UK and cross into Portugal do they register your arrival in some way? I guess many holiday makers drive their UK cars into Portugal and then leave, so how to the authorities / police differentiate between visiters cars and long stayers?

Jeff TT


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## steve01 (Dec 8, 2010)

Mostly if your paperwork is in order if you're stopped they don't request information like that.
so if you have passport, valid driving license, valid mot, road tax, good tyres etc and haven't broken any laws , speeding, bad parking etc they won't ask.

However give them a reason and Portuguese law is like American law - the onus is on you to prove when you entered / left/returned etc (guilty until proven innocent) and they will take your car, give you big fines, possibly extradite you , especially under the current financial regime unless you have recieipts for fuel purchased on journeys, ferry tickets, border crossing dates etc

All of the major entry points even though mostly un-manned these days have cameras that record cars entering / leaving


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

If your stopped and your length of stay is questioned the onus is on you to prove that you haven't broken the 183 day rule not on the police to prove you have, as there is no border control to register entry and exit (although there are lots of cameras) then it's sensible that you keep receipts/tickets that would prove you haven't.


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## Jeff TT (Aug 1, 2010)

Oh I see, so if you do not get an actual stop there is no actual follow up in place then? reason I ask is I see a few UK reg cars about that have been around longer than the set out period, I would guess the local cops may be their down fall if the recognise the car over an extended period, good plan to have a car that does not stand out then....except for the UK plates of course!

Cheers guys.

Jeff TT


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

To date they've just been lucky but sooner or later they'll get stopped and caught and sensible thing is for them to avoid any tolled roads traditional or electronic because that will log them


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

Well one day last week the GNR were having a field day in Caldas on most of the roundabout pulling cars!!!

Fall foul and you risk,...car confiscated and crushed plus large fine, large fine (often in excess of the value of the car), get you car out of PT within 48 hours plus large fine. OR ANY combination thereof.


If you slip through the net you never know what is round the corner....is it worth the risk??


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## notlongnow (May 21, 2009)

Agree completely. I think driving around in an illegal UK car is basically just waiting to have a seriously bad day.


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