# Bringing a car from Sweden?



## portugaldreaming (Jul 10, 2016)

Hello there, I am wondering if it is going to be worth my while bringing my 2002 Volvo to Portugal from Sweden? As I recall, it can be a hassle to do this. It is worth only about 2,000 euros so wondering how much tax that would attract?

Also, as I intend to apply for my Australian pension from Portugal, would I qualify for any tax reduction on the car?


----------



## Tellus (Nov 24, 2013)

Reckon you better let the car in Sweden or you can declare it as moving goods.
Portugal get very hard and expensive regulations for vehicle import. And year after year will be more expensive.
Here 's a calculator: https://impostosobreveiculos.info/isv/simulador-rapido-isv-2018/


----------



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

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 6 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 12 months of the applicant getting his/her Residencia. (it was previously 6 months) 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 (March 2018)) 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 1 year unless you repay the tax you've previously avoided but if you did pay the tax then you can sell it any time you wish.

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 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-and-documentary-services-guide-for-portugal 

You can calculate the import tax (if payable) & annual road tax payable here: https://aduaneiro.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/jsp/main.jsp?body=/ia/simuladorISV.jsp 

Act here: https://dre.pt/web/guest/pesquisa/-/search/226204/details/normal?l=1 

Note: The required ownership period prior to matriculation used to be 12 months but was reduced to 6 months in January 2018. 

https://www.portaldascomunidades.mn...ificados/499-certificado-importacao-automovel 

Note: A resident of Portugal is NOT legally allowed to drive a foreign registered vehicle.


----------



## portugaldreaming (Jul 10, 2016)

thanks for your excellent detailed response! The only risk I see at the moment, is that I may be driving the car with Swedish plates AFTER I buy my residency - which is what I need to do, to get the ball rolling for my pension application. So a kind of catch 22 situation which means I will have to get the car transferred sooner rather than later, or not drive it until it is matriculated.

So I hope the whole process is worth it. Even though the car is not worth that much, I know it will be a good reliable car for many years. I am assuming to buy the equivalent in Portugal is going to cost a lot more, about 30% more?


----------



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Cars are expensive here & you do have to pay a higher annual road tax on newly matriculated vehicles but in many cases it's still worth it IMO


----------



## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Here's another way of looking at it. 

For the first 3 months + you can be a "tourist", having your own wheels to get about and do your stuff is very very useful and gives you a period to decide what to do with said wheels ie get it matriculated or scarp it and get a "local" car.


----------

