# Import of classic cars



## EricWoods

Hi,
i am making preparations for retirement in Portugal, i am a British citizen (N.I.).
I presently live in the USA. Heres the deal i have 1 *1968 Austin Mini Cooper'S' *that i shipped to USA in 2006 from N.Ireland when i moved, it is presently registered here in the USA as an 'Antique Vehicle', i also have a 1968 Nuffield Farm Tractor that i also brought over from N.Ireland at the same time tractors dont have to be registered here in the States, i bought a 1973 Norton Commando Motor Cycle here in the States (British Made), i do want to bring all 3 vehicles from USA to Portugal with me, 
Is there any special concession for Vehicles when they are over 40 year old,
My guess is i can just ship the tractor without any registration requirements as it will be kept indoors as a collector/sentimental item
Can i ship direct to Portugal or as i am moving as a British citizen will i first need to ship Vehicles to the U.K.
1- Main priority & most valuable is the 1968 Mini Cooper i have to have this one with me at any cost i have owned since 1990
2- 2nd Priority is the Tractor (Sentimental Value mainly)
3 - 3rd Priority is the Motor Cycle (spent a fortune on restoration)
Any help on this topic will be much appreciated i understand that i can only bring one of them in duty free but hoping that the age of all of them will mean that it will not cost a fortune to achieve
P.S: please disregard the Mexican flag here its just at first that was where i was thinking about retiring since change to Portugal
Thanks in Advance
Eric Woods


----------



## travelling-man

Hello Eric

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on having such good taste.

This has been duscussed many times here and if you use the search function, you should get answers to everything you need but a short summary is they allow incoming migrants to bring one car in on a tax free basis and you have to have had it registered in your name for at least a year.

There's also a few other requirements and it'd help if your car is registered with FIVA who can be found at Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens and you get the FIVA 'car passport' from your local FIVA man in the US. (I assume there is one). You need to be very sure all engine & vin numbers etc are absolutely correct between vehicle and FIVA passport. 

You might also join ACP which is the Portuguese version of the AA and then join their classicos section. These guys can help you get the car matriculated, give you cheaper insurance and also help you with other advice as and when you need it.

They don't make it very easy to actually join but if you have problems with that just let me know and I'll give them a call for you.

I'd recommend you bring the Mini in as tax free and pay the tax on the other two. The tax on the bike shouldn't be too dramatic but I've no idea about the tractor. I'm sure someone will be able to give you chapter and verse though.

Hope that helps.


----------



## canoeman

Q1 No, your British citizenship makes it easy for you to move to Portugal, importation regulations are now the same for EU & Non EU countries so makes little difference where you move from 

Q2 Believe that a tractor is not subject to ISV so wouldn't affect the 1 vehicle rule but might be subject to import duty, the lack of any registration papers might be an issue whether you intend to display or use, so some checking in this area, Caramulo might be useful for tractor

Q3 Your only allowed to import 1 vehicle free of ISV so it's sensible for that to be the dearer tax wise i.e. Mini under current regulations you can't import 2 vehicles free of ISV, as motorcycle ISV is relativity cheap you could import that as a personal import but first you must be a Registered Resident 

If your move isn't too imminent suggest you follow answers as a few of us are trying to nail down the importation of classics as it's slightly (very) unclear if a classic is subject to the current ISV regulations or treated totally differently, if you find anything out please pass on
Some contacts
Museu do Caramulo > Automobile Collection
CLUBE PORTUGUÊS DE AUTOMÓVEIS ANTIGOS - Entrada
Automóvel Club de Portugal
Site da DGAIEC - Descrição Imposto Sobre Veículos

This is the current information available, all classics pay yearly road tax (IUC) but pre 1960 at a lower rate

_Classic cars brought into Portugal on a permanent basis must meet the following legal requirements:

Be classified by the International Classic Car Federation (Fédération Internationale des Véhicule Anciens, FIVA)
Have a Classic Car Certificate (Certificado de Automóvel Antigo) from FIVA or ACP
Have a Technical Logbook/Manual (Ficha Técnica) from FIVA or other competent organisation
Have a colour photograph of the vehicle
Have a vehicle Logbook (Livrete) and Owner's Document (Título de Propridade) issued in the name of the owner/driver
Have the original and latest commercial purchase receipt (Factura Comercial)
Have an Authority to Circulate Document (Guia de Circulação) issued by Customs (Alfândegas)
Vehicles from the USA, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, India or the UK must meet European Union homologation approval standards if the vehicle is less than 30 years old
Vehicles over 30 years old are classified as having cultural and historic interest to Portuguese State Heritage and do not need to undergo any kind of homologation adaptations.

As a European Union member state Portugal adheres to the Mutual Recognition Scheme which means that the IMTT needs to be sure that any vehicle imported into Portugal is suitable for use on Portuguese roads. The driver/owner must provide documentary evidence from FIVA or the manufacturer of any physical alterations made to the vehicle

This is the really pertinent information but it is *not confirmed* and currently the CPAA site is updating this section_

A classic vehicle may be imported into Portugal tax-free provided:

_The vehicle is for private use only
The registered owner of the vehicle is imported from another EU country where they have been resident for at least 185 days
The vehicle has been used by its registered owner in their former country for at least six months
DGV Certificate of Compliance Form Model 9 has been filled out and submitted to the DGV confirming the vehicle has undergone an inspection
The owner has submitted a copy of passport, driver's licence, residency (or application), tax details and number and at least three years' original tax returns
A certificate of cancellation of residence issued by the person's consulate_


----------



## travelling-man

Don't panic about the technical logbook requirement. All I did when I bought my classic Jeep in about 18 months ago was have a copy of the workshop manual on my laptop. They asked me if I had one and I told them and they didn't even ask to see it.

The photo will be on your FIVA car passport and I've just checked the FIVA site and they have at least 3 people in the US who can issue that for you. Mine cost the equivalent of about US$15 at most.

The site says no changes for cars over 30 years old but don't be surprised if the inspectors insist you change a few small things such as running lights if you have them. I had to rewire mine so the indicators stayed off except when flashing etc and of course you'll have to have the headlights shining in the right direction but you might have done that for the US conversion already.

Oh and bearing in mind it's a Cooper S, if you have a competition exhaust on it, you might have to change that for a quieter one as the inspectors might insist on an EUSSR approved silencer box.


----------



## travelling-man

Oh. I forgot to say they also require a copy of the original specification sheet and all I did for that was to download a copy of the original sales brochure that had details of wheeltrack, weight & capacities etc then I just printed it and put it in with the other paperwork.


----------



## oronero

Hello *EricWoods*, if your mini cooper has been prepared for competition use there may be a few more hoops to jump through.

BL would often supply competition parts that differed from 'original standard spec' (as did other manufacturers), if these are fitted to your car and it is obvious then there may be a little more leg work that you may have to do.

However if your competition car has either an FIA approved 'Historic Technical Passport' or a 'Historic Rally Vehicle Identity Form' then things may be a little more straight forward.

As the car was acquired in N.Ireland, I presume that the sanctioning body for these forms are the Motor Sport Association MSN, based in Staines, UK. 

The MSA are here The MSA is recognised as the sole governing body of motor sport in Great Britain

It may also be sensible to contact the HRCT, for historic rally car technical information. The link is here http://www.hrct.co.uk/

I am just about to try and sort all of this out myself for my TR7 V8 rally car which was built to 'Group 4' regulations and little of the car, other than the silhouette resembles the standard car! I have owned it for 17 years and have had it stored in various places, sadly the shell was rotten when I initially bought it in 1996.

Fortunately I have the 'homologation papers' from the FIA that show all of the modifications, so it will be okay. However it will be a very long winded affair as I am about to undertake the restoration of the car prior to relocation in Portugal. I have to transform the sad looking image below into the finished item also shown, though I may finish it in white.


----------



## expatcha

Wow this whole thread has put me off ever taking in a classic !! Better find something else lol


----------



## travelling-man

expatcha said:


> Wow this whole thread has put me off ever taking in a classic !! Better find something else lol


Don't be put off.

sure it has some hassle factor but the car's value will increase immensely compared to many/most other countries & if you do it right and use a GOOD agent to handle the matriculation then they deal with all the hassles. 

All you have to do is get the required paperwork sorted out before you export it and looks a lot harder than it actually is.

The real key is to use a good agent and if I ever do it again, I'll use the ACP. They're probably more expensive than a private agent but they know about importing & registering classics as opposed the agents, most of whom only know about importing and registering ordinary cars.


----------



## TommyCamp

*Classic CarS*

I recently retired from the fire service here in the USA. Sold my house and I am not considering moving out of the US to spend my retirement. I am only 48. I am drawing a pretty good pension. Lisbon is one of the places I am thinking of moving to. 

I own a small collection of 1970s eta cars. 3 bmw and a porsche 911. I would like to take all four with me when i move to my new residence country. Is this possible to do in Portugal? I know 4 cars are a lot, but they're my personal collection and they're all significant to me. 

Thanks. Would appreciate any help.


----------



## socorob

Any new news on this? I would like to import my non standard classic when I move, and trying to gather info up front. I emailed ACP, so waiting to hear what they say.


----------

