# Drving my car in Portugal for 6 months then getting a portugese car



## samanketell

Hello everyone,

i am just hypothesizing here, but please could you give me a yay or nay for this idea.

i am moving to Portugal in 2 weeks, last minute for at least a year, and need to take my car to fit in all my gear, like a tool box, climbing ropes and so on.

i know that after 183 days i have to start the municipality process otherwise my car and myself can get deported and/or likely conned by the local authorities. 

would i be able to drive the car there for 6 months, then S.C.O.R.N it out there and then buy a Portuguese car while my english car sits on blocks. 

then when i want to come back i can unSCORN it, get a Portuguese MOT and then drive it back to get an MOT in England.

would this work?

many thanks Expats.

sam


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## zakooo

not offically but no worries,i drove my english car for 10 months before i bought a local car.my car had the union jack painted over the whole roof,so i was not creeping around.driving into portugal from spain there is no manned border crossing so they don't know when you entered .


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## MrBife

zakooo said:


> there is no manned border crossing so they don't know when you entered .


There may not be but the onus is on you to prove, if asked exactly when you did enter the country. Unlike the UK - Guilty until you can prove yourself innocent is the rule in Portugal.


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## andycastle

For what its worth, as far as I am aware SORN or not , the car is supposed to be out of the country at 183 days if not matriculated.

Although there are no border controls your car is clocked every time you go through a SCUT toll, therefore logged as been in the country. 

Also I believe it is your responsibility to prove when you entered.

I have just bitten the bullet and bought a Portuguese car. Depending where you live odds are you will be stopped at one of the frequent Police road side checks


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## Strontium

If you declare SORN (Statuary OffRoad Notice) the car will be off the road but to put it back on the road by getting it taxed using DVLA online you will need valid UK Insurance on the MID data base (askmid.com) and valid UK MOT on this data base (gov.uk/check-mot-status). A Portuguese "MOT" will not be on the DVLA database so you will not be able to un-SORN the car.


If you get stopped, as I did earlier this year near Tomar, you will have to produce all the paperwork you should be carrying in your car, reg doc in your name, valid tax, valid MOT, valid Insurance, driving licence, Passport, proof of when your car entered Portugal. If you do not have all these with you in the car they will hold your passport at an office/police station till you produce them. In my case that was an office inconveniently in Peniche.


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## Kevin Ennis

I have been here for 25 years and have never felt myself conned by the authorities. There are many rules and regs which seem crazy and convoluted but I guess an immigrant to the UK might say the same thing. We have always tried to abide by the rules and this has served us well down the years. Peace of mind is worth a lot and there is a huge crackdown on foreign residents as the government attempts to maximise revenue from fines against wrongdoers.


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## christopherdouglas

Hi,
Is there a reason why you don't want to matriculate your car? If you are staying for over a year then it's a lot cheaper than buying another one :-/


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## FamilyJ

Hi, I am new to this site. My family and I are looking to make a move to the Silver Coast very shortly. We are currently living in Turkey and have a car here. Is it possible to pay some form of import tax on the the car there rather than sell up in Turkey and buy a new car in Portugal where I believe they are rather expensive. If so is the process easy. Many thanks.


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## travelling-man

FamilyJ said:


> Hi, I am new to this site. My family and I are looking to make a move to the Silver Coast very shortly. We are currently living in Turkey and have a car here. Is it possible to pay some form of import tax on the the car there rather than sell up in Turkey and buy a new car in Portugal where I believe they are rather expensive. If so is the process easy. Many thanks.


You'll get all the info you need by using the search function but basically, if you're coming in as a new immigrant and if you've owned the car for at least 12 months before you arrive and can meet several other criteria then you can bring the car in tax free. 

If you have to pay the import tax then it's calculated on engine size and emissions etc not on value...... vehicles with big engines or high emissions can be VERY expensive. 

Also, one has to wonder how the recent VW emissions scandal is going to affect things?


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## FamilyJ

Thank you for that


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## Weebobsgrampa

sorry to hijack this a bit, 
after reading it i see if i own a car for 12 months then i can bring it in free when we move over, so how do i find out the costs if i havent owned the car for a year?
i intend to buy a LH drive car from the UK before we travel, but not too long before, 
im also going to find out whether i am better transferring the plates and reg to make it a UK car, if i get a foreign, not from portugal, car, not sure if that is easy or not, or indeed whether it is worth it as im thinking after a year in portugal with a uk reg car i need to matriculate it any way
thanks


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## RichardHenshall

Weebobsgrampa said:


> ... how do i find out the costs if i havent owned the car for a year? ...


https://aduaneiro.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/jsp/main.jsp?body=/ia/simuladorISV.jsp


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## Weebobsgrampa

many thanks


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## travelling-man

*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 vehicle must have been registered to the importer for at least 12 months previously (in the country it's coming from), 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 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 (August 2016)) 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.

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 in excess of €20k. 

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.

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. 
*
Importing and Registering Classic Cars in Portugal
Classic cars can be driven freely into Portugal providing they are for personal, temporary use and have the necessary vehicle taxation, insurance, and documentation.
Those wishing to import a classic car permanently into Portugal may drive the car for four days before registering it with the customs (Alfândegas). 
Vehicle tax (Imposto Automóvel) must be paid for all classic cars* 
Vehicles made before 1960 are taxed 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* AKA a classic car passport.
Have a Technical Logbook/Manual (Ficha Técnica) from FIVA or other competent organisation. They will accept an ordinary workshop manual or ecopy of such.
Have a colour photograph of the vehicle which also goes in the FIVA classic car passport
Have a vehicle Logbook (Livrete) and Owner's Document (Título de Propridade) issued in the name of the owner/driver from the country of import.
Have the original and latest commercial purchase receipt (Factura Comercial) 
Have an Authority to Circulate Document (Guia de Circulação) issued by Customs (Alfândegas) which is issued on arrival 
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 more than 30 years old. This means headlights, running lights & indicators etc might need to be changed.
Vehicles over 30 years old may be classified as having cultural and historic interest to Portuguese State Heritage and might not need to undergo any kind of homologation adaptations such as catalytic converters etc. 
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. 
Import duty
A classic vehicle may be imported into Portugal tax-free provided:
The vehicle is for private use only.
The vehicle has been used by its registered owner in their former country for at least 12 months previously.
The owner has submitted a copy of passport, driver's licence, residency (or application), tax details (fiscal number).
A certificate of cancellation of residence issued by the person's consulate. The consulate may charge you for this but if you use an agent to do the matriculation this document may sometimes not be required. 
The Portuguese Classic Cars Club (Clube Português de Automóveis Antigos) has a lot of useful information (in Portuguese).
Clube Português de Automóveis Antigos (Head Office)
At: Rua Duque de Saldanha 308, 4300-094 Porto
Tel: 225 377 699 / 225 362 128
If coming from/importing your classic or non classic vehicle from a non EU country, you need to list it on the certificate of baggage (in the name of the registered owner) that you must obtain from the Portuguese Embassy or High Commission in the country you’re coming from BEFORE you leave & to do that, you will need:
Registration document of the vehicle (that shows the car has been registered in your name for at least 12 months)
Export Clearance Certificate
Employment letter or letter from bookkeeper stating you were employed
Signed declaration stating that you are going to Portugal for good.
Drivers licence
Passport that shows your residence permit in the country you’re coming from.
Online calculator for both import & annual road tax here: IUC - Imposto Único de Circulação 2017
NOTE: Classic vehicles can sometimes be exempt from the annual road tax fee if you can get it registered as a car of historical interest to Portugal & to do that, you need to join & remain a member of ACP & ACP/ Classicos who will inspect the vehicle & then issue an annual certificate that you then present to the fiscal office every year. 
This however does only allow limited mileage but the upside is it also allows for very inexpensive insurance. I only pay in the region of €36 per year for a classic car with a 5.9 litre engine.


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## Weebobsgrampa

thanks, very informative, 
we arent sure when we will actually move, but i dont really want to buy a LH drive now and use it in uk, had planned to get one a month or so before we travelled over, to have time to sort paperwork etc,
oh well, need to decide whether to just buy one over there or pay the tax on a uk purchased one, need to look at all the options/requirements then decide


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## travelling-man

Or maybe buy a LHD Portuguese registered car in the UK...... but if you take that option you need to check there are no outstanding taxes on the car because when you buy the car you accept responsibility for outstanding taxes as well.


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## Weebobsgrampa

thanks again
would the one year ownership rule still apply, or because it is from portugal and owned by me could i simply drive to portugal in it?


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## travelling-man

If it's PT registered there is no import/registration tax to pay because it's already PT registered


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## Weebobsgrampa

thanks again


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