# Vehicle Matriculation/Tax Free Importation



## brogan

Hi,
I have been reading posts about this subject and it appears to be possible to import a vehicle to Portugal tax free if certain conditions are met. Some posts say you must have owned the vehicle for 6 months and some say you must have owned the vehicle for 12 months in the previous Country. I am going to assume it is 12 months in regards to my situation and question.
I am planning to move to Portugal in March 2017. If I were to buy a vehicle in the UK now, would I be able to import it to Portugal tax free in 12 months time (Sep 2018) or do I have to own it for 12 months before I move to Portugal, whilst I am living in the UK?
This would mean the scheme will not work in my situation as I would have needed to have purchased the vehicle during or before March 2016.


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## Janina k

brogan said:


> Hi,
> I have been reading posts about this subject and it appears to be possible to import a vehicle to Portugal tax free if certain conditions are met. Some posts say you must have owned the vehicle for 6 months and some say you must have owned the vehicle for 12 months in the previous Country. I am going to assume it is 12 months in regards to my situation and question.
> I am planning to move to Portugal in March 2017. If I were to buy a vehicle in the UK now, would I be able to import it to Portugal tax free in 12 months time (Sep 2018) or do I have to own it for 12 months before I move to Portugal, whilst I am living in the UK?
> This would mean the scheme will not work in my situation as I would have needed to have purchased the vehicle during or before March 2016.


Hello

First 12 months time is September 2017 not 2018. You need to have owned the vehicle for twelve months when you arrive in Portugal and you need Utility bills, Electric, Gas, Phone etc and you may be short of bank statements showing the bill to have been paid. 

The vehicle must be fully legal in the country of origin at the time you Start the matriculation process. It's twelve months prior to the date you go to the Customs and start the legal process. 

While you have time look in the UK for a left hand drive vehicle it will make driving a lot easier. 

We Matriculated two vehicles with the help of my brother and it was all done in a matter of a few days. Cost was about 500€ each vehicle.

Fred


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## brogan

Hi Fred 
I mistakenly put 2018 instead of 2017, thanks for pointing that out.
So

It looks like the tax free scheme will not work for me as I would have owned the vehicle for 6 months when I move to Portugal in March.

plan B, is to buy a Hybrid car in the UK and metriculate it to a Portuguese registered car as this type of car would appear to have minimal charges levied on it compared to standard petrol or diesel engined car.


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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 2016
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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## brogan

I should have bought the car 6 months ago. As I am moving to Portugal in March I cant use the tax free scheme.
Do you know how much it costs to import/metriculate a Hybrid car to Portugal, are there any webpages detailing the fees depending on the age, value, type and size of engine the car has?


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