# More car questions (shipping and matriculation)



## BellaLuna (Jun 7, 2008)

Ola,

I am still trying to decide whether to ship my car over to Portugal. I want to make a good decision. I know someone who moved from New Jersey and shipped his car over. He told me that if you own the car for at least 6 months in your home counrty and can provide two years worth of tax documents proving that you worked and lived there that you would not have to pay import tax etc. He recommended bringing the car.

Does anyone know if that is true? Looking around the internet, there is so much mixed information. Some people say it is a good idea to bring the car, some don't think so. It's SO confusing!

The car is a 2007 Honda Civic. Here it cost about $13,000 and I bought it about 6 months ago. It's a really nice little car and I would really like to bring it over, but not if it's going to be a crazy ordeal.

If I do ship it over...does anyone know about how much import duty they will charge when I pick it up at the cargo ship docks? And does that vary by country...like would it be cheaper to ship it to a different country and drive it to Portugal?

I hope I'm not driving anyone crazy with all these questions....and I am very grateful for anyones advice!  Muito obrigagda!

Christina


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## silvers (Sep 22, 2008)

Hi Christina,
I am not certain about your particular details, all I can say is if you import a car from another European country, you have to have owned that vehicle for over 12 months.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

No matter where you ship it to, you'll be liable for import taxes and duties based on the country in which you are taking up residence. The main thing is usually VAT - which you need to prove you have paid. Coming from the US may be a problem, since the US has no VAT (like sales tax, but the two aren't considered comparable for import purposes, as far as I know). Then, too, you have to meet the Portuguese requirements for registering your car. That can involve replacing some equipment - often the windshield and sometimes the lights, due to somewhat different safety standards.

The other big factor to check is the availability of parts for a 2007 Honda Civic in Portugal. Car models are not always the same between countries, and parts for a European Honda Civic may not be entirely compatible with one made for the US market. (Check with Honda for more information on this.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## BellaLuna (Jun 7, 2008)

Well, if you already own the car and were just bringing it over there, why would you have to pay VAT on it? :confused2:

I will call the Portuguese Consulate tomorrow and hear what they have to say about it. I e-mailed them like 3 times but didn't hear back from them so I will just do it the old fashioned way!

I will also check into parts compatibility of European Hondas and American Hondas.

Thanks!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

BellaLuna said:


> Well, if you already own the car and were just bringing it over there, why would you have to pay VAT on it? :confused2:


VAT is a strange sort of tax. Normally, on import, you only have to pay on those things you have "recently" acquired (like within the last year). With cars, however, some countries are pickier and want to see that VAT was paid on the original sale of the vehicle when new - something you can't prove if the car is coming from a non-VAT country like the US. 
Cheers,
Bev


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