# Car Insurance



## Curiousbodhi (Oct 17, 2019)

Hello!
My husband and I moved to Portugal permanently with a UK-registered van. The van is registered at our UK address (rented flat) we no longer live. Now, the problem is that the UK will no longer insure us because we don't have an address and Portugal won't insure us, because our van is not re-registered here yet. I heard it takes 3-6 months for re-registration, so essentially we may be uninsured at all for a long time! We thought of 1,000 solutions to no avail. Can anybody help? Are there Portuguese insurance companies that would insure us, even temporarily?

Thanks guys!


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Portuguese law stipulates that a foreign registered vehicle can only remain in Portugal for 6 months before either being removed back to the country of registration for a further 6 months or beginning the matriculation process & it must be taxed, tested & insured IN IT'S COUNTRY OF REGISTRATION all the time it's here & if caught in breach of that, the GNR can & often do permanently confiscate the vehicle. 

It also states that a registered resident of Portugal cannot drive a foreign registered vehicle unless they own it AND it has begun the matriculation process & again, a similar penalty applies. 

The matriculation process can in theory at least, be completed in a day but in reality, usually takes a number of weeks and is a LOT easier if you use an agent but in either case, you need to fit the criteria exactly to get the new immigrant tax free vehicle import/matriculation concession & if you have to pay that fee it is often very expensive indeed......... but the good news is that commercial vehicles such as vans are less expensive than ordinary cars.

How long have you been a registered resident of Portugal & how long have you owned the vehicle for?


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

In the meantime try Ibex Insurance in Gibraltar. 

Faye Caulfield Cert CII| Customer Service Advisor | Ibex Insurance Services Limited
68 Irish Town, GX11 1AA, Gibraltar

DL: +35 0200 02132


T: 800 860 705 (From Portugal)
T: 0845 652 4239 (From United Kingdom)
E: [email protected]


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