# Vintage Beetle



## Soapchick (May 12, 2014)

Hi everyone, Im new here! I expect you are all sick of the vehicle matriculation question, Im pretty fed up with trying to get it all done! I have a lovely 1970 VW Beetle on UK plates but originally from Germany. its LHD and I want to matriculate it. I know that I cant get a CoC for it but can anyone help me with what to get instead? Also any other hints and tips on importing a vintage car would be very welcome. Thanks


----------



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

You should be able to go online & download a copy of the original sales brochure, part of which will have full vehicle specifications etc & this should be acceptable........ at least it was acceptable to them when I imported my classic Jeep about 2 years ago.

Here's the document in question for my vehicle:


----------



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

You might also like to join the ACP (Portuguese AA) and then join their Classico section. - They can handle your matriculation process for you (I don't know the charge) & they can also give you a letter that says your car is of historical interest to PT & then it becomes exempt from road tax.

Oh & their classic car insurance is as cheap as chips as well. I currently pay €39 per year for my classic Jeep & that has a 5.9 litre V8 engine.

PM me if you need details of how to join. - You need to have made 5 posts before you can use the PM service.


----------



## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

On older cars especially collectables then Owners Clubs can often help with CoC or equivalent, it's unclear as to your actual status, but you must be a resident to import it, there are different rules and procedures for
Import as a "historic" vehicle
Import and pay ISV
Import free of ISV

If you are importing as a "historic" take TM advice and join ACP, they seem only ones really on ball with importing "historic" but you still need to get your Residence date import dates correct


----------



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

canoeman said:


> On older cars especially collectables then Owners Clubs can often help with CoC or equivalent, it's unclear as to your actual status, but you must be a resident to import it, there are different rules and procedures for
> Import as a "historic" vehicle
> Import and pay ISV
> Import free of ISV
> ...


----------



## Soapchick (May 12, 2014)

Thanks so much for your speedy responses, Im amazed how much information you have given me in such a small space of time. Im not actually moving to Portugal until next Month and I will apply for residency to co-inside with the first year of ownership of the beetle (still got 3 months to go). I am very interested to hear about the Portuguese AA, I did try to look at their site but got a bit muddled so when I can start sending our pm's I will message you re: joining. Ive just sent off 50 Euros to the VW museum in Germany who offer a full information service for all vehicles made there so I should be able to get something similar the the Jeep thing, they called it a vehicle passport/CoC so Im hopeful that will do the trick! Next job is importing our Spanish Landrover! I see more problems on the horizon :eek2:


----------



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

If it'll help, here's the checklist (notes in brackets at the end of paras are my comments) I used to import my Jeep from South Africa.

The info came from a variety of websites, FIVA & the Portuguese High Commission in Pretoria & as you're importing from within the EU, some requirements might not be necessary but better to get too much documentation than too little. 

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/Workshop Manual (Ficha Técnica) from FIVA or other competent organisation (You can probably download this FOC)

•	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 (The car has to have been registered to the importer for ay least 12 months)

•	Have the original and latest commercial purchase receipt (Factura Comercial) 

•	Have an Authority to Circulate Document (Guia de Circulação) issued by Customs (Alfândegas) (Don’t know what this is but I wasn’t asked for it!)

•	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 

•	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. (Tell that to the vehicle inspectors!)
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 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 (I wasn’t asked to provide this)

•	A certificate of cancellation of residence issued by the person's consulate (Wasn’t asked for this)
You should take a certificate from our consulate, for which you will need:
* Registration of car (that shows the car is in your name for more than 1 year)

* Export Clearance Certificate

* Employment letter or letter from bookkeeper stating you were employed

* Declaration stating that you are going to Portugal for good.

* Drivers licence

* Passport that shows us your residence permit here in SA
All the other documents that you mentioned will be necessary to legalize the car in Portugal and not for us.


----------

