Importing a car to portugal

[maccasa]

Can anyone give me a pot-pourri of the supposed minefiled of importing a car to Portugal?

I underst and it can be very expensive to re-register?

[Felix]

It can be a minefield as you have said.

Personally I wouldn't bother trying.

[Steen Jakobsen]

This might be a little out-of-date? http://www.carvoeiro.com/community/impo ... index.html

[shanagarry]

I'm not sure the advice not to bother importing a car into Portugal is right. It depends on your status - is it your first time importing car into Portugal - if it is you will not have to pay any import duty or Vat/Iva.

I am investigating doing it myself and have calculated all the costs based on buying a new car. The car I have based my numbers on initially is a VW Passat 2.0 TDi Highline Estate (Left Hand Drive)

That car in the UK is £21,600 (from a VW dealer) - in Portugal it is €45,000. As it will be our primary car there is no import duty to be paid in Portugal. Clearly any subsequent cars would not enjoy the same privilege and would incur all the import charges.

I also calculated the cost to import a used VW Toureg from Germany against buying a used right hand drive Toureg in the UK and taking/importing it into Portugal - the price differential is large - close on £20,000 - yes pounds. However, I see no point in importing a right hand drive car - so its academic.

You will need to balance your decision on the price you may be able to negotiate in Portugal against the warranty facilities and interpretations, given that you bought the car outside the country - they do differ. It is not unusual for dealers (both UK and Portuguese) to take a 'jaundiced view when asked to look after a car they have not supplied. A friend of mine bought a new Honda in Lisbon - €2,700 cheaper than the Faro dealer would sell at. As he has to use Faro for servicing - he is treated 'indifferently'.

I suggest you choose the manufacturer you prefer and contact their export/tax free sales departments in the UK - they are very helpful. Their contact details are on their websites.

Unless I have missed something here - it makes oodles of sense to import from the UK - for now.

[steve]

If you are moving permanently from the UK to Portugal it does make sense to bring a car with you under the change of residence concession. You have to satisfy the use criteria in the UK before moving and you now have only six months to start matriculation after you take up residence here. I completed my own matriculation a few years ago but I get the impression that the authorities don't try to make it particularly easy and at the right price use of an agent makes sense. I understand that matriculated cars will now face the calculation of the circulation tax based on CO2 emissions like new cars and this makes the annual charge much higher.

I am currently looking into the position regarding the importation of a new car on behalf of a friend but the charges payable seem to make this problematic despite a starting point of a UK cost of £26000 and a cost here of €58000 for the same vehicle! The changes to the charges payable made this year seem designed to undermine the scope for bringing cars in at a bargain price although I am told that a one year old vehicle from Germany may still be cost effective.

It would be interesting to hear of any actual recent experiences.

[EMM]

We have a friend who is now into the second year of the matriculation process due to constantly changing rules and regs.
This is his primary car and they are residents.
They have now received notification to take the car out of the country .

If you have unlimited time. money and patience it may be worth it but for anyone who wants to retain their sanity do not even try.

[kteee]

In theory it's a good idea - in practice don't even think about it

[shanagarry]

We are intending to move to Portugal later this year. I will continue to work in the UK and commute - so will not, for the time being take out Residencia status. That action alone appears to rule being allowed to import a car permanently into Portugal (one of the conditions clearly states that 'evidence that you have applied for a resident's permit') along with 4 others.

Barring a disaster - we intend making The Algarve our permanent home.

I do not want to sell my UK car in the current climate and want to use it in Portugal while I am there. It will come back to the UK on occasion but will spend most of its time in Portugal. It will eventually stay in the UK when I am finished with it.

In addition I want to buy my wife a car (left hand drive) in the UK because of the price differential previously stated and import it into Portugal as our primary when we apply for and take out Residencia.

I know what happens is practice (people drive across to Spain and get a fuel receipt) but what is the official position if the UK registered car is kept in Portugal longer than the 180 days? Does the trip to Spain legitimately take me out of the country for this purpose and on re-entry does the 180 days legitimately start over?

Like most things we have come to learn about Portugal - bureaucracy is probably its biggest negative.It also has, to our way of thinking a considerable number and far more positives. In the hope that we plan everything ahead of having to deal with it - we are hopeful that we can prepare to overcome the obstacles when we encounter them.

In the case of importing the car - the simple fact that you do not have to pay the import duty makes the proposition appealing - however that appears to be taken away in that they have other ways to relieve you of your money. The question is - is the price differential sufficient to make you want to see the process through?

The people who operate UK plated cars in Portugal without current Tax Discs - are these people blatantly breaking the law? Presumably they SORN their UK car with DVLA to avoid paying the Road Fund Tax and MOT (if it applies).

Being keen to stay on the right side of the law - it is difficult to see a clear solution.

[kteee]

I know several people whose Uk registered cars have recently been impounded, a fine imposed, and the car then having to be taken out of Portugal. The GNR are getting increasingly hot on this

Unfortunately the only way to avoid any legal and financial nightmares is to buy a Pt reg car here - there's absolutely no way I would do anything else

[shanagarry]

ktee

Thank you for your opinion - makes eminent sense. However, there's a financial conundrum that I need to get my head around - legally.

I guess I will do the 180 days first and import my wife's car properly. Fortunately I like the drive down through the north of Portugal.

I guess the cars that are being impounded are those without current UK tax discs?

[kteee]

No, not necessarily. Anyone deemed to be resident, by the authorities, caught driving a Uk reg car

I'll be interested to hear your comments after you have attempted the matriculation process, they have an endless number of ways in which to frustrate your application - I hope you are young and in good health

[shanagarry]

Ktee

I have no sympathy for those who drive without paying their way. If a UK registered car is being driven within the law (less than 180 days in the country) then there is nothing to be feared.

To digress - the large number of Eastern European registered cars here in the UK is so great that police forces are turning a blind-eye to the situation. Those cars and their drivers are uninsured driving cars that are death traps.

If the GNR are talking the line that UK police should be taking - good luck to them.

I heed your warning regarding the bureaucracy - at 60 and fit I think I can cope - at least I will give it a go.

Thanks again.

[kteee]

I can't say it any clearer - don't do it - your idea of within the law and the GNR's will likely be two different things, and their opinion goes - no explanation, no appeal

[shanagarry]

You're loud and clear - I will not be 'outside' the law whatever I do.

Thank you very much for your good direction on this matter - clearly it is an issue to handled very carefully.

[Felix]

In theory it's a good idea - in practice don't even think about it

As above......been there tried to do it....forget it.