using my British car in Portugal

pseddon147 · Post by **pseddon147** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:51 pm

Hello.
We are moving to Carvoeiro next year and are bringing our UK registered car with us.
What do I need to do to ensure it complies with Portuguese regulations.
The car is less than 1 year old and thus doesn't require a UK MOT.

Do I need to register the car officially and how do I go about obtaining Road Tax and car insurance.

Regards

Paul & Jo

Al Garb · Post by **Al Garb** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 5:18 pm

If you become a resident you can import a UK car without paying tax providing you have owned it for 6 months. It needs to be matriculated in Portugal. You need a Certificate of Conformity from the manufacturer to show that it meets EEC regs, it needs to be tested and the relevant paperwork done. There are people who will do everything for you (at a price) To get insurance from a local company it will need to be on Portuguese plates. Portuguese MOT starts at 4yrs old. There are plenty of people who don't bother with matriculation and get insurance elsewhere

tbbr · Post by **tbbr** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:06 am

Also thinking along same lines as we will have a 1-2 year old car.

Is there anyone who could give us quotes for matriculation and doing the paerwork for us ?

Example peugeot 307 diesel estate ?

Misty · Post by **Misty** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:29 pm

AFPOP have the relevant information if you are a member. Matriculation is free if you become a resident and have owned the vehicle in the UK for 6+ months. If not, the cost can vary greatly and can be very expensive. (For example for my old car, a 5 year old Hyundai Coupé, it would have been €3000). Generally though, the older the car, the cheaper it is.

If you are entitled to free matriculation, you can do it yourself and again, AFPOP have the relevant information. Using a lawyer to do this can also be costly, depending on who you use.

I don't have all the information any more unfortunately.

Al Garb · Post by **Al Garb** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:05 pm

Calculate the cost on a per cc basis then make the deduction. Having done that apply the % age reduction

Capacity range Tax (Euro/cc) Deduction (Euro)
Up to 1250cc €4 €2,400
Greater than 1250cc €8.50 €8,500

From 1 to 2 years 20%
More than 2 years to 3 years 28%
More than 3 years to 4 years 35%
More than 4 years to 5 years 43%
More than 5 years to 6 years 52%
More than 6 years to 7 years 60%

and so on until you pay only 20%

Paying someone to do the admin will probably cost about €300

Road tax also varies with engine size and age. Pay about €9 per year for a 70's Fiat Panda or € several hundred for an '06 4X4

tbbr · Post by **tbbr** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:38 am

Looking at the costs involved , it would appear that unless you have a Classic or well loved older car it does not make economic sense to bring with you a newish right hand drive car.
UK cars tend be in the higher engine size range and thus would attract the premium/cc.

I est the cost of matriculation on an average 1-2 year old UK family size car to be 20/25% of purchase cost?? How much cheaper are cars in Spain ( obviously the same matriculation costs would still apply ).

Misty · Post by **Misty** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:25 am

Matriculating a rhd would not make much sense at all really. You have to also bear in mind that it would be almost impossible to get rid of it once you want to sell it.

It would be more economical to buy a lhd car from somewhere like Germany or Belgium, where they are cheapest, and import it into the UK at a cost of around £30, keep it for 6 months+, then bring that to Portugal and matriculate it. You would then be able to sell it in Portugal at a later date and because cars are more expensive in Portugal you should be able to cover and matriculation costs if you incurred any.

You also need to bear in mind that in Portugal you have to keep a car for a minimum of 1 year before selling, when you have matriculated it.