Council of Ministers Greenlights ITV Overhaul — New Decree-Law Reshapes Inspection-Centre Network, Strengthens IMT Sanctions and Locks In the March 2026 Rule That Lets Recall-Stalled Cars Fail Automatically

The Conselho de Ministros communiqué of 23 April 2026 contains a decree-law that has been quietly working its way through the inter-ministerial circuit since the autumn: a complete overhaul of the legal framework governing periodic technical inspection of vehicles — the Inspeção Periódica Obrigatória (IPO), known to most expats as the ITV. The text modernises the conditions for licensing inspection centres, clarifies the IMT's supervisory powers and reshapes the sanctions regime, and arrives in a market where roughly five million vehicles pass through 318 licensed centres each year.

Why the Reform Now

The previous legal framework dates from 2014 and was patched repeatedly to absorb successive EU directives. The Ministério das Infraestruturas e Habitação justifies the rewrite on three grounds: persistent geographic gaps (some interior concelhos still lack any inspection centre within 30 km, while parts of metropolitan Lisbon and Porto have queueing times measured in weeks), inconsistent sanctioning power for the IMT, and the impossibility of integrating new digital tools — including remote audit, photographic chain-of-custody and real-time uplink to ANSR — under the old regime.

Network Changes

The decree-law explicitly facilitates the licensing of new centres in two opposite categories: low-density municipalities, where the existing rules made operating a centre commercially marginal; and the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, where Cresap's last sectoral review found a structural shortage relative to the registered fleet. The minimum-distance rule between centres is replaced by a service-coverage criterion based on population density, fleet count and distance to the next centre. The IMT keeps its veto, but the licensing pathway becomes more transparent and time-bound. New entrants — including independent operators and franchise networks — should expect the first authorisation rounds in the second half of 2026.

Supervision and Sanctions

For consumers, the most consequential change is on the supervision side. The IMT's inspection power is broadened to include real-time and unannounced audits; centres that systematically rubber-stamp defective vehicles or, conversely, fail compliant cars to drive sales of repair work, face higher fines and the option of accelerated licence withdrawal. The sanctions table itself is recalibrated upward, and IMT inspectors gain a fast-track to suspend a centre's accreditation pending appeal — closing a loophole that has allowed problem operators to keep trading for months while litigating.

The Recall Rule, Now Codified

The decree-law also enshrines, in primary legislation, the rule that has been in force since 1 March 2026: a vehicle subject to an active manufacturer recall campaign that has not been repaired now triggers a serious or very serious defect on inspection — sufficient to fail the IPO. The change is well-documented by DECO Proteste and reflects pressure from Brussels and the European New Car Assessment Programme to push outstanding recall completion rates above 80%. Owners can check open recall campaigns through the IMT portal at imt-ip.pt using the chassis number; the manufacturer-side intervention is free, but the inspection itself still costs €37.47 for light vehicles in 2026 (an increase of €0.83 over 2025, indexed to November 2025 inflation of 2.24%, per Razão Automóvel).

What Expats Should Do

If you imported a car under the previous ISV-exemption regime and have not yet been through an inspection in Portugal, the new rules apply from your next IPO. Three practical points: (1) check the IMT portal for open recall campaigns on your chassis number before booking; (2) factor in the new metropolitan slot constraint — booking two to three weeks ahead in greater Lisbon and Porto is now realistic; (3) keep proof of recall repair, because the inspection technician will ask for it. The decree-law has yet to be published in the Diário da República; once it is, the regulamentary annexes — categorisation of defects, training of inspectors, audit protocols — will follow over the summer.