Importing a Car to Portugal

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

• You are moving to Portugal and want to bring a car or motorcycle you already own.
• You are coming from another EU country, or from outside the EU, such as the UK, US, or Brazil.
• You already live here and want Portuguese plates for a car bought abroad.

Not for you if: you want a car that already has Portuguese plates. Read "Buying a Used Car in Portugal" instead. For your household belongings, read "Moving Your Household Goods to Portugal".

Updated September 2026. Customs offices were reassigned by area in February 2026, and from 2027 the annual road tax (IUC) moves to fixed payment dates.

Once you live in Portugal, a car on foreign plates must be registered here or taken off the road. That means a customs declaration, an inspection, and Portuguese plates. It also means paying the one-off vehicle tax, ISV (Imposto sobre Veículos), unless you qualify for the change of residence exemption. If you have owned the car for six months and lived abroad for six months, the tax can be zero. The fixed fees then come to about €200 to €250, plus shipping. Without the exemption, ISV can run into thousands of euros. Allow three to six weeks.

Do you have to register your car here

Who this applies to: anyone who makes Portugal their normal home.

• Visitors who do not live here can keep an EU-registered car in Portugal for up to six months in any 12, without registering it. Cars from outside the EU follow similar EU temporary import rules.
• New residents must start the process once they settle here. The tax law treats you as living here normally once you spend at least 185 days a year in Portugal because of personal or work ties.
• The clock is 20 working days. You must file the customs declaration within 20 working days of the car entering Portugal, or of your temporary visitor status ending if the car was already here.

Driving on foreign plates after that point, without having started the process, can lead to a fine and the car being seized.

Registering the car is a separate job from your driving licence. See "Exchanging a Foreign Driving Licence in Portugal" for that.

Can you bring your car tax free

Who this applies to: people aged 18 or over who move their normal home to Portugal from any other country, EU or not. Nationality does not matter.

The change of residence exemption (isenção por transferência de residência) removes ISV completely. You must meet every condition below.

About you

• You lived in the country you are leaving for at least six months. If that country limited how long you could stay, periods can be added together, but each must be at least 183 days in a calendar year.
• You were not abroad only to study, do an internship, or work on a fixed assignment of up to two years. Those stays do not count as living abroad.
• You are now moving your normal home to Portugal.

About the car

• It was registered in your name for at least six months before you moved. The six months count from the date on the ownership document. For a car on a finance lease, they count from the date of the lease contract, and your name must appear on the car's papers.
• You bought it in the country you are leaving, or in another country where you lived, with all local taxes paid.
• It did not get any tax refund when it was exported. Temporary or export plates rule this out.
• It is coming in because you are moving.

Limits

• One car or one motorcycle per person, once every ten years.
• A couple can import two cars, but each car must be in the name of the person claiming it, and each person must meet every condition on their own.
• You must apply within 12 months of moving your residence to Portugal. Apply as early as you can.

Older versions of this rule asked for 12 months abroad, 12 months of ownership, and a driving licence. Those rules changed in 2018. You may still see them quoted online.

If your car comes from outside the EU

Who this applies to: anyone bringing a car from the UK, the US, Switzerland, Brazil, or any other non-EU country.

A car from outside the EU pays up to three charges:

1. Customs duty, normally 10 percent of the car's customs value for passenger cars.
2. Import VAT (IVA) at 23 percent on mainland Portugal, charged on the value plus the duty.
3. ISV, worked out as for any other car.

The ISV exemption above removes only ISV. Duty and VAT are covered by a separate EU relief for people moving their home from outside the EU. That relief has stricter rules:

• You must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, not six.
• You must have owned and used the car for at least six months before you left.
• You must bring it in within 12 months of settling in Portugal.
• You must not sell, lend, or hire it out for 12 months after import.

The Portuguese consulate in the country you are leaving issues a baggage certificate (certificado de bagagem) that supports this claim. Private cars can be listed on it. Many consulates also issue a separate certificate for importing a car. Request both before you leave. How to do this is covered in "Moving Your Household Goods to Portugal".

Non-EU cars also go through an import step at the port before the Portuguese registration steps below. Most people use a customs broker for this part.

What ISV costs if you do not qualify

ISV is charged once, when a car first gets Portuguese plates. It has two parts:

• An engine part, based on engine size in cubic centimetres.
• An environmental part, based on CO2 emissions. Diesel cars pay more.

For a used car from another EU country, both parts are reduced by the car's age:

Age runs from the car's first registration anywhere to the deadline for your customs declaration. The law gives this reduction to cars already registered in another EU country. If your car is registered outside the EU, ask customs or a broker how it will be taxed.

If you think the table overstates the tax for your car, you can ask the customs director to use a formula based on the car's real market value. You must ask before the payment deadline.

Some cars pay less or nothing:

• Fully electric cars pay no ISV.
• Plug-in hybrids with at least 50 km of electric range and low certified emissions pay a reduced rate.

Before you ship anything, run your car through the ISV simulator on the Portal das Finanças. Use the exact engine size, CO2 figure, and first registration date from the car's papers.

Documents to gather before you start

For the car:

• The foreign registration certificate, both parts if your country issues two.
• The Certificate of Conformity (COC) from the manufacturer. Ask the manufacturer or a dealer for one before you move if you do not have it.
• Proof you own it, such as the purchase invoice or ownership title.
• The shipping or transport document, if the car does not arrive under its own power.

For the exemption:

• An official residence certificate from the country you are leaving. It must show when you registered there and when you cancelled. Where no such register exists, the consulate can certify the dates.
• Everyday documents that prove you lived there, such as rent receipts, water or electricity bills, payslips, or health and pension contributions.
• Your NIF (tax number), with your Portuguese address and resident status. See "Getting a NIF (Tax Number) in Portugal".
• Proof of your Portuguese residence, such as your residence permit, EU registration certificate, or proof of residence from your parish council.

Customs may ask for official translations of foreign documents. See "Getting a Certified Translation in Portugal".

Step by step: getting Portuguese plates

1. Ask IMT for a national approval number. IMT is the transport authority. If you have a COC, submit the request online through the IMT website first. You need this number for the customs declaration. If you have no COC, ask the manufacturer's Portuguese representative to confirm on IMT form Modelo 9 that your car matches an approved type.
2. Book the inspection for registration. Take the car to an inspection centre licensed for this type of inspection (category B). Bring the foreign registration certificate and the COC. The centre gives you an inspection report (Modelo 112). It stays valid for 90 working days.
3. File the customs declaration (DAV) and the exemption request. The DAV (Declaração Aduaneira de Veículo) is filed online in the customs area of the Portal das Finanças. The exemption request goes on form Modelo 1460.1. Both go to the customs office for the area of your tax address. Attach the documents above, the Modelo 9, and the Modelo 112. Customs then either confirms the exemption or tells you how much ISV to pay.
4. Get your registration number. Once the tax is paid or the exemption confirmed, customs gives you the Portuguese number. It passes the details to IMT.
5. Finish at IMT. Hand in the customs proof at an IMT office in your area. Within 10 days of the declaration, you must also leave the original foreign registration certificate with IMT.
6. Register ownership. Register the car in your name at a vehicle registry (Conservatória do Registo Automóvel) or online. The registration certificate is issued after this.
7. Fit plates. Any licensed plate maker can make them once you have the number.
8. Insure the car on Portuguese plates. See "Getting Car Insurance in Portugal". Ask your old insurer for a letter confirming your claims history, as some Portuguese insurers will take it into account.

If you are granted the exemption, you must file the declaration that uses it within six months of being told. Otherwise the exemption lapses.

Driving while the paperwork is in progress

• Customs can authorise you to keep driving the car while it decides on the exemption. Only you, your spouse or partner, or parents or children who live with you may drive it.
• Once the exemption is granted and the number assigned, the car may be driven for 60 days on the customs paperwork until the registration certificate arrives.
• Keep the foreign insurance and inspection valid until Portuguese plates are fitted. Check with your insurer that the policy covers the car while you live in Portugal.
• Carry copies of everything you have filed.

Rules you must keep after the exemption

Who this applies to: anyone who imported a car tax free.

• For 12 months from the date the car gets its Portuguese number, you must not sell it, give it away, rent it out, or lend it.
• You must keep your normal home in Portugal.
• Breaking either rule means the full ISV becomes due, and you may face a fine or criminal charge.
• You cannot use the exemption again for ten years.

What it costs

Other costs to budget for:

• Shipping or driving the car here.
• A new COC if you do not have one.
• Headlight changes for right-hand-drive cars. Their dipped beam points the wrong way for Portuguese roads.
• A customs broker, if you use one.

Road tax (IUC) after registration

Once the car is on Portuguese plates, you pay IUC every year. The amount depends on engine size, emissions, fuel, and the car's age. Fully electric cars are exempt. See "Paying Road Tax (IUC) and Passing Vehicle Inspection in Portugal" for amounts and inspection dates.

The payment calendar is changing:

• Until the end of 2026, IUC is due in the month your car was registered.
• In 2027, a one-off transition applies. Bills up to €500 are paid in October. Larger bills are paid in July and October, or in full in July.
• From 2028, everyone pays by the end of April. Bills over €100 can be split into April and October. Bills over €500 can be split into April, July, and October.
• From 2027, in the year you register the car here, you pay within 30 days after the registration deadline. The bill is reduced for the full months before registration.

The bill does not come by post. Check the Portal das Finanças or set up direct debit.

Common mistakes

• Filing the customs declaration late. The 20 working days start when the car arrives, not when you are ready.
• Buying a car just before moving. Under six months of ownership rules out the exemption.
• Swapping the car into your partner's name before the move. The six months then start again for that person.
• Selling within 12 months. The full tax becomes due.
• Using a car bought with an export tax refund. It does not qualify.
• Assuming a UK car is duty free. The ISV exemption does not cover customs duty and VAT. You also need the separate relief.
• Forgetting the IUC. Nobody sends a reminder.

When a customs broker helps

A customs broker (despachante oficial) can file the customs declaration, deal with IMT, and chase documents for you. It costs money, so ask for a fixed quote. It is most useful if:

• Your car comes from outside the EU.
• Your car has no COC and needs an individual approval.
• Your Portuguese is limited.
• You are importing more than one vehicle.

For a simple move from another EU country with a COC, many people do it themselves. The law does not require a broker to claim the exemption.

When importing is not worth it

• You do not qualify for the exemption, and the car is large, recent, or diesel.
• Your car is from outside the EU, and you cannot claim the duty and VAT relief.
• Your car is right-hand drive. It is legal but harder to drive, inspect, and sell here.
• Your car is fully electric. It pays no ISV anyway, so the exemption saves little. The choice then comes down to shipping and paperwork against local prices.

In these cases it is often cheaper to sell before you move and buy here. A car on Portuguese plates already has ISV paid.

Sources

• Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira, ISV exemption on transfer of residence FAQ: https://info-aduaneiro.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/informacao_aduaneira/Veiculos/isencao_res/Pages/faq-isv-isen-res.aspx (who qualifies, six-month residence and ownership rules, one vehicle every ten years, 12-month deadline, Modelo 1460.1, documents, customs office by area under Despacho n.º 1782/2026, 12-month restriction, driving during the process, six-month lapse)
• Código do Imposto sobre Veículos, approved by Lei n.º 22-A/2007, as amended, articles 11.º, 20.º, 30.º and 58.º to 61.º, Diário da República consolidated legislation: https://diariodarepublica.pt (age reduction table, valuation formula, 20 working day DAV deadline, deposit of foreign certificate within 10 days, 185-day residence rule, six-month temporary admission for visitors, exemption conditions); article text read via informador.pt: https://informador.pt/legislacao/lexit/codigos/direito-fiscal/codigo-do-isv/; amendments by Lei n.º 114/2017 (six months instead of 12, driving licence requirement dropped) read via the annotated text at informador.pt
• Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes, registration of used vehicles: https://www.imt-ip.pt/veiculos/matricula/matricula-para-veiculos-usados/ (steps, Modelo 9, Modelo 112 valid 90 working days under Decreto-Lei n.º 29/2023, €45 and €165 fees)
• Deliberação n.º 1598-A/2025, 2026 inspection tariffs: https://antram.pt/conteudo/4364-inspecoes-tecnicas-tarifas-para-2026 (€76.03 plus VAT for inspection for registration)
• Decreto-Lei n.º 161/2026, of 4 August, IUC payment calendar: https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2026/08/14900/0001000015.pdf (2027 transition, 2028 fixed dates, first year rule)
• Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas, baggage certificate: https://portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt/pt/atendimento/no-estrangeiro/servicos-consulares/certificados/certificado-de-bagagem (duty and VAT relief for private cars from outside the EU, 12 months abroad, six months use, 12-month window); Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009, articles 3 to 11, and Decreto-Lei n.º 31/89 (VAT)
• Standvirtual, registration fees 2026: https://www.standvirtual.com/diarioautomovel/quanto-custa-mudar-o-registo-de-propriedade-em-2026 (ownership registration fee, secondary source)

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.