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Cars parked along a tree-lined Lisbon street beside a blue parking sign

The Cartão de Estacionamento for People With Disabilities in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the 60 Percent Threshold, the Free Ten-Year Card, and Where It Is Recognised Across the EU

Portugal's disabled parking card is free, lasts ten years and is recognised across the European Union. It is also narrower than most people assume. Who qualifies, what the medical certificate has to say, how to apply, and what the card actually lets you do.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

Light trails from evening traffic on a multi-lane road through Lisbon

From 29 November, Europe Starts Counting the Particles That Come Off Your Brakes and Tyres, Not Just Your Exhaust

Euro 7 applies from 29 November, but only to newly approved model types. It puts the first legal limits on brake and tyre particles, sets a floor under electric car battery capacity, and reaches every new car registered in Portugal a year later.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

Traffic in motion blur on both carriageways of the A20 motorway in Porto, under gantry signs for Matosinhos, Leixões and Viana do Castelo.

After a Car Accident in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Declaração Amigável, the Eight Days to Tell Your Insurer, and the Fundo de Garantia Automóvel

Signing a declaração amigável at the roadside halves every deadline your insurer is working to. What the law guarantees: two working days to first contact, thirty to a decision, eight to payment, double-rate interest when they are late, and 200 euros a day for a missing reasoned reply.

The Portugal Brief 12 Sep 2026

Cars with Portuguese number plates on the cobbled narrow streets of central Lisbon, beside parking signs and tram tracks

Portugal Scraps the Birth-Month Car-Tax Deadline, Shifting All Drivers to a Shared IUC Calendar From 2027

The Government has approved a change ending the quirk that ties your IUC car-tax deadline to the month your vehicle was registered, moving every driver onto a common April-anchored calendar. It changes when you pay, not how much — but mind the unusual October 2027 transition date.

The Portugal Brief 09 Jul 2026

A white Tesla Model 3 electric car on display in a showroom

The Tesla Model 3 Topped Portugal's June Car Sales — the First Time an Electric Car Led the Month

ACAP data show the Tesla Model 3 was Portugal's best-selling car in June 2026 with 1,231 units, up 77% year-on-year, ahead of the Peugeot 2008 and Dacia Sandero. A EUR4,000 state EV grant runs until 27 July, and BYD's new Dolphin undercuts rivals from about EUR29,994.

The Portugal Brief 05 Jul 2026

A driver's hand gripping the steering wheel of a car travelling along a coastal road under a hazy sky

Portugal Lets Learner Drivers Train With a Tutor Instead of an Instructor Under a New July Rule

A decree published on 30 June lets category B learner drivers train with a private tutor, not only a paid instructor. The tutor needs a 10-year licence and takes on legal liability, schools must notify the IMT, and the exam is blocked for 90 days. It takes effect in late July.

The Portugal Brief 01 Jul 2026

A mechanic inspecting the underside of a car on a ramp at a vehicle inspection centre

Importing and Legalising a Foreign Car in Portugal in 2026 — A Practical Guide to the ISV, the Transfer-of-Residence Exemption, the DAV and Getting Your Matricula Nacional

A practical guide to legalising a foreign-registered car in Portugal: the ISV vehicle tax, the transfer-of-residence exemption, the DAV customs declaration, the Category B inspection and the real 2026 costs of getting Portuguese plates.

The Portugal Brief 27 Jun 2026

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