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Importing a car from Canada to portugal

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johnwm4159
  2/13/2019 08:11 EST

We are looking at moving to portugal and we are trying to find out how we can bring our car into the country from Canada. I have read in some forums that it is really easy or really hard. I have read if you own the car for over a year you can bring it in with no duty taxes but I have not found this in any Portuguese official sites. If anyone has info or has done it please let us know what we have to do

realspear
  2/13/2019 09:10 EST

The rule of thumb is that it isn't worth it unless you have a classic or rare car. In addition to paperwork and restrictions, the car must be brought to EU standards, which can be fairly costly and it may not be easy to find someone to do. People have reported cars being tied up for months even with proper paperwork. There are plenty of cars to buy here.

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klingsmithj
  2/13/2019 13:33 EST

Hello,
I took one from usa to france, and there was a few questions
1. how old the car is,
2. how long you owned the car
3. pollution systems
4. BEFORE you ship get everything in Portuguese from the manufacturer..

hope it helps

SummerFest
  2/14/2019 06:12 EST

PT customs will charge you arm and leg for the imported car from NA. Just buy new Renault Clio for 12K here or import from Germany something nice. Only new of course.
There is import car tax calculator on PT Gov website. Do it first then add 20% contingency/local corruption plus shipping and you will get the price tag of the new car.

realspear
  2/14/2019 06:17 EST

You don't have to pay customs. If you are just moving here and the car is more than six months old, you can get an exemption. The bigger problem is getting it to EU specs. Nobody at the car manufacturers seems to understand the differences and it can be costly.

realspear
  2/14/2019 06:51 EST

Here's a link on the exemption:

https://www.carvoeiro.com/finance/import_vehicle

That still doesn't make it worthwhile to bring a car though.

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SummerFest
  2/15/2019 13:51 EST

http://www.legalizanahora.pt/simulador-isv-2018/

realspear
  2/15/2019 14:36 EST

The ISV simulator isn't necessary.

Let's try this again.

You can get an exemption from ISV by filling out a form as long as the vehicle is more than six months old and you haven't been in Portugal more than a year. The ISV simulator doesn't apply for new immigrants. You can't sell it for the first year without having to pay the ISV though.

On the other hand, the homolagation can be expensive and it may be difficult to find someone to do it properly. The vehicle can not be driven until after homolagation.

johnwm4159
  4/29/2019 07:17 EST

The car I am trying to import from Canada to Portugal is a 2018 Chevy volt which is a plug in electric vehicle and also has a backup gas engine. With the gas prices going up on the island of Madeira (where we are moving to) almost every week we really want the plug in electric option.

realspear
  4/29/2019 14:38 EST

"If it was me, I'd buy an older Fiat Palio in PT and have it shipped, cheap to maintain."

Your posts indicate a complete lack of knowledge about anything specific to Portugal. First of all, there is an ownership time requirement for the tax exemption. Just buying a car and shipping it over, even a used car, will mean paying taxes. Also, selling a car in the first twelve months of residence will result in loss of the tax deal and require repayment.

In addition, there are taxes based on gas consumption that need to be taken into account. Cars here have very small engines, start/stop motors, and are generally much more fuel-efficient than cars sold in the US. Portugal has a tax you pay called ISV in order to get your plates. ISV is based on fuel economy. Hybrids used to have a discount, not sure if that still applies. Electric cars do get a discount.

Then there is homolagation. This is common across the EU. You need to meet specific EU standards before Customs will release your car. This may be fairly difficult, not just for the actual parts and work, but for the information. I had a very new car but the manufacturer could not tell me, from their US and their Portuguese offices, exactly what it would take. Also, for some older cars, the fittings may not be right.

As I said above, unless you have a vintage or rare car, it's probably not worth it. Most people decide not to do it once they have looked into it fully, there are too many issues. It's fairly easy to buy cars here, the banks offer good leasing deals, and there are some inexpensive models you can pick up. You can also buy an older model but you have to be careful about the ISV tax.

Luned
  4/29/2019 20:49 EST

Why do you say only buy a new car? 12,000 is out of my budget.

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Bemadam
  4/30/2019 10:40 EST

@Luned. I too only advise buying a new car in Portugal, because second-hand ones are ludicrously overpriced in most cases. I'd prefer to add a few thousand euros to a second hand model to buy new, it comes with 0 km on the clock and usually a five-year guarantee.

When I arrived here, I did visit a couple of second hand garages, and quickly realised it was not good value for money. I think this is the option for low income/poor people who cannot afford new, or even the loan repayments on a new car.

Slyder
  6/11/2020 15:22 EST

What is happening if the car is a EU car,(VW,BMW,Audi etc)?
Does make a difference or is just the same?

realspear
  6/11/2020 17:20 EST

You should be aware that a Europe-based manufacturer does not mean that the car is made in Europe nor does it mean it is a model sold in Europe. An issue I ran into (among several) was that my car had an automatic transmission and it wasn't sold with one in Europe. There were no parts and no trained mechanics.

Also, virtually all cars sold in the US have to go through some level of homologation, it needs to meet EU standards. In particular, lights have to be replaced. There may be other changes required.

dancebert
  6/11/2020 17:23 EST

The last Volt Chevy sold in Europe was in 2015. The Opel Ampera is based on the Volt.
https://opel.autoindustrial.pt/veiculos/veiculos-de-passageiros/ampera/tecnologia/

Even if you were able to make the Volt 100% compliant with EU regulations, I wonder if whomever certifies compliance would reject your car because it's title and documentation wouldn't match any car ever sold in Europe.

dancebert
  6/11/2020 17:27 EST

>What is happening if the car is a EU car,(VW,BMW,Audi etc)?

If it was built for the EU market, then it's already compliant with EU regulations. If it was built for the US or North American market, it must be made compliant - if that's even possible.

Swartskaap
  6/18/2020 10:40 EST

Hi, as we are on the subject, can I ask if it is better to buy petrol or diesel vehicle ?. Will there be no import taxes if you buy the vehicle from Germany like you say, and if any, roughly how much for a Clio?

johnwm4159
  6/18/2020 10:59 EST

to swartskaap

I am in the process of sending my car from Canada to Madeira Portugal and will be shipping it at the end of July or August with Viamar Scilla Transport International out of Toronto.
If you like I can tell you how it is going and any complications. For your info I am sending a 2018 Chevy Volt.

Wallvestor
  6/18/2020 11:29 EST

Not worth it! In addition to all the stuff mentioned, you will not be able to have a decent insurance policy until the car has been registered in PT for 2 years. You will get a policy with a high deductible and if it's totaled only 60% of it's value is covered.

BTW, you can buy a car in Germany for less than in PT. BUT, you will pay import tax. By the time you add the cost to fly up and see it, then get it to PT, plus the tax...it's not worth it!

Buy locally. In fact I have this car for sale at a great price https://www.estorilmotor.pt/carros/Faro/Lexus/RX-450H/725019

Swartskaap
  6/19/2020 03:55 EST

Thanks for the reply.
I will be buying new and cash, so just looking at all the options.
BTW, I am a big supporter of buying local in PT, - my adopted country I love!

Swartskaap
  6/19/2020 03:55 EST

Thanks for the reply.
I will be buying new and cash, so just looking at all the options.
BTW, I am a big supporter of buying local in PT, - my adopted country I love!

Bemadam
  6/22/2020 08:25 EST

This is not going to end well. The OP comes on here asking for advice, and chooses to totally ignore it. Probably he will find himself with a car that he can't drive and can't sell either because of the homologation issues.
Good luck anyway.

Adventure7
  11/10/2020 19:32 EST

I'm also in the process of importing my 2012 Honda Pilot from Canada to Portugal in December. After reading this post, I'm considering other alternatives. We have 5 children so need something larger. Does anyone know if a Honda Pilot could even be homologated (not sure if that's how to spell haha) or pass inspection? I'm shipping a 20 ft container anyway so might as well put my vehicle in it if its possible to register in Portugal. Any thoughts? I already know it will be difficult, but not sure if it's even possible to register this vehicle in Portugal as I don't think Honda sold a 2012 Pilot in Europe.

craigandmicki
  11/11/2020 06:12 EST

yes,, info can be conflicting. TODAY, there is a webinar from an EXPERT IN PORTUGAL on this subject. You need to join (about 40 bucks/month) ExpaCity (www.expacity.com) and sign up for the webinar. NOTE: if you can't make this live webinar, which lets you ask questions during the event, you can always watch the recording later, always free to members. There are hundreds of topics recorded here, all about moving to Portugal!

"Shipping Your Car" - Luis Duarte, Relocation Professional
Wednesday, Nov 11, 6:00PM PT time (WET)
Synopsis: An overview of the requirements, process, and rough cost of shipping your car to Portugal.
Who should join: anyone.
The webinar starts at 6:00pm (WET) Portugal time.

Please convert your timezone to WET in order not to miss it.

If you're not sure how to do that, here's one of many tools on Google to use:

https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

craigandmicki
  11/11/2020 06:16 EST

yes,, info can be conflicting. TODAY, there is a webinar from an EXPERT IN PORTUGAL on this subject. You need to join (about 40 bucks/month) ExpaCity (www.expacity.com) and sign up for the webinar. NOTE: if you can't make this live webinar, which lets you ask questions during the event, you can always watch the recording later, always free to members. There are hundreds of topics recorded here, all about moving to Portugal!

"Shipping Your Car" - Luis Duarte, Relocation Professional
Wednesday, Nov 11, 6:00PM PT time (WET)
Synopsis: An overview of the requirements, process, and rough cost of shipping your car to Portugal.
Who should join: anyone.
The webinar starts at 6:00pm (WET) Portugal time.

Please convert your timezone to WET in order not to miss it.

If you're not sure how to do that, here's one of many tools on Google to use:

https://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/

dancebert
  11/11/2020 08:16 EST

@Adventure7

www.theparking.eu claims to have 16 million cars for sale. None of them are Honda Pilots. According to Wikipedia, the Honda sold the pilot only in North America and the Middle East. If that's true, then there are no model-specific homologation standards to which the car can be compared.

dancebert
  11/11/2020 08:19 EST

@bemadam wrote " I too only advise buying a new car in Portugal, because second-hand ones are ludicrously overpriced in most cases. I'd prefer to add a few thousand euros to a second hand model to buy new, it comes with 0 km on the clock and usually a five-year guarantee."

Is a 2-year warranty on a used car worth the few thousand euros difference between price of a new and used car?

From AFPOP's April 2020 Update Magazine article 'Used cars - did you know'. The following are summaries, they are not quotes.

- The law entitles new and used cars to 2-year warranty from purchase date.
- Doesn't apply to private sellers
- Warranty period can be less than 2 years if buyer and seller agree.
- Warranties less than 1 year are invalid. If you're given a shorter one, the law states it's a 1 year warranty.
- The warranty period is suspended for the time a car is being repaired.
- Parts replaced under warranty have a warranty of 2 years.

realspear
  11/11/2020 08:25 EST

It's not just homologation, it's parts and qualified service technicians. I didn't bring my car, recent (at the time) and available in Portugal but not with an automatic transmission. The manufacturer told me they didn't have parts for the transmission (and some of the electronics) here and didn't have any trained service people.

craigandmicki
  11/12/2020 06:26 EST

One of the BEST EVER webinars on this was hosted yesterday. If you missed it, join 'ExpaCity' and watch the recorded webinar. That, alone, will be worth joining. Hundreds of 5 star ratings on the Luis Duarte webinar.

SuperBock
  4/12/2021 12:25 EST

John, how did it go with the car (homologation and all) ?

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