Look, congratulations! You went to Germany or Belgium, made a great deal, drove the machine across Europe and just crossed the border at Vilar Formoso. You're grinning from ear to ear.
But... the joy isn't going to last long.
Your car, right now, is considered "illegal" in Portugal. From the moment the car touches Portuguese soil, you have a very tight deadline (about 20 days) to declare its arrival to Customs and handle the entire legalisation process.
If you're going to do things on your own, get ready: you're going to spend the next week hopping from one public service to another, taking numbered tickets and dealing with our famous bureaucratic gobbledygook.
But so you don't end up crying at the tax office counter, Martin has drawn you a clear map of what you need to do:
Step 1: The "Medical Exam" (Inspection B) 🛠️
The first thing to do is take the car to an inspection centre that does what's called Inspection B.
It's not a regular inspection. It's a rigorous test where the inspectors will confirm that the chassis number, tyre dimensions and technical data of the car match the foreign registration document. If it passes, they give you the certificate (Form 112).
Step 2: The IMT and the Type-Approval Number 🏢
With the inspection done, you go to the IMT (Institute for Mobility and Transport).
Here you have to request type approval for the car, which is basically the Portuguese state recognising that this car model can be driven here. They keep the foreign documents and give you a slip.
Step 3: The Final Boss (Customs and the DAV) 💰
Now it starts hurting your wallet. With the IMT and inspection paperwork, you go to Customs and fill out the DAV (Vehicle Customs Declaration).
This is the moment when the state presents you with the bill for the famous ISV (Vehicle Tax). Once the slip is issued, you pay the tax. As soon as the DAV is validated and the money lands in the state's account... Habemus number plate! They assign you your Portuguese number plate (e.g. AB-12-CD).
Step 4: Getting the Plates Made and the Registry 🪪
With the DAV validated and the number plate assigned, you go to a place that makes number plates, buy the pair and screw them onto your car (Goodbye, German plates!).
But it's not over yet: you have 60 days to go to a Vehicle Registry to register the car in your name (pay the registration fee) and 90 days to pay the first IUC (the annual road tax).
Lost the Will to Import? Multipark Sorts Out Your Life!
You read this 4-step guide and felt a sudden urge to cry? You thought: "But I have to go to work, I don't have annual leave to waste in queues at the IMT and Customs!"
This is where the story gets much happier for you. Multipark isn't just your best friend when it comes to parking at the airport; we and our specialised partners take care of this headache for you.
If you imported a car, we can handle the entire legalisation process.
How does the magic work? If you need to travel right after arriving with the new car, you leave the machine with us at the airport. If you're not travelling, no problem either, get in touch with us!
Through our network of customs broker and mechanical partners, we take your car to Inspection B, handle all the paperwork at Customs, IMT and the Registry, and even have the new number plates made and fitted.
You stay on your sofa, or at the office working in peace, and we take on the bureaucratic obstacle course.
Save your annual leave for travelling, not for taking ticket numbers. Find out more about our legalisation services on the Multipark site and leave the paperwork to those who understand paperwork!
