How to register your car in Portugal

How do you make your foreign vehicle official in Portugal?

6 April 2018, 11:50

If you’re bringing a car from overseas into Portuguese territory permanently, you may want to register it. This isn’t necessary if your vehicle is only in the country for 180 days or less, but it’s highly advisable if you’re staying longer.

Registration

You can register a new or used vehicle imported from abroad in your local office of the Institute of Mobility and Transport (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes or IMT), which can be found in most cities and populated areas. Apart from a residency permit and ID, you will need to take the following documents with you:

A filled in copy of the ‘Modelo 9 IMT’ form (in Portuguese)
A Certificate of Conformity with the European Community (Certificado de Conformidade or COC)
A registration certificate for the vehicle, authenticated by the Customs Authority
A document from the Customs Authority declaring that all customs duties and taxes concerning the registration of the vehicle have been paid
The form ‘Modelo 112’, a certificate stating the road worthiness of the vehicle
Vehicle registration fee, normally around 45 euro

Renovation

There is no need to renew your vehicle’s registration because the registration certificate doesn’t expire. You may, however, have to update the details on the document periodically, according to changes with the car’s road-worthiness or other features. This can also be done at your local regional IMT office.