About this site

Who writes this

I am Gerardus Koetje. I have lived in Vale de Prazeres, near Fundão in Central Portugal, since 2022, and work there as a self-employed builder and renovator.

Why this site

I imported my own car, a Dutch Citroën Berlingo, into Portugal myself. No agency, everything myself: the customs declaration, the homologation at the IMT, the inspection, the registration number. It worked, but not in one go. The IMT rejected my homologation request more than once before it was accepted. And when the number was there I thought I was done, and forgot the last step: registering ownership at the IRN.

You can still read online that you must have owned the car for twelve months to get the exemption. The law as it stands says six. A difference like that can cost you the exemption, or make you give up on it wrongly.

This site is what I would have wanted then: the route in the right order, with the deadlines from the law itself.

How the information is checked

• Every number comes from an official source that was read, not copied from another site.
• Each fact comes with the source, the article of law where possible, and the date of the check. The register is on Facts and sources.
• What cannot be established from an official source is not presented as a fact. That is why this site has fewer amounts than you might expect.
• AI is used in writing and checking. The sources are real and were read; the personal experiences are mine.

What this site is not

This is general information, not legal or tax advice, and I am not a customs agent. For a complicated situation, such as a leased car, a company car or a vehicle from outside the EU, go to a despachante or to the customs office.

Contact

Found a mistake, or has something changed? E-mail it; the address is at the bottom of every page.