Nine mistakes when importing a car into Portugal
Almost everything that goes wrong, goes wrong on a deadline or on the order. These are the nine places.
By Gerardus Koetje · Updated on
1. Starting too late after arrival
The deadline for the DAV is 20 working days, and before the DAV the homologation declaration and the inspection must already be done. If you want to settle in first and start after a month, you are too late. Request the homologation declaration in the first week.
2. Taking the steps in the wrong order
Going to customs first and only then to the inspection does not work, because customs wants to see the inspection certificate. The order is IMT, inspection, customs, IMT, IRN. See Overview.
3. Assuming twelve months
If you assume twelve months, you wrongly think you do not qualify for the exemption because you have not had the car for a year. The requirement is six months. The other way round, it is a misunderstanding that you have a year for everything after arrival. That year only applies to the request for exemption; the declaration itself is due within 20 working days.
4. Bringing no proof of residence
Customs wants an official proof of registration with start and end date, plus everyday documents. You request those in the Netherlands before you leave. See Prepare in the Netherlands.
5. Deregistering the car at the RDW too early
The RDW warns about it itself: do not deregister the car before you know which documents the importing country asks for. Portugal asks for the original registration certificate. See Export from the Netherlands.
6. Forgetting to register for the DAV
You cannot simply create a DAV. First you have to register in the Portal das Finanças for the Sistema de Fiscalidade Automóvel, and that registration has to be accepted. Do it straight away, not on day nineteen. See Filing the DAV.
7. Making no scans
The original Dutch registration certificate goes to the IMT and does not come back. Scan every document before you hand it over, and keep the originals of the declaration for four years.
8. Selling or lending the car within a year
With the exemption you may not sell the car, give it away, rent it out or lend it for 12 months after the Portuguese registration. If you do, you pay the full ISV after all.
9. Stopping at the registration number
After the number come the registration certificate at the IMT, the ownership registration at the IRN and the first IUC. The registration has a deadline of 60 days. We forgot this step ourselves; the story is in Registration in your name.
Frequently asked questions
What if I missed the 20-working-day deadline?
File the DAV as soon as you can and contact the customs office. We could not establish from an official source what the consequences of a late declaration are in your situation, so we do not state them here. The deadline for the exemption is a different one: that request must be in within 12 months of your move.
Do I need to have owned the car for twelve months to get the exemption?
No. You can still read twelve months online, but the law and the government page say six months of ownership and six months of residence abroad. The twelve months that are correct are the deadline to file the request (12 months after your move) and the period in which you may not sell the car afterwards (12 months).
Facts and sources on this page
Every highlighted value in the text comes from an official source that we read ourselves.
20 working daysA private individual files the DAV (customs declaration for vehicles) within 20 working days after the vehicle enters Portugal.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 20.º n.º 1 a) · Checked on
six monthsThe car must have been your property in the country of origin for at least six months before the move, counted from the issue date of the registration certificate (or of the lease contract).
Source: Pedir a isenção do ISV quando se vem morar para Portugal (gov.pt, updated 27-03-2026) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 60.º n.º 1 c) · Checked on
four yearsYou keep the other original documents of the declaration for four years and show them when customs asks.
Source: Etapas na regularização fiscal de veículo proveniente de outro Estado-membro (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Checked on
12 monthsYou may not sell, give away, rent out or lend an exempt car within 12 months of the assignment of the Portuguese registration. If you do, the full ISV becomes payable.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 47.º n.º 1 · Checked on
60 daysRegistering a vehicle in the owner's name (registo automóvel) has a legal deadline of 60 days. An initial registration can be filed online.
Source: Registar um automóvel (gov.pt, updated 27-04-2026) (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado) · Checked on
12 monthsThe ISV exemption on moving must be requested within 12 months of the date you transferred your residence to Portugal.
Source: Pedir a isenção do ISV quando se vem morar para Portugal (gov.pt, updated 27-03-2026) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 45.º n.º 2 a) · Checked on
six monthsFor the exemption you must prove that you lived abroad for at least six months before moving to Portugal.
Source: Pedir a isenção do ISV quando se vem morar para Portugal (gov.pt, updated 27-03-2026) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 59.º n.º 1 a) · Checked on
Guide: Importing your car into Portugal
Do it yourself, in the right order
The pages on this site explain the rules. The guide is the workbook: what to do in which week, which papers to take to which office, where to click in the Portal das Finanças and what to do when an application is rejected.