Driving on Dutch plates in Portugal
As a visitor you may, six months in any twelve. As a resident you may not: then the car must be declared within 20 working days.
By Gerardus Koetje · Updated on
If you do not live in Portugal
Portugal admits cars with foreign plates without charging ISV, through the scheme for Admissão temporária. The conditions from the law:
- the car has a definitive registration from another EU country;
- it is registered to someone whose normal residence is not in Portugal;
- it was brought into the country by the owner or the legitimate holder, for private use.
The duration is at most six months in any twelve. The six months may be continuous or spread over several visits.
Who may drive the car is also in the law: the owner, the spouse or partner, parents and children, or another legitimate holder. For all of them it holds that they may not live in Portugal.
When do you live in Portugal?
For the ISV code you live in Portugal when you have your normal residence there for 185 days or more per calendar year. That is this law's own definition. It can differ from how the tax authority sees you for income tax or from your registration with the municipality.
If you do live there
If you live in Portugal, the scheme does not apply. The car must then be declared: the DAV within 20 working days after the car enters the country. After that you may drive with the DAV for 60 days while the registration is arranged.
The consequence for emigrants: you cannot move and then drive on Dutch plates for a year to see how you like it. From the moment you live in Portugal and the car is there, the clock runs.
Winter visitors and second homes
If you spend part of the year in Portugal but live in the Netherlands, you fall under the scheme for visitors. Keep track of the days the car was in Portugal and keep proof of your residence in the Netherlands. The six months count per twelve-month period, not per calendar year.
A Portuguese resident in a Dutch car
A car that is in Portugal under the scheme may only be driven by people who do not live there. So your Portuguese neighbour, or a relative who lives in Portugal, may not simply drive it. The law has a few exceptions, among them force majeure and breakdown.
Study, placement and temporary work
For people who are in Portugal temporarily for an assignment, a placement or study there is a separate scheme, under which the car may stay for as long as that stay lasts. You have to request it from customs, within 30 days of entry.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep driving on my Dutch plates as a resident of Portugal?
No. The scheme for foreign plates (six months in any twelve) only applies to someone who does not live in Portugal. If you live there, the car must be declared within 20 working days of arrival. See Driving on Dutch plates.
May I drive the car while the import is in progress?
After filing the DAV you may, according to the IMT's government page, drive for 60 days with only the DAV; the registration request must be filed within that time. Keep the DAV and your insurance certificate in the car, and ask your insurer beforehand whether cover continues during this period.
Facts and sources on this page
Every highlighted value in the text comes from an official source that we read ourselves.
six months in any twelveA car with a definitive registration from another EU member state may be driven in Portugal for at most six months, continuous or interrupted, in each twelve-month period, and only when it is registered to someone who does not live in Portugal and was brought in by that person for private use.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 30.º n.º 1 · Checked on
185 daysFor the ISV code you live in Portugal when you have your normal residence there for 185 days or more per calendar year.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 30.º n.º 6 · Checked on
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
60 daysWith only the DAV you may drive the car for 60 consecutive days. The registration request must be filed within those 60 days.
Source: Pedir a matrícula para um veículo importado (gov.pt, updated 04-09-2026) (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) · Legal basis: Decreto-Lei n.º 102-B/2020 · Checked on
30 daysThe scheme for people who are in Portugal temporarily for an assignment, placement or study must be requested within 30 days of entry.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 34.º n.º 3 · 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.