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I have not actually gone through the procedures necessary to import my car [ ie put it on Portuguese plates for permanent, legal, use in Portugal ] from the UK.

I very much wanted to do so, as it is a very reliable, small Clio, full leather interior etc etc, and I already had it in Portugal  ( for the six months in a year entitlement thing ).
HOWever, the more I inquired about how to do it and how much it would cost, the more I realised I was on a hiding to nothing.   I inquired with two or three Agencies, they all said the same thing.

The Fees charged by the  people / companies which do the work vis à vis the bureaucracy are in the order of €500 . Which I consider reasonable.

HOWever the taxes  charged by the Portuguese Govt. now for importing even this very small, little polluting,  vehicle are in the order of €8,000  ( YES !  three zeros )  so it would have been a mad choice to do , the car itself being worth maybe three or four grand at most in UK, where second hand cars are a lot cheaper than in Portugal, for some reason.

It's a shame, because the car was actually IN Portugal, and I would have been happy to pay reasonable taxation ( maybe up to two or even three grand ).  So both I and the Portuguese state would have benefited if the taxes had been in any way reasonable.

By the way, as I understand it, all the above is irrelevant if you are in the category of having just moved permanently, ie with legal residence in, to Portugal, when if you jump through various hoops , you can import one vehicle with a lot less taxation.   

You don't make clear if that is your situation, but I posted anyway as others may wish to be aware of the impossible taxation demands for importing a vehicle.
By the way, this is NOT  because the UK is no longer in the EU.  The taxes may be a bit higher for that reason, but even importing from within the EU the taxes are insane.     I really wonder if anyone at all goes through with such an importation ?
It would be interesting to know how many do it.   For sure the Government would earn more if the taxes were within the acceptable range.

Yep, they'll hammer you on the taxes for a vehicle import. It's doable, but it'll be expensive and a bit of a hassle. I looked into doing it a few years ago and it simply wasn't worth it to me.

From within the EU it shouldn'e be to complicated, but until recently the Portuguese state decided to ignore EU legislation and overcharged people massively. So I would agree that it is very likely not worth importing a non-EU used vehicle to Portugal.

Glad I have read this, was planning on taking a car registered in Germany to Portugal. Are you saying that even a car model that is registered and available in Portugal cannot be imported easily into Portugal from another EU country (like Germany)?

whgwhg001 wrote:

Glad I have read this, was planning on taking a car registered in Germany to Portugal. Are you saying that even a car model that is registered and available in Portugal cannot be imported easily into Portugal from another EU country (like Germany)?

You can import cars, but it can be expensive.

So much for the EU "free market".
Nice protection racket to ensure punitive tax income from vehicles.

We looked in to importing a vehicle from the UK back in 2018 & the expense of it put us off, we had the vehicle with us as we drove it over when we moved here in January 2018 in the end we drove it back to the UK & sold it. Back in 2018 the UK was still very much in the EU  so yes if prices had been reasonable then we would still have said vehicle & both would have gained, we bought a Portuguese vehicle in the end much easier.

With PT residency you can import 1 vehicle FREE of crazy punitive import taxes. I did it 4 years ago.

Hassel free it is NOT...But doable.
All the bits and pieces ( tax declaration, inspection etc ) MUST be done  WITHIN 6 months of residency date.
Watch out for headlight dipping requirements on a UK car can cost you for new headlights.
I can recommend FAOTIR shipping agents in Faro...close to marina. They know the system inside out.
Jorge Fernandez is your man at FAOTIR.
They charge €500 including new PT plates
With all the other bits and pieces that YOU have to do...€1000 in total maximum.
You cannot then sell the car for 5 years..
Hope helps