Dear blog readers, thanks for your involvement in our Portuguese adventures. And especially to Frans, who wrote a comment on our first article about importing our car in Portugal. Frans advised us to check our matriculate papers, since we had to pay much more tax then expected. And what you do you think? A MISSTAKE WAS MADE SOMEWHERE IN THE PROCESS AND NOW OUR COMPANY CAR WAS SUBSCRIBED AS A PRIVATE CAR.

The irony of it all is that entering our Discovery was far more complicated because it is a company car… Somewhere at customs or at finanças things went wrong. Now it’s up to us to get that right again.

Step 1: To the IMT in Viseu.
Here we want to get the papers changed as noted on the official inspection report. You always have to, at least, wait an hour and a half for your turn, but the person who helps us understands it immediately and corrects the error. “Back-dated?” we ask, because we want to try to recover the 2 years that we have paid far too much motor vehicle tax. That makes him smile, because well, the finanças likes to get paid, but doesn’t like returning it.

Step 2: To our municipal tax office.
The chef is quickly called in and he understands what’s going on, but he doesn’t really help. We do get confirmation that we will have to pay less motor vehicle tax in the coming years. But returning the overpaid tax of last 2 years… difficult, difficult… He looks a hundred times at our papers and comes to a conclusion: He needs the confirmation from IMT that our car has been a company car in between the entry date and the correction date. So, can we go back to IMT and get that for him?
Nuno gets angry and asks a letter from the chef in which he writes what exactly he wants. Fortunately the chef writes it.

Step 3: Back at the IMT in Viseu.
We are again waiting for an hour and a half. The lady who is helping us shakes her head: “Why didn’t the chef email them to ask what he wanted?” We can only confirm that. She tries to call him, but does not get an answer. She promises to try again later and after that she’ll call me back.

Step 4: Between IMT and tax office…
She calls me back, but couldn’t reach the chef. (the number on the finanças website appears to be incorrect). So we go to the chef again. He calls her because I have her number, thanks to the number recognition of my telephone. We hear him barking in the horn through the wall. He returns and tells us kindly; She’s going to email him. I check with her to see if that is the case. And the following days I stalk her by phone to hear if she has already done it. At some point she asks me how I did get her private number? Fortunately, she sent the documents and I can promise that I will never bother her again.

Step 5: Back at the tax office.
Hello again to the chef. He has not seen the email yet, but will look at it at our request: It is to his liking. Now we can write the official letter of objection. WHAT?!? Yes, we must write a letter ourselves with a request for reimbursement. I hear steam coming from Nuno’s ears beside me. And apparently that impresses the chef, who then asks me if I know how to write in Portuguese. Yes, of course. He picks up two A4 pages and writes our objection letter in draft, which I can then copy by hand. Like a Portuguese dictation in school…

Step 6: Waiting.
We were told to wait 3 months. After a good month we receive confirmation that our objection has been received and has been processed. Another month later, we receive new tax assessments for the motor vehicle tax for the past 2 years, € 57 each. It seemed to be going in the right direction …
And yes, two weeks ago suddenly the overpaid amount was in our bankaccount! Hurrah!

All’s well that ends well. And when Frans is passing by, we would like to take him for lunch at our local restaurant!

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4 Comments

  1. The mistake was in the fact that it was registered as 2018 or as a private car or both?

    I am asking because I have an old 2010 Nissan X Trail that I would like to bring over (registered under my dad’s name). Can I do it? I would be using it as a private car if I could bring the car over in my dreams but I definitely don’t want to pay 10 times the tax.

    So my confusion is only about the IUC annual tax. The reason you got that relief was because its a company car? what if it was private? You couldn’t get the lower tax rate? Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

    1. Hi Ahmad, thanks for your comment.
      The lower tax rate depends on the vehicle (persons/goods), not on the owner (private/company).
      Our car was misstaken to be a car for persons (with 4 seats) instead of a car for goods (only 2 seats).
      In my language, Dutch, we use the word for “company car” in two ways: it can refer to a car owned by a company, or a car to transport goods.
      This is how I got you confused! Sorry.

      One more thing about your situation: you cannot import a car free from import tax, that is not on your personal name.
      In 2017 it had to be on your personal name for at least 1 year, to be able to move the car to Portugal as part of your household.
      You can always consider to import your Dad too…😉

  2. Enjoyed reading this. We’re considering moving to Portugal ( well I’ve lived everywhere else 🤣) and would apply for a Golden Visa. It won’t be until next year but as none EU citizens would our Right Hand Drive cars be eligible? Then again I’m waiting to order a nnew Range Rover, I might be better getting a new car sooner in Left hand drive form 6 months b4 we apply for our visa. Don’t know Portugal but thinking Algarve weather suit me best, r there any sites I could get recommendations from?

    1. Thank you, Jamie.
      Unfortunately, I can’t give you any advice. Maybe one of our readers can recommend something/someone to you.

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