Case Study 37 – Citroën Berlingo from the Netherlands

A client approached us about bringing two vehicles to Portugal; a BMW and a 2003 Citroën Berlingo. He hoped to import them tax-free, but unfortunately, he did not meet the requirements for a tax-free import. That meant both cars would need to be imported with full taxes.

Choosing the Right Car

Initially, we explored the possibility of importing the Berlingo under the reduced “work van” tax category. However, because the vehicle was originally registered with a back seat, it was classified as a passenger car. The client asked if removing the seat could help lower the taxes, but the authorities always base their decision on the original registration, not on modifications done later.

Although this ruled out the tax-saving option, the Berlingo still turned out to be far more affordable tax-wise—about half the cost of importing the BMW. With that in mind, the client decided to proceed with just the Citroën.

The COC Document

For Citroën vehicles, the Certificate of Conformity (COC) usually comes at a relatively high cost of around €225 at the time of writing. To save both time and money, we advised the client to order a COC substitute through us, which we can usually deliver within 24 hours.

However, the client had already ordered the COC directly from Citroën. This delayed the process, as the document took over a month to arrive. Until it was received, we were unable to move forward with the import.

The Import Process

Once the paperwork was in place, everything ran smoothly. Because of his busy work schedule, the customer had limited availability to attend the inspection. We arranged a convenient time that worked for him, and the inspection was completed without issues. After that, the approval came quickly.

Updating the Address on the NIF

One final step was updating the client’s address at Finanças (NIF). When importing a vehicle, all official documents are sent to the address registered there. Since his address had changed, it was essential to update it so everything would arrive at the correct place. This is a good practice for anyone in Portugal, whether importing a car or not.

Key Takeaways

• Taxes vary greatly depending on the type of vehicle, sometimes making one car much more cost-effective than another.
• COC documents for French brands (Citroën, Peugeot, Renault) are usually cheaper and faster to obtain through us.
• Always keep your NIF address up to date with Finanças to avoid delays and ensure all documents reach you correctly.