Importing your car tax-free to Portugal requires solid proof of residence in your previous country. Customs authorities request these documents to validate your past living situation. Here’s a straightforward guide to help you navigate this requirement:
Time Frame: 12 Months Before Registration in Portugal
Collect documents that cover the 12 months preceding your car registration in Portugal. This period serves as the window to showcase your residency in your previous country.
6 Consecutive Months of Residence
Highlight at least 6 consecutive months of residence within the 12-month timeframe. If you unregistered from your previous country on January 1, 2024, you will need to show proof of living for the months July-December of 2023.
Preferred Documents:
Focus on the following documents, ensuring you have at least 2 or 3 types of bills:
- Income Receipts: Provide 6 income receipts from your previous jobs for the chosen months
- Utility Bills: Include 6 bills for each month from categories like electricity, water, or natural gas.
- Rent or mortgage payments for 6 months.
Example Scenario:
If you are proving residence during July 1 to December 31, 2023, you can submit:
- 6 income receipts (July, August, September, October, November and December 2023).
- 6 electricity bills (July, August, September, October, November and December 2023).
- 6 rent bills (July, August, September, October, November and December 2023).
Additional Option: Bank Statements
If obtaining enough traditional documents poses a challenge, you can include bank statements. Ensure these statements reflect locally purchased items, preferably supermarket and fuel station transactions. There are two options:
- Provide screenshots of your monthly banks statements for each of the 6 months. Make sure there are at least 3 valid transactions per month on your screenshot.
- Provide pdf’s or screenshots of 18 individual transactions. Three screenshots for each month are needed.
Note: For privacy, you can block out specific details and amounts in these bank statements. The focus should be on showcasing when and where the purchases were made to affirm your presence in your previous country. Each statement must include your name.
Certificate of residence
In addition to proof of residence, obtaining a deregistration document is crucial for a successful tax-free car import to Portugal. This document serves as evidence of your formal departure from your previous country or town. It can be acquired from the city council or an embassy. Initiate this process well in advance due to potential delays.
The required document is the original Certificate of Residence issued by the administrative entity overseeing inhabitants or a consular certificate detailing the start and end dates of your residence in the country of origin, with a minimum period of six months. This certificate strengthens your case and should be secured promptly to streamline the importation procedure.
Additional information
It may be possible that customs will request additional documentation. To prevent this as much as possible, it is important to follow this guide in detail, otherwise customs may not approve your tax-free import.
