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Hi Bikes84,

I think you have fewer headaches with bureaucracy if you buy a car in Portugal, even second-hand. You also have the problem of having an RHV instead of an LHV.

You have some support here:

You can take temporary insurance while you wait for the vehicle to be legalised, if you choose to bring your vehicle with you.

You can have it for 6 months in the EU per year, if you are Portugese resident then not allowed to drive non Portugese reg car (some exceptions).  So you can drive out and use it for months whilst doing stuff and looking for an alternative PT reg vehicle.  Far easier to have transport than not when trying to move in.  After  a few months then workout either to sell to a Brit here (or Spain) and let them take it back, some people going back to UK do look for UK reg , or work out how to get it back to UK (some companies will do this for a price) and get someone there to sell it. RHD vans are not popular here  Obviously make sure it's got a long MOT and your UK insirance covers for the period in PT.  My UK insurance covers 90 days which is the max I can be in EU an one go. Don't get stuck with a no MOT UK van in Portugal, I've been stopped and the Police want all the correct paperwork including current MOT and proof of when it arrived in EU.

@JohnnyPT Thank you for the reply and info Johnny.

Whilst there does seem to be a bit of paperwork / faff for switching over from a UK plate to PT... but vehicles seem to be so much more expensive in Portugal. The cost of a replacement there vs paperwork seems to lend itself to changing the UK plate to PT.

How long do you think you'll want to drive around with the steering on the wrong side of the car?  I can't recall ever seeing anyone doing that here.

@Strontium thanks for the reply.

We will be in Portugal for a very minimum of 12 months without any plans to leave during that time and most likely, for a couple of years at least. We want to keep the van as it's a perfect van for us and what we need. To buy the equivalent out there doesn't really seem an option (having browed the used car market in Portugal, a lesser model + 20000km on the clock is more expensive that ours!). Also, we are very ok with having a RHD over there (we have a LHD American van here (which we are selling, not bringing!), and I drive for a few weeks at time in EU in RHD van), so thats not a problem, neither is the resell situation as we wont be looking to sell it.

For me there are some grey areas which I can't seem to find solid answers for:

1. Our first few months will be under Temporary Stay Visa (I think). Does this class as a 'Portuguese resident'? Would this restrict us from being able to drive our UK van?
2. I've read that switching over from UK to PT registration can take months, a year even... How on earth are we supposed to insure it etc? UK insurer?

Thanks!

@donn25 honestly, that doesnt bother us at all. We are used to; we also have a LHD American van here in the UK (selling as it's not very practical), and I drive a RHD van in Europe for a few months a year in Europe. So honestly, that's the least of our worries!

    @JohnnyPT Thank you for the reply and info Johnny.
Whilst there does seem to be a bit of paperwork / faff for switching over from a UK plate to PT... but vehicles seem to be so much more expensive in Portugal. The cost of a replacement there vs paperwork seems to lend itself to changing the UK plate to PT.
   

    -@Bakes84

It's a bit more tricky since Brexit. You also have to change your headlights as well.

There are a couple of practical things to consider.  RHD vehicles have different things to consider when getting spare parts, things like the steering box being on the other side of the car means that other parts may have a different orientation; basically means you have to import some parts from the UK or another country that uses RHD vehicles.  Because of this, insurance costs are higher because repairs cost more.  Practicality is an issue to consider, your steering wheel is now on the kerb-side of the road, overtaking needs you to hang back further which makes it less safe.  One very frustrating thing was trying to get into controlled car parks, where the barrier and ticket dispenser is on the other side of the car, no problem if you have 2 in the car, but when my wife went shopping by herself, it very quickly became a reason not to go.

We imported a LHD car from the Netherlands to the UK, some points may be relevant to you.  We had to replace the headlights to get it through MOT (they dipped the wrong way); the radiator grill had to be changed because of this (the screws that held the new lights were in different places); a few months in, we needed a new exhaust, RHD exhaust pipes bent the opposite way to our LHD car.

Food for thought.

@SimCityAT Good ol' Brexit, eh? I have read that it doesn't cost that much to switch over (once again, comparing the cost vs buying the equivalent of our van in PT)...

This is obviously very specific but our van actually has 'travel mode' lights which switches from UK to EU/driving on the other side compliant. Not sure if that would pass and be legal...?!

@Cynic thanks for the reply and very valid points, some which we had not really thought (obtaining parts for RHD) of so thank you! I van is only a few years old and hasn't done that many miles so fingers crossed, it won't be much of an issue But yeah, understand it will have a knock on effect for insurance, coupled with the other points you raised.

I don't think my partner will come up with any excuses not to go shopping on her own! (Also, as its a small van, you can just slide across pretty easily).

@Bakes84 It seems that you have made up your mind anyway. It is absolutely possible to import your car from anywhere and have it adapted and licensed in Portugal. It is just a matter of time, money and practicalities. As none of these appear to be very relevant for you, my recommendation would be: Go for it. Many people have done it before. A friend has a quite special model of Shelby from the US. It was all doable, but tires and other parts always need to be imported from the US.

Hi there,

so far I hear, exist one web site (Pt) where you can check how much will be the Tax for your car, as per Brand, age of the car, engine, etc.

Know somebody this web?

Regards.

@TGCampo @TGCampo Haha sort of...

It seems, by far the best option (for us) to flip it over to a PT registration. Whilst it appears timely and a little bit of mindfield, I think I have deep dived in the last 24 hours into the options and feel like it's the best option for us.

I guess I could divert the thread towards the process/advice/tips from anyone who has done it or has knowledge of the process...

There seems to be a lot of horror stories, especially for those who aren't fluent in Portuguese so we may look at hiring an agent (any recommendations welcome). We don't want our van being confiscated!

@Bakes84,

ACP is a good choice for that process:

@Bakes84 without a translator, I would be better more worried not being ripped off with unnecessary charges.

In Austria, it has cost between €1000 and €4000 to import a couple of cars. Those were the latest charges. Not mine, I had my furniture sent over in a Luton van and my wife already had a car. Anyhow I left the UK 15 years ago.

@JohnnyPT Thank you!

@SimCityAT Yeah exactly, it would be pretty easy to be ripped off!

You left the UK 15 years ago... Jealous!