It is easy to
purchase a vehicle in Portugal, whether you are a resident or not.
The procedure is straightforward, though slightly different to the
United Kingdom with the emphasis on protecting the buyer and seller and
thus does involve paperwork.
New vehicles in
Portugal
are vastly more
expensive than counterparts in the United Kingdom. This is mainly due to
taxes, which can be thousands. Portugal though does have a good range of
dealerships throughout the countries from Nissan to Skoda.
Second hand vehicles,
however, are more expensive. While you may be able to purchase a ten
year old Mini Metro for £50 in England, don't expect to find the same in
Portugal. Second
hand vehicles or used vehicles in general tend to hold their value in
Portugal. Some of the reasons for this are vehicles in Portugal tend not
to rust and the demand for second hand vehicles is substantially higher
than the UK.
It is illegal to
advertise a vehicle for sale unless it is with a registered seller or
dealership, therefore you will find many vehicles with 'Procurar novo
Dono' signs within them, or just a contact telephone number. Cars who
are 'looking for a new owner' tend to be parked at supermarkets and
popular car parks.
Once you've found the vehicle you wish to
purchase it is simply a matter of completing the paperwork. The
documentation required for the sale of a used vehicle are: Livrete,
Titulo de Registo de Propriedade and Requerimento - declaração para
registo de propriedade / contrato verbal de compra e venda, modelo 2
(change of ownership form).
It is important to note
legally you as the new owner are responsible for the registration of the
change of ownership, which has to be completed within 30 days of the
sale. However it is advisable to register the documents at the time of
sale. Note
of Warning: This is important if you are selling a vehicle in
Portugal. If the new owner does not register the sale then as the
registered owner of the vehicle you will be liable for any parking
tickets, accident damage etc of the vehicle.
Failure to register vehicle details by new
owners is not a regular occurrence in Portugal, however when it does
happen it can have dire consequences.
Mr S, a Portuguese
national, left it to the new owner of his car to register the documents.
Two months later he received a summons to court for parking tickets and
failure to insure 'his' vehicle. As of Summer 2007, following seven
months of protestations, Mr S is still pursuing this, minus his driver's
license which he had to surrender pending the court case. |
