There are a couple of lengthy threads on another forum from members who have purchased non PT reg cars in Portugal and fallen foul of the GNR and PT customs. One was caught at a check point in Lagoa.
It is suggested that it is actually illegal to buy a UK reg car in Portugal , bad news for those trying to sell and those newspapers that advertise vehicles for sale.
One comment of interest was that the GNR are getting increasingly fed up with drivers of UK reg cars who blatently flout the rules.

EMM

We all know its true, the most stupid, thing to do here at the moment is to break the law......

Even though its not illegal to buy a foreign car here, just stupid unless you're planning on going to live in the country the car comes from.

So many reasons why its dumb - heres one.

The 183 day rule.

Its in fact the car - not the driver the 183 day rule applies to - so worst case
Customs are aware the car has been here more than 183 days and serve a notice (fines, import duties demand (higher even for an old banger than you'd ever believe), etc.
The kind owner sells it to you - I know no-one here would ever dream of doing such a thing.
Hey guess what ! the problems yours.
All the bills, taxes, fines all belong to the new owner, you can't import it here, because you haven't previously owned it for 12 months, you can't register it back in the UK (wherever - because you don't have a UK address)

IDIOTS , DUMB-ASSSES', and other STUPID MORONS please type your replies at the end of this message - yeah i've been here before

do either of you live here or are you just blasting off about things that don't concern you?

My family are leaving Carvoeiro this week after 12 years of living here, we've been property owners since 1985.

I have always driven UK reg cars here, bought in England. They've been roadworthy, taxed in UK and fully insured to drive in this region. I am a conscientious objector to the ridiculous and punitive taxes imposed on new car purchase here.

My wife had the school run and wanted to conform, I never argued with her but here's the reality, in Dec 2010 we paid €26,000 for a VW Golf, which we can't now sell for a fair price; she wants the same car in England, exactly the same spec, I ordered one from Broadspeed this week and am paying 16,800 pounds,

The written Ethos of the European Union is 'the free movement of goods and services', so I've always considered myself a citizen of Europe rather than Portugal and although I was never stopped in those 12 years I was prepared for such an event and would happily have gone as far as it took in legal proceedings to defend my right to drive my car anywhere in Europe. It took a Belgian called Bosman to change football, I'd have happily pursued the same over car purchase.

The problems here and across Europe right now are a direct result of Government overspending and failure to collect tax so whilst it might be fun to sit on a street corner spotting number plates and tut tutting about it you might consider that every time you have some work done or some products delivered and you pay cash and don't get an IVA receipt you are not only breaking the law by avoiding IVA you are also contributing to the lack of income tax collection and adding to the fire that is the disaster in Europe right now.

You may think it's smart 'flying under the radar' but it's not, your lower villa or apartment value and lower rental numbers and income are a direct result of people like you doing what you're doing.
So I'll end with some advice; get yourself the appropriate licence to rent your property, pay your taxes on the rental income and pay IVA on any work you have done. When you do all that you have the right to bang on about other people doing things wrong, it's called leading from the front.

Hear, hear Sunman!

Hi Sunman,
i do live here, for several years, and normally find your replies amongst the most sensible here, so i've no wish to pick a fight with you.
I'm really sorry for your recent experience here, my in-laws had a similar event and it took years to get over it.
You can't be a conscientious objector to paying a tax, thats reserved for 'not killing people in wars, not exterminating other races'
Sorry, i totally agree with you the tax is unfair on new cars here and is largely responsible for the high second hand car prices.
You are simply someone who has decided not to pay that tax.
You wouldn't be the first to take a stand against an unfair law and i'd wholeheartedly support your right to do that.
Usually the pay back for paying more for a car here is that it then in subsequent years holds its value better than a UK equivalent.
I think regarding selling your car , you're a victim of the circumstances of both the recession and the fact its always difficult to sell a nearly new car at a good price.
The ethos of Europe was simply to create a stronger economic entity, more able to compete inside a changing world - most of the rest of whats happened is incidental to that.
Please don't confuse this statement 'the free movement of goods and services' - you do have the right of free movement ,,, but this doesn't mean tax free and was never intended to, sorry but its a niave interpretation.
Fair rights for all is the concerns of the red cross, amnesty international and similar.
Anyway Portugal is fair, same stupid laws for everyone.
I don't fly under anyones radar - we own several properties here, and 2 cars - 1 imported ( i imported it, took a lot of effort, but only cost about 300 euros), 1 portuguese, we're registered at the Financas, pay all taxes due and my policy is that i don't pay workers on the black - we were strongarmed into it once here when we had a fosse overflowing and the guy would only do it for cash there and then, for me thats it.
I repeat i'm sorry for your recent incident and wish you all of the best for the future , but please don't attack people you don't know

I too pay tax in Portugal and like many others struggle sometimes to conform to the ever changing rules and regs.
BUT Portugals tax policies just like those in the UK have little if anything to do with the EU, to keep harping on about this is a waste of time.
How will you react once back in the UK if you feel that some of the taxes there are unfair ??
I would live to pay Portuguese prices for wine
Driving in Portugal is hard enough without having to worry about the untaxed , no mot, therefore no insurance UK reg cars that are an all too frequent sight on the roads or getting caught up in the increased number GNR checks that are set up to catch those who flout the rules
As the previous poster commented how many in the Algarve purchase a UK reg car in good faith unaware of the potential and very expensive issues that may result.

hi Mato,

no beef with you, the 'flying under the radar' comment was directed at EMM, he's used it before on this subject,

we're not leaving because we were robbed, that's poor Shanagarry; we want our kids to finish their education in UK so that's why we're headed back, good for them but regrettable for us, we'll miss the sun

apropo the differing tax regimes in Europe, the union is flawed as long as the members are allowed to run their own fiscal policies, we'll all be in the doodoo until such time as they decide to centralise (or not)

cheers