Frequently asked questions

It depends on the country of origin, the car's availability and the legalisation stage, but the full process typically takes 4 to 10 weeks from signing the contract to delivery. Sourcing and Legalisation are usually the stages with the most variable duration. In your portal, every stage always shows an estimated timeframe, so you know what to expect at each point — without having to ask the team.

Yes, but the terms depend on which stage the case is in. The Engagement fee is fixed and non-refundable, as it covers the work already done in qualification and simulation — but it is reusable: it can be applied to another vehicle selection process without paying again. After the car is reserved with the seller (Contracting stage), cancelling may mean losing amounts already advanced to third parties. We always recommend talking to your account manager before deciding — each case is assessed individually, with full transparency about what is or isn't recoverable.

The pre-purchase inspection at origin exists precisely to catch this before the deal closes. If a relevant discrepancy comes up between the listing and the car's actual condition, we flag it immediately and you can choose not to proceed or to renegotiate the price with the seller. If the defect is only found after arrival in Portugal (for example, during the national technical inspection), we review the specific case to see whether it should have been flagged during initial validation.

Yes. The autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira have their own tax rules, including reduced vehicle tax (ISV) rates compared to mainland Portugal. The import process itself follows the same logic — sourcing, validation, contracting, shipping and legalisation — but final legalisation is handled with the relevant regional authorities. General information. Please confirm the exact rates applicable to your region with your accountant.

We currently operate fully remotely, with no walk-in physical office. All support runs through the client portal, 24/7 AI chat, WhatsApp Business and email — which lets us respond faster than a traditional in-person desk. Physical delivery of the car happens in the Lisbon area/logistics centre (or another location agreed with you).

When you fill in the manual form (instead of pasting a listing link), our team researches an equivalent car and replies by email within 24 business hours. This mode doesn't return an instant result because it requires human confirmation of tax and market data before presenting a reliable estimate of the total cost of getting the car to Portugal.

The client portal shows the internal stages of your case, grouped into 7 chapters (Pre-sale, Sourcing, Validation, Contracting, Operation, Legalisation, Delivery and after-sales). The active stage is always highlighted, with its estimated timeframe and, where relevant, the reason for any hold-up. You don't need to ask your account manager — the information is always available in real time.

Before the Reservation stage (within Contracting), yes — you can go back to Sourcing and request a new shortlist at no extra cost beyond the fees already paid. Once the car has been reserved or purchased from the seller, switching cars means restarting the process as a new case, with new Commitment and Success fees, since costs already incurred on the previous car aren't recoverable.

No. All documents — the service agreement, invoices and the legalisation file — are signed digitally through the client portal. No stage of the process requires your physical presence at any point, including delivery, which can be arranged by proxy if you'd rather not attend.

The operation is temporarily paused at that stage until we receive the requested information or decision — we never proceed on your behalf on points that require your confirmation. We send automatic reminders by email (and WhatsApp, if enabled) and, after a prolonged period without a response, your account manager contacts you directly before considering the operation inactive.

The ISV (Vehicle Tax) is a one-off tax paid when a car is put into circulation in Portugal for the first time (first registration), calculated based on engine size and CO2 emissions, among other factors set out in the Vehicle Tax Code. For a PuraRota import, the customs agent issues the ISV assessment and payment is made directly by you to the tax authority — never through PuraRota. General information. Please confirm the amounts applicable to your specific case with your accountant.

WLTP and NEDC are two different protocols for measuring a car's CO2 emissions. NEDC is the older protocol, generally associated with older cars or earlier homologation records; WLTP is the current, stricter protocol, usually resulting in higher CO2 figures for the same model. Since the environmental component of the ISV depends directly on the declared CO2 value, it's important to confirm which protocol appears on the technical sheet or Certificate of Conformity of the car you want to import. General information. Please confirm the applicable protocol with your accountant or customs agent.

Fully electric cars benefit from a full ISV exemption under the Vehicle Tax Code. This is one of the reasons many clients choose to import EVs from Germany or the Benelux, where the used market tends to be larger and more competitively priced. That said, all other costs of the process (shipping, legalisation, inspection, service fees) still apply as normal. General information. Please confirm the specific tax situation of the model you want with your accountant.

Plug-in hybrids that meet the legal requirements for minimum electric-only range and maximum CO2 emissions can benefit from an intermediate ISV rate, reduced compared to the standard rate for an equivalent combustion vehicle. The exact requirements (minimum electric range and emissions ceiling) are set out in the Vehicle Tax Code and may be updated annually. General information. Please confirm with your accountant whether the model you want meets the current requirements.

Yes. The Vehicle Tax Code sets out a schedule of reductions based on the car's age (time elapsed since first registration in the country of origin), reflecting depreciation. Generally, the older the car, the larger the applicable reduction, within the brackets and limits set by law. This reduction is applied automatically in the customs agent's calculation. General information. Please confirm the exact reduction bracket for the car's age with your accountant.

It depends on the car's tax status and the seller's. If you buy a used car from a private individual in another EU country, there's usually no additional VAT to settle in Portugal, provided VAT was already paid on the car's first sale within the EU. Buying a new car, or from a dealer with deductible VAT, may trigger VAT settlement in Portugal. VAT on PuraRota's services is always itemised on the invoice. General information. Please confirm your specific situation with your accountant.

The IUC (annual circulation tax) is charged yearly on car ownership, paid by the owner to the tax authority, with the first payment due the year after first registration in Portugal. It's important to understand that the IUC never enters PuraRota's total cost calculation — it's always paid directly by you to the tax authority, entirely independent of our service. We have a dedicated page (/iuc) just to simulate this amount for informational purposes. General information. Please confirm the amount applicable to your vehicle with your accountant.

Yes. Since Brexit, the UK (except Northern Ireland, which keeps specific rules) is treated as a third country for customs and VAT purposes, which can mean additional customs duties and import VAT on top of the standard ISV. This typically makes the process more complex and potentially more expensive than importing from an EU country. General information. Please confirm the specific customs treatment of the car you want with your accountant.

The law sets a legal deadline for submitting the vehicle customs declaration (DAV) and subsequently settling the ISV after the car enters Portuguese territory, with penalties for late submission. At PuraRota, the customs agent submits the DAV as soon as the car reaches the logistics centre, precisely to avoid missing this deadline. General information. Please confirm the exact deadline in force with your accountant or customs agent.

Yes, the Vehicle Tax Code provides for exemption or tax-benefit regimes for specific situations, such as change of residence (returning residents bringing their own car), people with disabilities (subject to requirements and supporting documentation) and, in some cases, large families. These regimes have their own documentation requirements and deadlines, usually stricter than a standard import. General information. Please confirm with your accountant whether you meet the requirements for any of these regimes before starting the process.

It depends on the type of car and how it's used in the business. Goods vehicles and passenger cars used for certain activities (for example, freight transport, passenger transport or car rental) generally have full or partial VAT deduction. Mixed-use passenger cars usually face deduction restrictions, subject to exceptions in the VAT Code. General information. Please confirm the exact treatment of the car and the business activity with your accountant.

Besides the ISV exemption, electric cars used by companies generally get more favourable autonomous taxation treatment (typically reduced rates or exemption, depending on the purchase value) and, in some cases, greater VAT deduction than combustion vehicles. These advantages have been one of the main drivers for companies to electrify their fleets through direct imports. General information. Please confirm the rates and limits in force in the year of purchase with your accountant.

Cars are depreciated for tax purposes over their useful life, up to a maximum acquisition value accepted as a tax-deductible cost, which varies by powertrain type (electric cars generally have a higher ceiling than combustion cars). Amounts above that ceiling can still be depreciated for accounting purposes, but the excess isn't tax-deductible. General information. Please confirm the applicable ceilings for the year of purchase with your accountant.

Autonomous taxation is an additional tax levied on expenses related to passenger cars used by the company (including depreciation, lease payments, fuel and insurance), with rates that vary based on the car's purchase value. Electric cars typically benefit from reduced rates or exemption under this tax, reinforcing the incentive to electrify company fleets. General information. Please confirm the applicable rates for the car's value with your accountant.

As a rule, simply purchasing a car doesn't directly fall under these regimes, which are aimed at R&D investment (SIFIDE) or productive investment in certain sectors and regions (RFAI). There may be edge cases where a vehicle forms part of a broader eligible investment, but that depends entirely on the specific framing of the business activity. General information. Please confirm with your accountant whether your specific situation could qualify for either regime.

It depends on the company's tax and cash-flow structure. Leasing spreads the cost over the contract term and may have different VAT and autonomous taxation treatment than a direct purchase, but it isn't always more advantageous — it depends on the implicit interest rate, the contract term and the company's depreciation policy. PuraRota can intermediate the import regardless of the financing method chosen. General information. Please confirm the most advantageous structure for your case with your accountant.

From a purely tax perspective, each car is taxed individually — there's no special ISV or IUC regime just for being part of a fleet. The practical advantage of grouping several imports lies mainly in negotiating better terms with shipping and inspection partners, and in simplifying document management, which PuraRota also supports. General information. Please confirm the tax treatment of each car in the fleet with your accountant.

Yes, significantly. Goods vehicles (Table B of the ISV) generally carry a lower ISV burden than passenger cars (Table A), and also have their own VAT deduction and autonomous taxation rules. Correctly classifying the vehicle with the authorities is essential to apply the right tax regime. General information. Please confirm the applicable classification for the model you want with your accountant.

Yes, but in that case the vehicle follows an individual's tax framework, not a company's, even if the company contributes to the payment. If the vehicle is instead a work-related benefit granted to a partner or employee, there are also personal income tax/social security rules on that benefit to consider. General information. Confirm the framework with your accountant before deciding on ownership.

The invoice always identifies the company as the client, with its tax ID, itemising the intermediation service fees separately from the vehicle's value and ISV — both paid directly by you to third parties, never through PuraRota. This clear separation makes correct accounting entry of each cost component of the operation easier.

PuraRota's service fees (Commitment, Success and optional services) are paid by bank transfer, MB WAY or credit/debit card, always with an invoice issued via InvoiceXpress. These are the only amounts you pay to PuraRota — the car's price, the ISV and the IUC are always paid by you directly to third parties (the seller and the tax authority), never through us.

Yes, MB WAY is one of the accepted payment methods for PuraRota's service fees, alongside bank transfer. You always receive the corresponding invoice after each payment, with VAT itemised, for your records.

Yes, you can pay PuraRota's service fees by credit or debit card, alongside bank transfer and MB WAY. From the portal you are taken to ifthenpay's secure page, where you enter your card details: PuraRota never sees or stores them. You always receive the corresponding invoice after each payment, with VAT itemised, for your records.

Payment for the car to the foreign seller or dealer is always made directly by you, typically after the Reservation stage and before shipping, following the bank details provided by the seller themselves. PuraRota tracks and validates this stage, but never receives or handles this amount — the money always goes directly from you to the seller.

Yes, you can use car credit to finance the purchase from the foreign seller, through partner financial institutions. Financing typically covers the car's price — PuraRota's service fees are managed separately. Talk to your account manager to understand the financing options available for your case.

If the listing is in a currency other than the euro (for example, pounds sterling for UK cars), the amount shown in the simulation is converted at the exchange rate at that moment, but the final amount paid to the seller is subject to the exchange rate in force on the actual payment date. We always recommend confirming the updated rate before closing the deal, especially during periods of higher currency volatility.

In the portal, you submit photos and details of your current car (make, model, year, mileage, general condition). Our team or valuation partners review the information and return a value proposal, visible in an 'appraising' status until you accept or decline it. The full valuation history is available in the portal, with no need for an in-person visit at this initial stage.

We typically ask for the vehicle's registration document, current photos of the car (exterior, interior and any damage) and, if available, its maintenance history. These documents help the valuation team provide a more accurate value proposal from the first interaction, reducing back-and-forth.

No. PuraRota facilitates and intermediates the import but doesn't sell you the new vehicle — so there's no final price on our side to deduct the trade-in from. Your used vehicle is always appraised and bought by a partner, who pays you the agreed value directly. You're then free to use that amount as you wish, including towards buying the imported vehicle.

The value is always paid to you directly by the partner who appraises and buys your used vehicle — it's never deducted from a PuraRota case. You arrange the payment method and timing with that partner at the start of the valuation process.

The client portal updates automatically as your case moves through its internal stages, with no need to refresh the page or ask the team for updates. You also get notifications (email, and optionally WhatsApp) whenever a relevant stage is completed or when an action is needed from you.

You can reach us via the AI chat available 24/7 on every page (with escalation to a human whenever needed), WhatsApp Business, the client portal (messages tied to your case) and email. Pick whichever channel suits you best — the conversation always stays linked to your profile, regardless of the channel used.

Yes, the shipping arranged by PuraRota includes transport insurance cover appropriate to the car's value, for the journey from the country of origin to Portugal. The exact policy details are shared with you before shipping begins, during the Operation stage.

It depends on the car's age and history. Newer cars may still be covered by the manufacturer's warranty (often valid Europe-wide), which we confirm during the Validation stage. For cars outside manufacturer warranty, you can still take out an additional mechanical warranty through PuraRota's partners, an option we discuss with you case by case.