- 1.1 Why is a Certificate of Conformity Required to import your car into Portugal?
- 1.2 How does a CoC look like?
- 2.1 Might be within your car's documentation
- 2.2 You can ask for it to a brand representant
- 2.3 You can obtain a CoC online and from home
- 3.1 Can I import my car to Portugal without a CoC?
- 3.2 Certificates of Conformity bought online are accepted by IMT?
- 3.3 How much is the cost of a Certificate of Conformity?
- 3.4 Where can I buy a Certificate of Conformity?
- 4.1 Inspection B
- 4.2 IMT Model 9 form
- 4.3 Tax free import
What is a Certificate of Conformity?
Buyers and institutions ask for the CoC when it comes to the importation of products and goods, like it happens when you try to import you car to Portugal.
Certificates of Conformity started to be mandatory for cars in 2008. So that means that if you bought your car in 2008 or after, to obtain the Certificate of Conformity for it you just had to speak with your car manufacturer representant. Some manufacturers charge a certain amount of money to send you the CoC, but nowadays is very common that the CoC is included within the car’s documentation when you buy it (if the car is new or just a few years old).
Why is a Certificate of Conformity Required to import your car into Portugal?
Portugal requires a Certificate of Conformity on the time of importing the car into the country to prove that the vehicle complies the technical characteristics with which it was built.
As well, it is not mandatory but 100% recommended to have a CoC to obtain a homologation number, since it makes the process 4 times easier.
How does a CoC look like?
The Certificate of Conformity is a document with 3-5 pages containing all the information of the vehicle, which will be among other things, data like:
- Length, width and height
- Vehicle category
- Number of axles and wheels
- Mass of the vehicle in running order
- Tyres type and sizes
- Etc…
In the next image you can have a look at how the first page of a CoC looks like.
How can you obtain the CoC for your car?
To obtain a Certificate of Conformity for a car you have different options.
Might be within your car's documentation
The CoC might be within your car’s documentation and manual, specially if the car is not older than 10 years.
Most car brands started to include the Certificate of Conformity within the car documentation when the document became necessary around years 10 ago.
You can ask for it to a brand representant
If you don’t have it, the official representant that sold you the car (must be an official manufacturer representant) will be able to obtain it. Talk with them so they can ask for the CoC.
They may charge you for it: for example BMW UK asks £100 for a CoC.
You can obtain a CoC online and from home
If you don’t have it, you can obtain your CoC online through a authorized dealer, like eurococ.eu
If you bought your car second hand and the CoC wasn’t included in the documentation, you will need to buy your CoC, asking the manufacturer of an official CoC dealer.
FAQ’s about the CoC for your car importation process
Here you have some of the most common questions we receive (and have received) about Certificates of Conformity for importing cars to Portugal.
Can I import my car to Portugal without a CoC?
Yes, you can get an homologation number using another document that substitutes the CoC if you contact with the Automobile Association of Portugal or ACAP (Associação Automóvel Portugal). You will have to send the following documentation via post (yes, through the post office), so ACAP can certify it and wait for them to send it back to you by post again:
- IMT Model 9 form filled-up, signed and in duplicate – two copies (leave free the field “Homologação nº”, that’s the homologation number, the number they give you);
- A copy of the vehicle documents;
- A photo of the manufacturer’s vehicle techincal plate (usually it is located in the engine compartment or door frame, varies with every vehicle/car);
- Bank receipt for payment of costs (you have to have paid in advance and send the proof of payment within the post);
A couple weeks after you send the documentation it will be returned via post by ACAP with an homologation number written there and some stamps here and there.
If you like challenges and have time to spend you can check this specific certification service here.
However, as you can imagine we do not recommend you this method since also costs money (+/- 120€), means more time and days waiting, more emails sent, more calls made and sending documentation via post.
In our experience, it is better to buy a CoC online for two reasons:
- You can use to obtain an homologation number almost in the moment
- IMT (the equivalent to the DVLA in England) accepts CoC’s anyway even if it’s not an official CoC that comes directly from a manufacturer.
Certificates of Conformity bought online are accepted by IMT?
Yes, in our experience IMT (the Portuguese equivalent to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the UK) accepts CoC’s that are not issued by the car manufacturer itself without any problem.
They might complain like this CoC you bought it online blablabla but there’s nothing more they say about it, since the vehicle already has a reserved plate number when the documentation is handed to them (plate number is assigned after clearing the customs).
How much is the cost of a Certificate of Conformity?
Might be for free (you may have it within your car documents, specially if it’s car newer than 10 years). If not, the cost of a Certificate of Conformity moves between €100 and €250 depending on the manufacturer.
Where can I buy a Certificate of Conformity?
We recommend you eurococ.eu. You can choose to have it delivered by mail only or also to receive a copy via post.
That's everything you need to know about the CoC
