Short answer: any foreigner can buy a car in Portugal. You need a Portuguese tax number (NIF), valid ID, an address and insurance before you drive. After the sale, the buyer must register the ownership transfer with the IRN within 60 days. The catch: the official online service only works with a Portuguese Citizen Card, a card reader and its PINs. Most foreign residents don't have those, so they end up queuing at a registry office.
There is an easier way. At Registo Automóvel you sign the form on paper, take a photo with your phone and upload it. A partner lawyer checks everything and files the transfer with the IRN for you. €99.99 all-in, State fee included. You don't need a Portuguese Citizen Card, a card reader or a trip to a registry office.
Bought your car in the last 60 days? Register it now, before the State fee doubles. It takes a few minutes on your phone.
Who we help
Our service is built for foreigners who have just moved to Portugal: expats on a D7 or digital nomad visa, Golden Visa holders, EU citizens with a registration certificate, students and posted workers. They all share the same problem: a residence permit has no digital certificates, so the government's online service is closed to them. We file the transfer for them, in English and without a trip to the registry.
Do you need to be a resident to buy a car in Portugal?
No. You don't need Portuguese nationality or residency. The registry needs a NIF and an identification document. Being resident makes the rest easier, though, because a Portuguese address, a local bank account and insurance are all simpler to arrange.
The paperwork is the same for EU and non-EU citizens. What changes is how you get the NIF and, sometimes, how you sign. Our service works for both.
Step 1 — Get a NIF (Portuguese tax number)
The número de identificação fiscal is your Portuguese tax number. It appears on the registration, and you can't buy without it.
Cost: free. Finanças or a Loja de Cidadão usually issues it on the spot.
Living in Portugal: bring your ID and proof of your Portuguese address. You don't need a fiscal representative.
Living in the EU/EEA, outside Portugal: you don't need a fiscal representative either. You register a foreign address.
Living outside the EU/EEA: you generally need a fiscal representative resident in Portugal. If you sign up for electronic notifications on the Portal das Finanças, you can be exempted.
Switzerland and the UK count as outside the EU/EEA for this rule. The rule depends on your tax residence, not your passport, so a Swiss or British national already living in Portugal is not affected.
Tip: get your NIF first, not last. The 60-day registration deadline doesn't stop while you wait for it.
Step 2 — Buy from a dealer or a private seller in Portugal
Whether you buy from a dealer or from a private seller decides whether you have a legal warranty at all.
From a professional seller (dealer)
Under Decree-Law 84/2021, a dealer is liable for any lack of conformity that appears within three years of delivery. For used cars, the parties can agree in writing to shorten this, but never below 18 months. If a dealer offers "six months of engine and gearbox warranty", that's an extra product. It doesn't replace your legal rights.
From a private seller
Private sales have no legal conformity warranty, so you buy the car as it is. Prices are usually better, which is fine, but have the car inspected before you pay. Private sales are also where the registration is most often forgotten, because no dealer handles it for you. We file private-sale transfers every day.
Step 3 — Check the used car before you pay
The most useful €10 you will spend is the certidão permanente automóvel (permanent registry certificate). You can request it online from the IRN with just the number plate. It shows:
who the registered owner is, so you can confirm it's the person selling you the car;
whether a finance company still holds a retained-title charge (reserva de propriedade), which blocks the transfer until it's cancelled;
whether there are seizures, attachments or a leasing contract;
whether a registration request is already pending.
It doesn't show mileage, accident history or unpaid road tax. For those, ask for service invoices, check past inspection records and confirm the last IUC payment. Our Portuguese guides go further: 10 verificações antes de comprar um carro usado and certidão permanente automóvel.
Step 4 — Transfer car ownership in Portugal within 60 days
Transferring car ownership (also called changing the registered owner, or registo de propriedade) is the step foreign buyers get wrong more often than any other. In many countries the dealer registers the car automatically. In Portugal, registration is a separate legal act and it is the buyer's responsibility. You have 60 calendar days from the date on the sale document, not from the day you collect the car.
How to register a used car in Portugal: your three options
1. Registo Automóvel: €99.99 all-in (recommended)
State fee and professional fees included. No hidden costs.
You don't need a Citizen Card, a card reader or PINs. All you need is your phone.
No queues and no appointments.
A lawyer or solicitador checks your documents before filing.
We guide you in English.
The seller can be abroad. They sign on paper and send a photo or scan.
2. Online, by yourself: about €55.30
Both buyer and seller need a Portuguese Citizen Card with digital certificates, the PINs, a card reader and a computer. A residence permit won't work, and you can't do it from a phone.
Portuguese only, and no one checks your documents before you submit them.
3. Registry counter or post: €65
Print the form, both parties sign it, and hand it in at a registry office or Loja de Cidadão.
Queues, Portuguese-only forms, and the original must be posted if the seller is away.
The doing-it-yourself price looks cheaper, but most foreign residents can't use it. The counter route costs €65 and means a morning in a queue. If something is wrong, the registry rejects the filing and charges €25. With us, the €55.30 State fee is already in your €99.99. A legal professional reviews your file before it goes to the IRN. That's how we catch mismatched signatures, missing documents and finance charges before they cost you a rejection.
→ Start your registration – €99.99 all-in
Official fees, for reference
Used car, at a counter: €65
Used car, filed online: about €55.30 (15% cheaper)
Late filing (after 60 days): an extra amount equal to the fee, so about €120.30 online or €130 at a counter
DUA (vehicle registration certificate): €30
Permanent certificate: €10 online, €17 on paper
The Emolument Regulation fixes these fees, and they don't depend on the car's value or age. A €2,000 runabout and an €80,000 saloon pay exactly the same. More detail in mudar o nome do carro: quanto custa.
Don't let the 60 days run out. A late filing doubles the State fee. Registering with us takes a few minutes on your phone. More on the deadline: prazo do registo automóvel: os 60 dias.
How to register your car online without a Citizen Card
Fill in the details. Enter the number plate and the buyer's and seller's identification.
Upload the signed form. Print the official Requerimento de Registo Automóvel, have both of you sign it on paper, and upload a clear photo or scan along with the ID documents. You don't need a Chave Móvel Digital or a Citizen Card.
Pay and relax. Pay by Multibanco or MB Way. Our partner solicitador or lawyer checks the file and submits it to the IRN. You can follow the progress with your support ticket.
We have completed transfers for buyers from inside and outside the EU. That includes cases where the seller lives abroad and only sent a scan of the signed form.
Step 5 — Insurance, IUC road tax and driving licence
Insurance. Third-party liability cover is compulsory and must be in place before you drive. The seller's policy doesn't cover you.
IUC (annual road tax). It's due in the month the car was first registered and is charged to whoever owns the car on that date. Registering on time means you won't pay the seller's tax, or they yours. See quem paga o IUC quando se vende o carro.
DUA. Request the updated vehicle document (€30) so it shows your name. See DUA – Documento Único Automóvel.
Inspection. Check when the next inspeção periódica is due. An expired inspection becomes the new owner's problem.
Driving licence. If you hold an EU/EEA licence and become resident, register your address with the IMT within 60 days. It's free, and exchanging the licence is optional. With a licence from outside the EU/EEA, you generally have two years from becoming resident to exchange it.
Documents you need to register a used car in Portugal
Requerimento de Registo Automóvel, the official form, signed by buyer and seller
Your ID (residence permit, passport or national ID card) plus your NIF
The seller's ID and NIF
The DUA or vehicle registration certificate
If a company is involved, its commercial certificate and proof the signatory can bind it
If the car was financed, the finance company's document cancelling the retained title
With our service you upload all of this from your phone, and we tell you if anything is missing before filing. The full case-by-case list is in documentos para mudar o registo de propriedade (in Portuguese).
6 mistakes that cost foreigners money when buying a car in Portugal
Assuming the dealer registers the car. Many do. Get it in writing and check it afterwards on the permanent certificate.
Letting the 60 days lapse while waiting for a NIF, a bank account or a residence appointment. That doubles the fee.
Signing an undated form, or a back-dated one, which shortens your deadline.
A signature that doesn't match the ID. The registry rejects it, and a rejection costs €25. Our lawyers check signatures before filing.
Paying before checking the certificate and finding a retained-title charge afterwards.
Buying a car with foreign plates and expecting a simple transfer. That's an import, with a customs declaration, ISV tax and a Portuguese plate first. See legalizar um carro importado.
FAQ: buying and registering a car in Portugal as a foreigner
Can I buy a car in Portugal without residency?
Yes, with a NIF and valid ID. If you're tax resident outside the EU/EEA, you usually need a fiscal representative, or an exemption through electronic notifications on the tax portal.
Can I register the car without a Portuguese Citizen Card?
Yes. With Registo Automóvel you sign on paper and upload a photo. A lawyer or solicitador files it electronically for you. You don't need a Citizen Card, a card reader or PINs.
How much does it cost with Registo Automóvel?
€99.99 all-in. That includes the €55.30 State fee and the professional fees, with no hidden costs.
How do I transfer car ownership in Portugal as a foreigner?
Buyer and seller sign the official Requerimento de Registo Automóvel, and the transfer is filed with the IRN within 60 days of the sale. With Registo Automóvel you upload a photo of the signed form and your IDs, and a lawyer or solicitador files it for you for €99.99 all-in.
How do I change the owner of a car in Portugal?
Changing the owner is the same act as the ownership transfer: one form, signed by both parties, filed with the vehicle registry. The fee is fixed (€65 at a counter, about €55.30 online), whatever the value of the car.
What happens if I don't register the car within 60 days?
The State fee doubles, to about €120.30 online or €130 at a counter. Until the transfer is registered, the seller is still the legal owner, so fines, tolls and the IUC can be charged to the wrong person. See vendi o carro e o comprador não mudou o nome.
Can I drive the car before the registration is done?
Yes, within the 60 days, with the document still in the seller's name, as long as you carry proof of purchase and the car is insured in your name.
Do I need a Portuguese bank account?
Not for the registration. You can pay us by Multibanco or MB Way. A local account does make paying the seller, the insurance and the road tax easier.
Does the paperwork exist in English?
No. The official form and the registry act are in Portuguese. We guide you through it, and our partner lawyer or solicitador files on your behalf, so you don't have to deal with Portuguese bureaucracy alone.
My licence isn't Portuguese. Can I still register a car?
Yes. Owning a car and being allowed to drive it are separate matters.
What if the seller is abroad?
They sign the form, take a photo or scan, and send it to you. You upload it and we file it. A power of attorney with express powers is another option.
How long does it take?
Submitting with us takes a few minutes. Electronic filings are normally entered by the IRN within a few working days. Counter and postal filings take longer.
Bought a car? Register it today, from your phone.
No Citizen Card, card reader or queues
A lawyer or solicitador checks your file before filing
€99.99 all-in, State fee included, no hidden costs
Multibanco or MB Way, with a support ticket included
→ Start your registration now · Full guide in Portuguese
Registo Automóvel is a private platform and is not the IRN. This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Fees follow the Regulamento Emolumentar dos Registos e Notariado (article 25) and information published by the IRN at justica.gov.pt. Warranty periods follow Decree-Law 84/2021. Last reviewed October 2026.
