Taking boat to Portugal

[ernie_madoff]

Just wondering if anyone has experience of moving a boat down to Portugal. Looking at a villa down there next week which may become our new home so will obviously want to take boat down aswell. Will it be a complete nightmare or is it a fairly painless experience. Will I have to pay import duties etc. etc??

 

[peterbird]

Importing boat to Portugal

Are you any relation to Bernie? Seriously I have lived here for twenty years. Everything is a bureaucratic nightmare when it comes to importing things ( although it is getting better)
If the boat is coming from the states I think it is a non starter.
Boats and cars are a lot more expensive here, I would think 25% more than in the UK.
I have removed the following from a website here connected to the RYA so a reputable source of information.
Incidentally I have a Portuguese registered Sealine S24 diesel for sale, it may be of interest to you after you have read he following, if so please PM me and I will give you all the details.
Regards,
Peter

Firstly, I think that we all know that VAT of 21% must be paid on boats that are imported from outside the EEC, in addition to this there is an import duty of 2%. These two taxes are based not on what you paid for the boat but on the estimated value of the boat in Portugal, the valuation of the boat is the responsibility of the Customs in Portugal.

Boats imported into Portugal are now required to comply with the EU Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) and to have a CE mark to show that they have been inspected and that they do comply with the RCD. This is something that we take for granted when we buy a fridge, a TV or a DVD.

A boat must comply with the RCD requirements from the moment that it is offered for sale in Portugal or from the moment that it is first used in the water after June 16th 1998. This means that used boats that were built before this date but imported into Portugal after June 16th 1998 still must comply.

Production boats that have been built outside the EEA for export into Portugal normally do comply and are CE marked, an identical model not built originally for export to the EEA will usually not comply. In the case of boats built in the US or elsewhere for the US market this is because they have to comply with US Coastguard regulations, which are very different from the RCD requirements. This will be particularly noticeable with gas and fuel installations.

This can all become something of a bureaucratic nightmare, but for the determined boat importer there are certain steps that must be taken. This involves having a boat surveyed to show that it complies with the RCD. This is known as an RCD Post Construction Assessment, which will also involve the compiling of an owners manual, a declaration of conformity and a technical construction file. Following this process the boat will be marked with a CE mark. Ceproof Ltd offers a complete service and as such will do all the above for you here in Portugal. There head office is at: 2 Mariners House, Copse Lane, Hamble, Southampton SO31 4QH. Tel: 0044 23 8045 3245. Fax: 0044 23 8045 7456. Email enquiries@ceproof.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web site: www.ceproof.com

If you are going to have your imported boat registered in Portugal and therefore have a Portuguese Ensign, it will also have to be inspected by the Portuguese authorities. There are five different categories of boat for the purpose of this inspection. Categories 1, 2 & 3 must have their assessment carried out by the Instituto Portuario e dos Transportes Maritimos in Lisbon, categories 1 & 2 must have their registration completed by the IPTM, category 3 must have their registration completed by their local Capitania. Categories 4 & 5 have their assessment and registration completed by their local Capitania.

Categories 1 to 5 have nothing to do with the size of the vessel but are related to how far the vessel may go from a Port of Refuge. Most of the regulations for these categories are related to the safety equipment that must be carried on board. A list of these requirements can be obtained from any Capitania. The categories are as follows:

Category 1 has no limit as to how far a vessel may go.
Category 2 vessels must stay within 200 nautical miles from a port of refuge.
Category 3 vessels must stay within 60 miles of a port of refuge and within 25 miles from the coast.
Category 4 vessels must stay within 20 miles of a port of refuge and 6 miles from the coast.
Category 5 is for vessels that intend going to sea in calm weather and close to the coast or in inland waterways and harbours. Sailing and motorboats in this category must stay within three miles of a port of refuge.

In order to apply for registration of the boat in any of these categories the owner of a boat must have a builders certificate and a manual and show his or her passport and supply the authorities with their fiscal number. In addition an owner must obtain from the customs in Portugal a ‘Prova de Desalfandegamento’ if the vessel is being imported from outside the EEA, if the vessel is being imported to Portugal from within the EEA you will need to obtain from the customs a ‘Prova Comunitaria da Embarcacao’.

 

[brian435]

Are you taking the boat from USA, or UK?

 

[ernie_madoff]

Boat was bought second hand at beginning of this year in UK and is UK registered

 

[DownWest]

I used to live there and many had their boats on the SSR, are they being hassled about it now?
Also small cars used to a bit cheaper than UK , though discounts in UK must be making a big difference now.
A

Left in 04.

 

[ernie_madoff]

thanks for that peter. will be looking to keep boat in Lagos(assuming i can get space, havent even asked yet) if we move down there. looks lovely down there i must say and this good summer we are supposed to be having here in blighty isnt really pursuading me to stay. Just hope the pound can pull itself off the canvas for a bit so I can cross my money up at a good rate before it gets punched back to the ground!!
on the car front shocked at how expensive cars are down there. Didnt realise Portuguese all so wealthy.

 

[peterbird]

Boat Imports

Ernie, I don't think its a case of Portuguese being wealthy but a greedy government.
I imported a car from the UK 5 years ago, the duty was just over 5,000 euros. Now because they have changed the way duty is calculated (it is related to carbon emissions) the same car would cost 16,000 euros in duty.
A lot of Portuguese were importing cars from Germany but the new law has killed it.
The same applies to boats. However I do not want to put you off totally, there are companies that will do the work for you, for a car they charge about 300 euros, a boat I am not sure.
The other point you make is the euro exchange which is very painful. To the Brits it makes everything nearly a third more expensive here.
Lagos marina is very nice and full of modern facilities. Not sure on berthing fees but I think spaces are available. It seems to be a popular stop off port for yachts heading towards Gibraltar and Spain or the other direction Lisbon and up to Biscay etc.
Regards,
Peter

 

[brian435]

What boat is it, and are you having it transported, or sailing/motoring yourself? We have done the trip under power and can thoroughly recommend the experience.

 

[Renegade_Master]

Ernie we have experienced delivery skippers here at Sun Coast, who have done such a trip many times. Power or sail by the way