Homologation to European specification

[Apex]

Hello everyone

I am making my inaugural post on this forum.
I’m sure you will be able to help with my question.

I will be moving to Portugal next year. I currently live in Dubai, and would like to take a personal tax free car import with me when I emigrate there.

There is a large price differential between UAE car prices and Portuguese ones. I don’t think I could afford to buy an Ftype in Portugal. So taking a car from the UAE will be less than half the price.

Now here is the question. I need to be sure that the homologation for the car that I bring will not cause expensive technical issues. There are GCC, Korean, American, Canadian spec cars here plus perhaps another one or two, that can be readily sourced.

There are no RHD cars as they are not allowed in the UAE unless of classic status. So every car at least has the steering wheel on the same side as Portugal.

Which specification should be avoided? The car will be used exclusively in Madeira. Can you get Certificates of Conformity for non-Euro spec cars? It would make registration in Portugal a lot easier.

I really would like a V6 convertible but I wouldn't rule out a coupe either.

 

[msdmjb44]

I have done a few UK -> France imports and it used to be very straightforward.
Brexit aside a huge advantage is the CoC that applies across EU countries. I suspect that the EU will make it hard to import from outside the EU to prevent what they perceive as bringing in goods without paying your dues. For example, US headlights do not confirm to EU regulations and on an F-Type new headlights cost a fortune, bear in mind both countries drive on the same side of the road.
Some countries within the EU are much cheaper to buy in than others e.g. Luxembourg so might be worth seeing if you can source one there.

I wish you well, good luck, but would be surprised that once it is all done you are materially better off having imported the car from outside of the EU.

 

[cj10jeeper]

I looked into taking a UK car to Spain and it was too hard to bother, even though I had the appropriate NIF Portuguese equivalent is (Número de Identificação Fiscal or Tax Identification Number) and other resident documents. It turned out cheaper to buy a Spanish LHD car in the UK and drive it to Spain (where they are more expensive, which ultimately I didn't do, but my neighbour did and that was very easy. So I'd expect similar challenges in Portugal as there is a lot of synergy between the regimes having worked in both for years.

My first step would be to review articles like this to get greater clarification of the process and documents related to import into Portugal and then reach out to one for specific advise on the homologation and which original country vehicle is easiest.

https://portugalcarimport.com/guide/

Sorry, but I suspect a UK centric forum will be light on UAE to EU importation knowledge

 

[Apex]

Hi
Yes I read the guide and have been conversing with Mathijs there. He explained the process.

Locally I found a V6 convertible for €21,400. A 2017 model with 18,900km. The only problem is that it is American spec. So the headlights are a worry.

In Portugal on OLX this would be more like €45k.

Another complication is that prior to moving to Portugal I will be moving to Turkey for two years. A 2004 1.4d Vw Polo would cost €10k. Used cars there actually appreciate in many cases due to the lira tanking. So I’m not buying a car in Turkey. I don’t really want to go around in a taxi all the time. Taking a car to Turkey is much simpler as it is a temporary tax free import provided it leaves within 2 years.

 

[Apex]

It looks like ECE marked headlights are the ones I need. There are a lot of car markets that use ECE lhd headlights including the UAE where these headlights comply. The countries to avoid are USAnd Canadian who use the DOT system. They need to be changed.

I don’t know what type of headlight system is on the American spec car yet, but I’ll inspect the headlights carefully. There is a good chance that I will be able to find an ECE spec pair of headlights here for sensible money.

I hope that these units are interchangeable? I don’t know how many versions there could be on a 2017 model. But even €2k on replacements is still a big saving compared with Portugal.

Alternatively I hope to get a GCC spec car that won’t need much modification. Korean and Japanese spec cars are also ECE lights.

 

[cj10jeeper]

I'm confused that you are looking to import to Portugal, but going to Turkey for 2 years. Wouldn't you import it there first as you plan not to buy locally?

 

[Apex]

I’m buying in Dubai. Then taking it to Turkey for two years on temporary import plates, then exporting it to Portugal permanently.

Dubai has cheap luxury cars. Turkey is 5x the price, and Portugal 2.5x the price.
Neither Turkey nor Portugal will charge me customs duty or significant taxes.

You can’t register a car in Portugal unless you have residence there, so the car can not go to Portugal before I gain residence.

 

[cj10jeeper]

Far too complex and you're in touch with specialist importers. I wish you good luck.

 

[Apex]

Progress is being made! The headlights are E9 marked and also have the RL marking denoting that the headlights are already euro spec including the DRLs. In addition the rear fog lights are marked E2. So the only thing left is the rear lights to change and code.
The emissions label says it is US EPA / California SULEV30 (PZEV) PC , which exceeds euro 6 in most metrics.

Unusually this car has never been registered in the US but was originally imported direct to Jaguars Engineering Dept in The UAE probably for an engineering project as it left there with only 31 miles. This is why there have been conversions to GCC spec which follows ECE lighting regulations. Usually imported cars with US spec are exported salvage vehicles. Lighting remains US.

Next step is to ask Jaguar UK if they can issue a certificate of conformity or at least a partial certificate to confirm Euro6 conformity. The two emails addresses I’ve got for Jaguar are bad. Does anyone know what a good contact email address is for certificates?