Transparent
Short answer: if you hold temporary protection in Portugal, the "180 days" rule does not apply to you. Under article 300 of Law 12/2022 of 27 June you may drive on Ukrainian plates for the entire validity of your temporary protection permit, and you do not have to file the DAV customs declaration within 20 working days at all. More than that: the owner of the car can register it in Portugal with a full ISV exemption. The 180/183-day rule is the general temporary-admission regime, and it governs people who do not hold that status.
This article previously led with "180 days" as the answer. That was inaccurate, and we have fixed it: below is the regime as published, with the statute and circular numbers so you can verify it yourself.
The special regime for Ukrainians under temporary protection in Portugal
Legal basis: article 300 of Law 12/2022 of 27 June 2022 (the 2022 State Budget) and the circular explaining it, Ofício Circulado AT no. 35.171 of 1 July 2022. It applies to holders of residence permits granted under Council of Ministers Resolution 29-A/2022 — that is, temporary protection applications filed from 24 February 2022 onwards.
What it gives you:
- You may drive for the whole validity of the permit. The lawful owner or lawful holder of a Ukraine-registered vehicle may use it in national territory throughout the period of validity of the temporary residence authorisation, without the declarative obligation — meaning you are not subject to filing a DAV within the 20 working days required by article 20 of the ISV Code.
- What to carry: the temporary residence title (the 2022 circular says SEF; today these are issued and renewed by AIMA), the vehicle documents, and personal identification, to be shown on request.
- Who checks: traffic police and customs. That is precisely why the documents belong in the car, not at home.
The protection period has been extended several times: the titles currently run to 4 March 2027 (an EU-level decision, extended from the previous date of 4 March 2026). That date is not final — it has been pushed back before and may be again. Check the status of your own permit with AIMA.
The ISV exemption: Portuguese plates without the import tax
This is the half of the regime far fewer people know about. The owner of the car — specifically the owner, since only the owner can register a vehicle in their own name — may introduce it for consumption with an ISV exemption and obtain a Portuguese registration.
How it is done:
- File the DAV on the Portal das Finanças, selecting ISV regime "02 — Introdução no consumo — Regime especial" and benefit code "174 — Pessoas Refugiadas da Ucrânia". Alternatively, apply at the customs office for your area of residence, in which case customs processes the DAV.
- Attach the temporary protection title and the vehicle documents (registration certificate / title of ownership) in your own name.
- For the plates, add the technical homologation and the inspection certificate — both issued by IMT.
- The DAV cannot be completed until the vehicle has been released into free circulation under customs rules (DSRA circular 15899 of 1 June 2022).
The limit: the exemption is granted for one car or motorcycle per beneficiary, once every ten years.
An important upside that is easy to miss: a vehicle brought in under this exemption is not subject to articles 47 (non-transferability), 49 (transmission on death) or 50 (residual taxation) of the ISV Code. In practice that means any properly licensed person may drive it, and you may dispose of it freely — you can sell it without "serving out" a lock-in period. It is a rare case of a tax break that carries no strings.
And one more thing: if the exemption request is refused, you keep the right to drive without a DAV for as long as your permit is valid (point 5 of the circular). A refusal on the exemption does not turn you into an offender.
Note that the exemption covers ISV only — the one-off import tax. Once the car is on Portuguese plates, the annual IUC is payable on the normal terms.
What happens when the permit expires
Here is the one hard deadline in the whole regime, and it is short — 30 days.
- If you are the owner: within 30 days of the authorisation ceasing you must give the vehicle one of the customs destinations set out in article 32 of the ISV Code — including introduction for consumption with the ISV exemption, if you hold a valid residence permit. Otherwise it counts as illegal introduction.
- If you are a holder but not the owner: the same 30 days apply, but the options are different — re-expedition or re-export, abandonment of the vehicle to the state, or destruction under customs control.
The practical takeaway: the time to think about plates is not the month your permit runs out. IMT homologation and inspection take time, and fitting them plus the paperwork into 30 days is realistic only if you start early.
Where "180 days" comes from and who it applies to
The rule is real, but it governs a different case — the general admissão temporária regime, which applies to non-residents without temporary protection status. Under it, a foreign-plated car may be kept and used in the country for roughly six months in any twelve. Separately there is a tax threshold: 183 days in a calendar year makes you tax-resident in Portugal — and a resident cannot drive indefinitely on foreign plates.
That is why 180 and 183 sit side by side and get confused constantly. If you hold a temporary protection permit, go by its validity, not by those two numbers. If you do not hold one — because you arrived on some other basis — then the general regime applies, and it really is short.
What you risk if you overrun
Once the lawful period has ended and the car is still on Ukrainian plates, customs treats it as being in the country unlawfully. The consequences are an administrative fine (coima), possible seizure of the vehicle (apreensão), and assessment of the ISV due. We deliberately publish no euro figures here: they depend on the specifics of the offence and they change, and a wrong number on this subject is worse than no number. Ask AT how the assessment works.
Register or sell: how to run the numbers
If the exemption is available to you, registering is almost always the better outcome — you get Portuguese plates without the main tax, and after that the car behaves on the market like a domestic one. The full cost mechanics and the rest of the process are in what it costs to clear a car through customs in Portugal, and the step-by-step in legalising a car in Portugal.
If the exemption is already used, the car is old, or moving it on no longer makes sense, the other option is selling. We buy cars directly and source replacements that already have Portuguese paperwork. We work in Russian and Ukrainian as well as English — how that works is described in a dealer who speaks your language in Portugal, and the buy-back side in buying cars from the diaspora in Portugal.
Caveat: this is information, not legal advice. The temporary protection rules are extended by government decision. Before filing anything, check with AT, IMT and AIMA — and ask anyone offering to handle the paperwork for the statute reference, not a paraphrase.
Frequently asked questions
How long can you drive on Ukrainian plates in Portugal?
If you hold a temporary protection permit, for its entire validity, with no DAV. The titles currently run to 4 March 2027 and have already been extended several times. Without that status, the general temporary-admission regime applies: roughly six months in any twelve.
Is it true you can get Portuguese plates with no tax?
Yes, if you are the owner of the car and hold a temporary protection permit. The ISV exemption is claimed through the DAV using benefit code "174 — Pessoas Refugiadas da Ucrânia". It is granted for one car or motorcycle, once every ten years.
Can I sell such a car afterwards?
Yes. Vehicles brought in under this exemption are not subject to the non-transferability or residual-taxation rules (articles 47 and 50 of the ISV Code), so you may dispose of them freely. Any properly licensed person may also drive it.
What do I do if my temporary protection ends?
From the moment the authorisation ceases, an owner has 30 days to give the vehicle a customs destination — including introduction for consumption with the ISV exemption, if a valid residence permit is held. A holder who is not the owner has different options: re-export, abandonment to the state, or destruction under customs supervision.
Do I need a DAV if I am only driving?
No — while your temporary protection permit is valid, the obligation to file a DAV within 20 working days does not apply to you. But you must carry the permit, the vehicle documents and your ID.
What if my ISV exemption is refused?
You keep the right to drive without a DAV for the validity of your permit — the circular says so explicitly. A refusal on the exemption does not make the car illegal.
Do I pay IUC once the car is on Portuguese plates?
Yes. The exemption covers ISV only — the one-off import tax. The annual IUC is payable as for any car registered in Portugal.