Motorhome, caravan or trailer from the Netherlands: Portuguese ISV and IMT

A motorhome counts as a car built to include living space, and it is subject to ISV. It falls under table B, which looks only at engine capacity and has no CO2 component. Under the transitional rule, a motorhome pays 80 per cent of the ISV under table B in 2026; from 1 January 2027 the law sets 100 per cent.

Whether the age reduction for used vehicles from the EU (table D) also applies to motorhomes is not clear, because table B has no environmental component. So do not count on a reduction. We give no amounts: customs (AT) calculates the ISV.

The route is the same as for a car: homologation number, inspection for registration at a CITV, the DAV at customs within 20 working days of entry, the ISV, then the IMT file and the Registo Automóvel. In Portugal the IMT fee is €45 with a CoC or national homologation and €165 without. The full order is on our page about how to import a car to Portugal. As an indication only, with complete papers the Portuguese part usually takes a few weeks in practice, and longer without a CoC. Keep the export insurance valid in the meantime and extend the export insurance when needed.

Moving there? The ISV exemption on transfer of residence may also apply to a motorhome; check with customs (alfândega) beforehand. Whether a refund of BPM, the Dutch registration tax, is possible for a motorhome is not clear, so we do not promise one.

In Portugal, trailers and semi-trailers with a gross weight of up to 300 kg are exempt from registration. Our reading is that anything heavier needs its own Portuguese registration (matrícula). In the Netherlands a trailer or caravan only has its own registration above 750 kg; a lighter one carries the registration number of the towing vehicle on a white plate.

So a Dutch caravan or trailer of more than 300 and up to 750 kg has no Dutch registration certificate of its own, yet needs a matrícula of its own in Portugal. Ask the IMT beforehand how it registers such a trailer.

For a used trailer, the IMT asks for:

• Modelo 9 IMT, on which the manufacturer or its representative confirms that the trailer belongs to a national homologation;
• the original registration certificate (Certificado de Matrícula);
• proof of identity;
• the inspection certificate modelo 112, only for trailers over 3,500 kg gross.

Without national homologation, the homologation from the country of origin is also needed, and the IMT fee is €165 instead of €45 in Portugal. A trailer has no engine, so no ISV is due. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory there for motor vehicles and their trailers, according to the supervisor ASF; whether a trailer or caravan needs a separate policy is not clear. Your Dutch EU driving licence stays valid there until its expiry date.

• A CoC for the motorhome, needed for the IMT homologation number; without one the IMT fee is higher.
• The gross weight of the caravan or trailer, which decides whether it needs a matrícula.
• A valid APK for the motorhome, as export plates are never valid beyond it.
• Insurance and a Green Card that cover the whole route through Belgium, France and Spain.
• The 20 working days for the DAV, which start when the motorhome enters the country.
• The original Dutch papers: the export certificate (kentekenbewijs deel II) and the registration card.
• Proof of ownership: an invoice or, from a private seller, a declaração de venda.

On the Dutch side, a caravan or trailer also gets export insurance:

• up to 750 kg: insurance on the chassis number, plus a white plate with the registration number of the towing vehicle;
• over 750 kg: its own registration and one white plate at the rear;
• APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test) only above 3,500 kg.

A motorhome needs insurance and a valid APK for the export trip, just like a car. For motorhomes over 2,500 kg the price is on request. The table below shows insurance, APK and white plates per vehicle type. More on Dutch export plates and export insurance with a Green Card; our rates are on the cost page. Exporting a van or truck instead? See vans and trucks to Portugal.