Chapter I · Scope of the tax

Article 6 Definitions of goods subject to excise duties and of means of transport

Artigo 6.º · Conceito de impostos especiais de consumo e de meios de transporte

Regime do IVA nas Transações Intracomunitárias · annexed to Decree-Law No. 290/92 · consolidated text checked 26 October 2026

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1. For the purposes of this Regime:

1 - Para efeitos deste diploma, entende-se por:

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a) ‘Goods subject to excise duties’ means alcohol and alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and petroleum and energy products, with the exception of gas supplied through a natural gas system or any network connected to such a system, and of electricity;

a) 'Bens sujeitos a impostos especiais de consumo' o álcool e as bebidas alcoólicas, o tabaco e os produtos petrolíferos e energéticos, com excepção do gás fornecido através de uma rede de gás natural ou de qualquer rede a ela ligada e da electricidade;

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b) ‘Means of transport’ means vessels exceeding 7.5 m in length, aircraft with a total take-off weight exceeding 1,550 kg, and motorised land vehicles with a capacity exceeding 48 cc or a power exceeding 7.2 kW, intended for the transport of persons or goods, which are subject to registration, licensing or assignment of a registration number (registo, licença ou matrícula) in the national territory, with the exception of the vessels and aircraft referred to in Article 14(1)(d), (e) and (g) of the VAT Code.

b) «Meios de transporte», as embarcações com comprimento superior a 7,5 m, as aeronaves com peso total na descolagem superior a 1550 kg, e os veículos terrestres a motor com cilindrada superior a 48 c. c. ou potência superior a 7,2 kW, destinados ao transporte de pessoas ou de mercadorias, que sejam sujeitos a registo, licença ou matrícula no território nacional, com excepção das embarcações e aeronaves mencionados nas alíneas d), e) e g) do n.º 1 do artigo 14.º do Código do IVA.

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2. The means of transport referred to in point (b) of the preceding paragraph shall not be considered new where both of the following conditions are met:

2 - Não são considerados novos os meios de transporte mencionados na alínea b) do número anterior, desde que se verifiquem simultaneamente as seguintes condições:

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a) The supply takes place more than three or six months after the date of first entry into service, in the case of vessels and aircraft or of land vehicles respectively;

a) A transmissão seja efectuada mais de três ou seis meses após a data da primeira utilização, tratando-se, respectivamente, de embarcações e aeronaves ou de veículos terrestres;

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b) The means of transport has travelled more than 6,000 km, in the case of a land vehicle, sailed for more than 100 hours, in the case of a vessel, or flown for more than 40 hours, in the case of an aircraft.

b) O meio de transporte tenha percorrido mais de 6000 km, tratando-se de um veículo terrestre, navegado mais de cem horas, tratando-se de uma embarcação, ou voado mais de quarenta horas, tratando-se de uma aeronave.

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3. For the purposes of point (a) of the preceding paragraph, the date of first entry into service is the date shown in the certificate of registration of ownership or equivalent document, in the case of goods subject to registration, licensing or assignment of a registration number, or, failing that, the date of the invoice issued on acquisition by the first owner.

3 - Para efeitos do disposto na alínea a) do número anterior, a data da primeira utilização é a constante do título de registo de propriedade ou documento equivalente quando se trate de bens sujeitos a registo, licença ou matrícula, ou, na sua falta, a da fatura emitida aquando da aquisição pelo primeiro proprietário.

What we checked in this article

The technical thresholds for means of transport (7.5 m, 1,550 kg, 48 cc, 7.2 kW), the exclusion of vessels and aircraft under Article 14(1)(d), (e) and (g) of the VAT Code, and the cumulative ‘not new’ conditions (three/six months, 6,000 km, 100 hours, 40 hours) are retained.

Selling to EU customers? Article 6 may decide whether you charge VAT.

We register Portuguese companies for intra-EU trade, check VIES numbers and transport evidence for exempt supplies, file recapitulative statements and set up OSS for distance sales, in English. A written answer and a fixed quote within one working day.

Unofficial English translation prepared by BCA Portugal for reference. Only the Portuguese text published in the Diário da República has legal force. Editorial notes are ours and are not part of the statute.

Applying the law

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An exempt intra-EU supply only holds if the VAT number, the transport evidence and the recapitulative statement line up. Tell us how your goods move; we set up the registration, the invoices and the filings.

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