Terms and Conditions

1. Who we are

AIM - ALGARVE IMPORTS, UNIPESSOAL LDA (“Algarve Imports”), legal person no. 519578430, registered with the Commercial Registry Office under the same number, with a share capital of 1,000 euros and registered office in the Algarve, Portugal. VAT identification number: PT519578430.

Contact details: info@algarveimports.pt; telephone and WhatsApp +351 910 205 804. These are the channels through which we receive orders, requests for information, complaints and notices of withdrawal.

2. What we do

We provide support and representation services for the import and the legalisation (registration) in Portugal of vehicles purchased abroad. The vehicle is always the customer's property: we act as intermediary and representative, never as owner or seller of the vehicle. The purchase contract for the vehicle is entered into between the customer and the seller.

Algarve Imports may receive a commission from the seller for introducing the customer. That commission does not change the price of our services.

The simulator and the finder on the website are information tools. The figures they show are estimates (section 6) and do not constitute an offer to sell any vehicle.

3. The services and what they include

Our service focuses on imported vehicles, mainly from Germany, and on vehicles that are already in the Algarve.

Lite: the entire documentation process up to the DUA: homologation and Modelo 9, Vehicle Customs Declaration (DAV) and the ISV payment slip (the tax is paid by the customer), registration application to the IMT, registration of ownership by a solicitor and delivery of all documentation. It does not include transport or the inspection (IPO), which are the customer's responsibility.

Standard: everything Lite includes, plus towing the vehicle from where it is located in the Algarve to the inspection centre and in-person attendance at the inspection. Towing from any other point in Portugal is done on the basis of a quote and is at the customer's expense. It does not include international transport.

Pro: everything Standard includes, plus the import of the vehicle, with international transport from the country of origin to Portugal on its own line. The transport is calculated by our table from the advert price and the car’s location and shown before payment (section 7). Transport the table does not cover goes by a manual quote.

We find the car: everything Pro includes, plus searching for, selecting and checking the vehicle and negotiating the purchase, which is done in the name and on behalf of the customer. The final price is set in the quote.

Order for a specific car: when the customer orders from an advert they simulated on the website, they choose the service (Lite, Standard or Pro) and the extras. Transport to Portugal is the one from our table (section 7): with Pro it is always included; with Lite and Standard it is optional. Each line indicates whether the price is firm, an estimate or subject to a quote.

Extras: express service, history check by VIN, protective film, detailing and home delivery.

GTS warranty: we resell the warranty of GTS Garantia Automóvel, Lda., which is the guarantor. The GTS certificate governs the cover, the limits and the exclusions, and repair claims are made to GTS, which approves every repair before it is done. The warranty is paid with the order and starts when the car is registered in Portugal and GTS has been paid. While the warranty is not registered with GTS, the customer may withdraw from it and receives a full refund of its price. If GTS does not accept the car, we refund the warranty price in full.

Car insurance: this is provided by partners. With the customer's consent, we pass their contact details on to the partner. We do not sell insurance or give advice on insurance.

The Prices page and the order page state, before the customer commits, what each service includes and its price.

4. How to place an order

On the website, the order follows these steps: the customer chooses the service and the extras, enters their contact details and invoicing details, reviews the total, accepts these terms and chooses how to pay. Until they confirm, they can go back to any step and correct what they entered.

Start of the service: when paying, a consumer customer accepts these terms and asks us to start immediately, in the same acceptance box on the payment page (section 10). In subscription plans, the request for an immediate start is part of the subscription (section 12).

The contract is entered into when the customer confirms the order or, where there is a quote, when they accept it. We record the acceptance of these terms and, for a consumer, the request for an immediate start, with the date and time. Upon confirmation of the order, we send these terms and the withdrawal form by email, with the order reference. We keep the record of the order, which the customer may request from us at any time.

The personal data the customer provides to us are processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy: https://algarveimports.pt/en/legal/privacy

The contract is concluded in Portuguese. The translations on this website are intended solely to make it easier to read.

5. Prices, VAT and what is paid later

The prices of our services are those shown on the Prices page and on the order page at the time of the order. For consumers, they are shown including VAT at the statutory rate in force (23%). To a company that deducts VAT we also show the amounts excluding VAT; the amount charged always includes VAT.

The service price does not include the price of the vehicle, which the customer pays directly to the seller, nor the taxes and fees owed to the State: the ISV, VAT on the vehicle where due, the IUC and the registration and inspection fees. These amounts are paid during legalisation to the competent authorities, and the order page shows them separately, under “Pay later”, as an estimate.

There are no costs other than those stated in the order. A third-party cost that is not known at the date of the order (for example, a repair required at the inspection) is borne by the customer only after we have informed them of it and they have accepted it.

6. Estimates

The figures shown in the simulator and in quotations are estimates. The ISV (Imposto Sobre Veículos, vehicle tax) and, where applicable, VAT are estimated on the basis of the information available and are only confirmed by the official simulator of the Autoridade Tributária (AT) and by the Vehicle Customs Declaration (DAV) at the time of submission.

The final amount of the taxes is set by the Autoridade Tributária and may differ from the estimate shown.

7. Quotes

When the price of a service is not firm (We find the car, transport that goes by a manual quote, towing outside the Algarve and extras without a price), we send the customer a written quote with the final price. The quote is valid for 14 days. The customer only pays after accepting it.

As long as an order cannot be paid on the website, it is recorded as a quote request: we send the quote and the payment method by email.

Transport charged at checkout, calculated by our table from the advert price and the car’s location and shown before payment, is the transport price. Transport the table does not cover, such as from a country of origin outside the table or for an unusual vehicle, goes by a manual quote.

When transport goes by a manual quote and, after the quote has been accepted, its cost rises by more than 10% compared with the quoted amount, we inform the customer before proceeding. The customer may then terminate the contract and receives a refund of everything not yet spent, without any deduction.

8. Payment and invoicing

The price is paid in full at the time of the order or, where there is a quote, when it is accepted. We do not start the service before payment.

Payment methods: debit or credit card, MB WAY (when the amount allows it), Multibanco, Revolut Pay and bank transfer, on the secure page of Stripe, which processes the payments; or a transfer to the bank account of Algarve Imports, with the reference indicated. The payment page shows the methods available for each order.

We issue the invoice in the customer's name, with the details they provide in the order. A company provides its NIF (tax number) and company name.

9. Timeframes

We start the service after payment, immediately (section 4).

International transport usually takes about two weeks, depending on the carrier's availability.

After the vehicle arrives in Portugal, it is usually ready to be driven within one week, with the DAV done and the registration number assigned. Registration of ownership is completed afterwards, within the legal time limit.

With the express service, the process is given priority treatment and the shorter timeframe is stated in the quote.

These timeframes also depend on the Autoridade Tributária, the IMT, the inspection centres and the carriers. If we foresee a delay, we notify the customer.

10. Right of withdrawal (consumers)

A consumer customer who contracts at a distance (on the website, by email, by telephone or by WhatsApp) may withdraw from the contract within 14 days from the day it was entered into, without giving any reason and at no cost, in accordance with Decreto-Lei n.º 24/2014, of 14 February.

How to exercise it: simply send us, within the time limit, an unequivocal statement: by email to info@algarveimports.pt, by letter to the address in section 1, or using the “Cancel or request a refund” button on the page of your process or your account. You may use the model form in the annex, but it is not mandatory. The time limit is deemed met if the communication is sent before it expires. We confirm receipt by email.

Refund: we reimburse all payments received within 14 days from the day on which we are informed of the withdrawal, using the same means of payment that the customer used, unless expressly agreed otherwise, and at no cost to the customer.

Immediate start: the service begins during the withdrawal period because the consumer customer expressly requests it, in the acceptance box on the payment page, acknowledging that they lose the right of withdrawal once the service has been fully performed. If they then withdraw from the contract, they pay the value of the work already done up to the moment they notify us of the withdrawal, measured by the stages in section 11 and calculated on the total contract price, and we refund the remainder.

Loss of the right: the customer can no longer withdraw from the contract once the service has been fully performed, where it began at their express request and with their acknowledgement that they lose the right of withdrawal once the service has been completed.

Companies: the right of withdrawal belongs to consumers. Anyone contracting for their professional activity (a company, or a sole trader buying with the NIF of their business) does not have it; section 11 applies.

11. Cancellation outside the withdrawal period and by companies

The customer may cancel the service at any time: by email or using the “Cancel or request a refund” button on the page of their process or their account. We refund the value of the work not yet done. What we retain corresponds to the work already done in each stage of the process, not to a penalty, and is calculated separately on the service fee and on transport, where included:

a) Order paid, transport not yet booked: the work done (analysis of the vehicle and the documentation and preparation of the process) corresponds to 10% of the service fee. We refund 90% of the service fee and the full transport cost.

b) Transport booked, vehicle not yet collected: the work done corresponds to 25% of the service fee. We refund 75% of the service fee and the transport cost, less the cancellation fee the carrier charges us.

c) Vehicle collected by the carrier, in transit or already in Portugal: the work done corresponds to 50% of the service fee. We refund 50% of the service fee; transport already performed is not refunded.

d) Legalisation started (homologation submitted or inspection done): the work done corresponds to 75% of the service fee and we refund 25%. Once the DAV has been submitted to the Autoridade Tributária, the work done corresponds to the full service fee and there is no refund of the fee.

We find the car: the search part (the difference between the price of this service and that of Pro) corresponds to the work of searching for and selecting cars and is deemed done when we send the customer the first list of selected cars. From then on it is not refunded; the stages above apply to the rest.

At every stage, the costs that third parties charge for the cancellation (for example, a certificate already requested) are borne by the customer and are deducted from the refund, upon proof. For Lite, which does not include transport, stages a) and d) apply.

If we cannot provide the service for reasons attributable to us, we refund everything that was paid. If the impossibility results from third parties that neither party controls (for example, the seller withdraws from the sale), we refund everything except third-party costs already incurred and proven.

A consumer who cancels within the withdrawal period follows section 10.

12. Subscription plans

The Plus, Business and Business Premium plans extend the limits of the simulator and the finder and activate alerts and other features described on the Plans page, which states the price and limits of each plan at the time of subscription. The Plus price includes VAT; VAT is added to the price of the Business plans. The Business plans are intended for companies and sole traders, who provide a valid NIF.

Renewal and payment: the subscription is monthly and renews automatically at the end of each period, with the charge made to the same means of payment, until it is cancelled. Payment is made by card or by Revolut Pay, through Stripe. SEPA direct debit will be added once Stripe approves it.

Cancellation: the holder may cancel at any time in their account. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the period already paid, and until then the plan remains active. The current period is not refunded, except in the case of withdrawal.

Right of withdrawal (Plus, consumers): the consumer may withdraw from the subscription within the 14 days following its conclusion. The request for an immediate start is part of the Plus subscription: the plan starts immediately, and anyone who withdraws within that period pays the portion proportional to the days already elapsed and receives the remainder within 14 days, using the same means of payment. The monthly renewal does not open a new period. The Business plans do not carry a right of withdrawal.

Change of plan: an upgrade is immediate and the amount is adjusted in proportion to the time remaining in the period; a downgrade takes effect at the end of the paid period.

Change of price or limits: we give notice by email 30 days in advance and the change applies from the next renewal. Anyone who does not accept it may cancel up to that date, at no cost.

Payment failure: if the charge fails after Stripe's further attempts, the plan is suspended; the account data are retained.

Use: plans with unlimited simulations have a weekly usage safeguard, stated on the Plans page, which does not constitute a breach. A search in the finder that ends without results does not count towards the plan's limit. In a Business plan, the holder is responsible for the use made by the members they invite.

13. Refunds

Refund requests reach us by email or through the “Cancel or request a refund” button and are assessed by us in accordance with sections 10 and 11. Outside the right of withdrawal, we make refunds within 14 days from the moment the third-party costs have been determined, using the same means of payment. Each refund is accompanied by the corresponding credit note.

14. Liability

Algarve Imports is liable for the proper performance of the contracted service. We are not liable for decisions of the Autoridade Tributária or other public bodies, for the accuracy of third-party adverts, for exchange-rate fluctuations, or for transport or third-party delays beyond our reasonable control.

Transport with basic insurance: in the event of damage or loss, the carrier compensates only an amount per kilo of the vehicle, under the terms of its cover. The difference between that amount and the value of the vehicle is covered neither by the carrier nor by Algarve Imports. To cover the value of the vehicle, the customer may choose full insurance.

Except in cases of wilful misconduct or gross negligence, our liability is limited to the amount of the service fee paid. This limitation does not exclude the rights conferred on the consumer by law.

15. Complaints and dispute resolution

You may send us any complaint at info@algarveimports.pt. You also have access to the Livro de Reclamações Eletrónico (electronic complaints book): https://www.livroreclamacoes.pt

In the event of a consumer dispute, the consumer may turn to an alternative consumer dispute resolution entity, under Lei n.º 144/2015: CIMAAL, Centro de Informação, Mediação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo do Algarve (Algarve consumer dispute information, mediation and arbitration centre) (https://www.consumidoronline.pt), or CNIACC, Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (national consumer dispute information and arbitration centre) (https://www.cniacc.pt). The list of entities is available on the Portal do Consumidor (https://www.consumidor.gov.pt).

In consumer disputes of low economic value, arbitration is mandatory when the consumer chooses it, in accordance with the law.

16. Applicable law and jurisdiction

These terms are governed by Portuguese law. In a dispute with a consumer, the court designated by law has jurisdiction, including that of the consumer's domicile. With business customers, the courts of the district of Faro have jurisdiction.

Annex: model withdrawal form

(Complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract.)

To: AIM - Algarve Imports, Unipessoal Lda, Algarve, Portugal; info@algarveimports.pt

I hereby give notice that I withdraw from my contract for the provision of the following service: ______

Ordered on: ______ · Order reference: ______

Name of consumer: ______

Address of consumer: ______

Signature of consumer (only if this form is sent on paper): ______

Date: ______