Are you planning to buy a car in Poland and don’t know what to do and where to go? This guide created by our specialists was made just for you. Follow these easy steps and car registration process would be for you a plain sailing.
The whole set of required documents and a procedure depend on the car you want to register – whether it is a new or a used car, or the one brought from another country. In the latter case you have to know that you are allowed to stay in Poland without the registration for 6 months and without paying any tax for it. After this period, you have to register your car to avoid problems and paying fines.
Before you visit the registration office ensure that your car has a valid technical inspection/roadworthiness test (badanie techniczne). If it’s already expired, you need to update it.
Here you can find the documents you need to gather in order to register a car brought from another country:
- an application for registration of a vehicle;
- a proof of ownership of the vehicle or if the car is in the name of another person, a signed authorization confirming the transfer of the vehicle (an invoice, a purchase agreement, a gift deed etc.);
- a registration certificate or similar documents;
- number plates;
- if the car is brought from the non-EU country, you have to provide a proof of Custom Clearance;
- proof of the excise tax paid;
- certificate of the Technical Inspection of the Vehicle (in some places it may not be done without polish number plates, so it’s better to ask in advance);
- proof of paid stamp duty (in total you would pay about PLN260 for that, including the fee for number plates, registration certificate, car licence, widescreen licence sticker etc);
- proof of identity: you should be residing in Poland legally, present a valid passport and proof of temporary residence (certificate of temporary residence address) in Poland; if the owner of the vehicle is a legal entity, you’ll need to submit a recent copy of the National Court Register (KRS).
- OC car insurance certificate
Don’t forget, that if your documents are issued in any language other than Polish, you need to make a sworn translation of them before applying for a registration.
If you bought a car in Poland, remember, that you have to register it within 30 days after the purchase. If you want to register a new car bought in Poland, you have to gather the following documents:
- an application for registration of a vehicle;
- a proof of ownership of the vehicle (an invoice, a purchase agreement, a gift deed etc.);
- EC certificate of conformity together with a statement giving the data and information on the vehicle needed to register it;
- payment of excise duty or proof of exemption from payment of excise duty;
- vehicle licence, if issued (Karta pojazdu);
- proof of identity: you should be residing in Poland legally, present a valid passport and proof of temporary residence (certificate of temporary residence address) in Poland; if the owner of the vehicle is a legal entity, you’ll need to submit a recent copy of the National Court Register (KRS);
- OC car insurance certificate;
- proof of paid stamp duty (for number plates, car registration certificate, temporary certificate, car licence and so on) which in total would amount to PLN 180,50.
Finally, if you bought a used car registered in Poland you also have to make a new registration within 30 days. In order to do so you’ll need to bring the following documents to the City Council:
- an application for registration of a vehicle;
- a proof of ownership of the vehicle (an invoice, a purchase agreement, a gift deed etc.);
- car registration document with a valid technical inspection (dowód rejestracyjny);
- vehicle licence, if issued (karta pojazdu);
- number plates;
- proof of the paid duties (approximately PLN 180,50 in total or PLN 81 if old plates are not changed);
- proof of identity: you should be residing in Poland legally, present a valid passport and proof of temporary residence (certificate of temporary residence address) in Poland; if the owner of the vehicle is a legal entity, you’ll need to submit a recent copy of the National Court Register (KRS);
- OC car insurance certificate.
Once you have all the documents you have to go to the City Council, Department of Register of Vehicles and Drivers (in Kraków it’s situated on aleja Powstania Warszawskiego 10). There you need to submit an application and the documents along with the confirmation of payment of the stamp duty (which you do right there or by transferring money to the bank account of the City Council). You can also apply for a registration online through your City Council website or submit the application by post.
Then you will receive a temporary registration valid not longer than 30 days and the temporary permit and number plates. After a period of 1 to 3 weeks, you’ll receive a notification that you can collect your permanent registration certificate, and you have to return the temporary one back. Here you can check whether your car registration certificate is ready anytime.
Remember to update OC insurance of your car. According to the law applicable, the seller is obligated to notify the insurer on the sale of the vehicle and the buyer is obligated to update the insurance policy.
We also recommend you, if possible, to ask someone who speaks Polish to help you, if you don’t speak it very well, because in some places it would be hard to find a person who speaks English. Moreover, car registration does not have to be done personally by the vehicle owner. The entire procedure may be carried out on his behalf by a person who has a power of attorney. If you need help settling this issue Krakspire offers its highly professional and affordable services to you.
We hope our guide would be useful for you if you decided to register your car yourselves, and if you want to know more – don’t hesitate to contact us, we’d be happy to answer whatever your questions may be.