Selling 'imported' car within first year in Poland

16 Sep 2018 / #1

It's a long and complicated story so I will just cut to the chase.
I brought my car from Slovenia and started it's registration process (technical exam, document from customs to say I didn't have to pay excise duty, etc)

However I couldn't complete the registration as I couldn't prove I live here.
The customs document states I can't sell the car within the first year of importing it.

Also, I found this online:

"Within the first year of import, the imported vehicle cannot be sold, lent, rented, liened or let to another person. Should you infringe this, you must pay a debt to customs. The value of this debt varies based on the condition the vehicle is in, its value and the duties and tariffs paid when the import was first made."

1) Does anyone know if that restriction is still valid considering I didn't complete the registration process?
2) Does anyone have a ballpark figure for what the debt to customs might be? The car is worth about 16,000PLN

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

cms neuf 1 | 1902

16 Sep 2018 / #2

I don't understand that at all - Slovenia is in the EU just like Poland. Who is asking you to pay customs ?

OP Pike Bishop 2 | 5

16 Sep 2018 / #3

From the Ministry of Finance:

"Excise duty is also levied on motor cars however vehicles are not excise goods in Poland. Excise duty is collected by Polish customs administration...
cars with engine of cylinder capacity above 2000 cm3 - 18,6 % of taxable base and the other cars - 3,1% taxable base."

Alexbrz 3 | 78

16 Sep 2018 / #4

Let me see if im getting it correctly/

You moved the car excise-free as you already owned it in Slovenia, so its a "moving good". But since you werent actually registered properly in Poland, you couldnt finish the import process and you now have a car that has no Polish registration.

Here's what you do: Sell the car, but make clear it isnt imported yet. On the sales agreement you sell it using your Slovenian address, even tho it might be outdated.

The buyer of the car can now import it himself and will have to pay the import tax. Problem solved.

MoOli 9 | 479

16 Sep 2018 / #5

@OP,you have to own the car for 2 years outside Poland to avoid excise duty and other levies which almost amount to 48 to 52%,the price is determined by Uzjad celny(gone are the days when you could fool them).No one will buy the car with foreign plates until they are stupid or have a passion for that car.I suggest keep on driving with Slovakia plates,but insurance wise you can only insure in Poland for liability coverage until being in the EU you can get full coverage there.I have a car with US plates and have to write to Uzjad celny to increase my stay and they do for 6 months at a time and after 3 years I have to take it out of EU(I cross the Ukraine border and come back) and am good for another couple of years).

OP Pike Bishop 2 | 5

19 Sep 2018 / #6

You moved the car excise-free as you already owned it in Slovenia, so its a "moving good"

@OP,you have to own the car for 2 years outside Poland to avoid excise duty

This is one of the complicated parts so I don't want to get in to it, but basically it was Urzad Skarbowy who said "ok, let's forget about paying excise duty".

Unbelievable, but of course I said no problem.

I wouldn't have thought selling the car with Slovenian plates would be a problem as I think the extra hassle and cost to a Polish buyer is minimal (plus Slovenian roads are excellent compared to Polish).

If I did sell it and used my Slovenian address on the sales contract, I am just worried that I would still have to pay the 'customs debt', as I'm not really sure if my car is in the system, so to speak.

I mean, someone has a file on my car in Urzad Skarbowy, and someone stamped the excise duty document at Urzad Celny, but as I didn't complete the registration, maybe it won't show up on anyones computer screen when a buyer goes to re-register it.

If the customs debt is minor than I'm willing to take the hit.

Alexbrz 3 | 78

19 Sep 2018 / #7

i've sold multiple cars on Dutch license plates while living in Poland, just wrote down my dutch address on the bill of sales and never heard anything about it.

I'd ignore the post above here that says almost nobody will buy your car, it'll have a minor impact on the price, yes, but you'll easily sell it anyways. I never had any trouble and sold the most random and uninteresting cars on Dutch (export) plates.

Ofcourse what happened with your stamping stuff i cant judge as i've never had that situation, but my guess is you'll never hear of it again