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Registering Foreign Car In Poland


Rubyoptics 4 | 16
29 Jan 2012 #1
Hi again, I received so many helpful responses to my previous posts that I thought I would come crawling back for your help once again! I have been thinking of making a bit of a holiday / road-trip of my move to Poland, driving through Europe to arrive, refreshed (hopefully!) to settle into my new life and all that it may hold. My question is this, apart from the obvious difficulties in driving a right-hand drive car, what difficulties would I face in registering a car bought in the U.K in Poland? Apart from import tax, are there any other financial considerations I should be aware of? How would i go about insuring the car once there or is this a simple one like in the U.K (i am aware that you insure the car rather than the driver). I thank you all in advance for your help and hope you are all well.

Joe
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
29 Jan 2012 #2
Unfortunately - you can't register a RHD in Poland. While it is technically possible, the powers that be won't issue a valid MOT for the car if it's RHD. Sorry - but with a RHD car, your only option is to drive back to the UK for an MOT once a year, or register it in another EU state (not that it's easy to do).
rygar - | 40
29 Jan 2012 #3
in addition, RHD in Poland is really not good idea - Poles drive aggressively (dare to say - stupidly), and you will be simply frustrated when using RHD - there is a lot of overtaking, plenty of trucks and even tractors on roads. It is really, really good idea to ditch RHD in PL
OP Rubyoptics 4 | 16
29 Jan 2012 #4
That is....disappointing to say the least. Thank you for pointing this out to me and im sorry for wasting your time on something i could have found out with a simple google search. I simply did not think that such cars would be IMPOSSIBLE to register. Oh well!! In that case, does anyone have experience on the Polish availability of the toyota MR2??!!!!! lol
Richfilth 6 | 415
29 Jan 2012 #5
Not a huge number of MR2s around, because hairdressers don't earn that much money in Poland: allegro.pl/mr2-27887
rygar - | 40
29 Jan 2012 #6
actually, I am not so sure about 'inability', because this law was taken to the european court and IRRC the verdict was that this is against free trade rule or something. But when you get to Poland, you will see that driving RHD out of 4-lane roads, especially in coutryside, might be really dangerous and authorities are actually right about this restriction. Its not dangerous when you just go with the flow, but seeing that you like sport cars, I doubt you will be willing to crawl behind huge truck 90 km/h ;)

cars in PL are more expensive, but insurance is much cheaper, so it makes sense to sell yours in UK and buy something in France/Netherlands/Germany or Poland (last option obviously most convenient)
Chris1977
29 Jan 2012 #7
Hi Joe,

I done exactly what you're planing to do. I drove from London to Warszawa (although not sightseeing) with the intention of converting my RHD to LHD once here. now it's not just the steering you need to convert but also the headlights, the garages can convert LHD French, Italian and German brand cars without too much trouble but Japanese made cars they said forget about it. The total cost of converting your car would be around the 5,000 Zloty mark so unless your car is a high end executive type, I would say, sell it in the UK and buy one here or Germany (which a lot of Poles do too) So what everyone is saying is absolutely correct, you can't get an MOT or insurance for a RHD unless you can convert it, however it wouldn't really be worth it.

I brought a Fiat Bravo Grande dynamic 1.4 2010 with 32,000 (yes it was real kilometers) for 23,000 zloty. I'm now sending my Nissan back to the U.K for £380 by courier and a friend will sell it for me.

A few words of advice, expect everyone to try and rip you off, check all documents twice, get a Polish friend who you trust to do all the negotiating on your behalf and never speak in English while talking about money otherwise the price just doubled. Poland is a lovely country and the people are lovely too but when it comes to money it isn't cricket here mate.

Good luck,

Chris
rt3d 10 | 46
29 Jan 2012 #8
just buy a toyota celica, or convert it
Hey chris could you recommend the courier you used..
Chris1977
29 Jan 2012 #9
Hi Rt3d,

The courier number: 888-295-899

I don't know their name (sorry) they are quite busy so the wait is 3 weeks, My girlfriend tells me that they'll do it for £340 if you wait.

Regards
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
29 Jan 2012 #10
actually, I am not so sure about 'inability', because this law was taken to the european court and IRRC the verdict was that this is against free trade rule or something.

There hasn't been a judgement made yet. All signs are that Poland will be told to allow it - but given that Poland has joined the French club of simply ignoring judgements that she doesn't like, it would seem unlikely that RHD's will be allowed anytime soon.
OP Rubyoptics 4 | 16
29 Jan 2012 #11
Rich - I'm looking for the anniversary edition, which is available fairly regularly on the second hand market in the U.K, i won't comment on the hairdresser part as obviously everyone has different tastes!!

The total cost of converting your car would be around the 5,000 Zloty mark

Do you have a number for any converters so that i could get a realistic quote please Chris?
Thanks again for the help so far, i really appreciate it
Richfilth 6 | 415
29 Jan 2012 #12
I don't know much about Toyotas to be honest, but make sure any special edition you're looking for isn't specific-market-only. Lots of manufacturers do specials for one country only, so there may not have been a LHD "anniversary" edition.

Your best bet for a car is to sign up for the MR2 club in Poland and asking politely on their forum. I'm sure a few of the owners will speak English and will point you in the right direction; some might even offer advice on converting a RHD model if you've already found the one you want in the UK.
kapilpoojari - | 1
15 Oct 2012 #13
Merged: Help Needed - Registering a US car in Poland

Hello,

I have gone through similar posts, but the situation here is different. A friend of mine had bought a US registered car (LHD) in poland on tourist visa, his moved to some other country and the car is here in Poland.

I intend to buy the car but I understand that I must pay import duty etc and only then I can register it.

Questions
Is there any provision in law to avoid the import duty other than the resettlement property ?
I've heard that registering the car in Germany would cost about 5000zl compared to doing it here in poland ?

Thank you!
pantsless 1 | 267
15 Oct 2012 #14
I intend to buy the car but I understand that I must pay import duty etc and only then I can register it.

Yes. Clo 10%, akcyza at 3.6 or 18.6%, and then VAT at 23%. These are cumulative. Then make sure the car conforms to EU standards, get an inspection/MOT and register it.

Is there any provision in law to avoid the import duty other than the resettlement property ?
I've heard that registering the car in Germany would cost about 5000zl compared to doing it here in poland ?

1. NO.
2. What are you asking here?
scotty75
16 Oct 2012 #15
Merged: How quickly can I register my car in poland.

I am living at the moment in Holland and want to move to poland next week. My wife is polish and we own a property that is classed as a farm, because of this the title deed states that it belongs to my wifes wealth as I did'nt have the time to apply for a permit to purchase agricultural real estate but am mentioned in the deed.

I have just started divorce proceedings aginst my wife and want to de register myself from holland as quick as possible. If I de register my car for export I have only two weeks valid export number plates. If I immediately register as resident in poland in our property the day I arrive would this be enough to put the car on polish plates and what kind of time frame will it take? also would this first registration be enough to connect an internet abbonement. I hopefully want my stale pobyt before my divorce is finished. I speak fluent polish so the language is not a barrier. Incidently if you own 2 hectacres of land in poland you do not have to pay the 2% property purchase tax on an agricultural property and the council tax is minimal, I have over 800m2 of roof and pay next to nothing.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
16 Oct 2012 #16
I hopefully want my stale pobyt before my divorce is finished.

No chance. The karta staƂego pobytu is only issued after 5 years of residence based on a valid reason - owning property isn't enough.

also would this first registration be enough to connect an internet abbonement.

No. You'll need the EU certificate of residency in order to do that as well as a PESEL - you'll need about 6-8 weeks for this.

If I immediately register as resident in poland in our property the day I arrive would this be enough to put the car on polish plates and what kind of time frame will it take?

Others can advise as to the length of time needed to register it, but if you register as resident, it'll only be valid for 3 months until you get the EU residency certificate - at which point, you get 5 years valid residency.
mcassar
1 Aug 2016 #17
Hi is a certificate of conformity sufficient to register a car in poland or do you also need other documents?
kpc21 1 | 763
1 Aug 2016 #18
It's a lot of paperwork to register a foreign car in Poland.

Try to translate this instruction:
auta-z-niemiec.com/oferta/rejestracja-auta-z-niemiec.html
- it's for importing cars from Germany, but in case of other EU countries, the procedure shouldn't be different.

And ask if you don't understand something, or if you have some questions.

Some parts of that look really absurd, for example that they sometimes direct cars imported from Germany, still having a valid inspection, to a Polish inspection, even though the German inspection is very detailed, and in Poland you can sometimes even get a confirmation of inspection going to the inspection station without the car...
adamm19830 10 | 43
1 Nov 2016 #19
Merged: Registering an EU Car -Tax

Hi Everyone. I have recently moved to Poland and I have everything setup ad ready to buy a car.

I have found a car from a dealer that has recently imported it from Belgium. It isnt yet registered in Poland and I would have to cover the fees for this although the dealer said he can do it on my behalf.

IF I bought the car from him and decided to deal with all the registration myself, what taxes should i expect to pay? I have heard whispers that I should expect to pay 13.5% of the cars value to register it (customs tax). Does this sound correct? What other fees should I expect to pay if I bought it as it is from the dealer?

I should add that i do not need to pay the 2% stamp duty as the dealer will issue a VAT invoice margin

Thanks
adamm19830 10 | 43
4 Nov 2016 #20
hi everyone. Just bumping up my last post in this thread to see if anyone knows the answer. Thanks in advance
polinv
4 Nov 2016 #21
You will need to pay an import fee of around 19% if over 2000cc and about 3% if below. You can have this reduced if you can prove the car requires work over than cosmetic such as engine, gearbox, bodywork. The remaining fees with be a few hundred for first MOT, registration and plates. Add to this insurance which must be arranged on the date of first registration or you risk a big fine for everyday its late.
Ant63 13 | 410
23 Jan 2021 #22
Merged:

Registering A Bulgarian car in Poland.



The car is an old (approx 25yrs old) LHD Toyota Landcruiser and is currently in the UK. I have an option to buy this for next to nothing as it requires some work and i need a 4 wheel drive in Poland as will be living in a remote area.

Is it feasible to register this in Poland?
Would it be better to transport it to Poland as is, and get it fixed there?
Whats the import duty going to be like if any?

Or would it make more sense to just buy one in Poland?
tesco
23 Jan 2021 #23
In what sense is it Bulgarian?

I doubt it would be worth importing from a non-EU country. As well as duty, taxes there is also the emission standards that might make it non compliant.

justlanded.com/english/Poland/Poland-Guide/Travel-Leisure/Renting-and-importing-a-car-in-Poland
Ant63 13 | 410
23 Jan 2021 #24
In what sense is it Bulgarian?

In the sense it is registered in Bulgaria. Bulgaria is in the EU. Thanks for the link.


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