You bought a second-hand car from a Pole or from another foreigner, drove home happy - and a month later found out the car had to be transferred into your name within 30 days, or you get fined. Transferring (przerejestrowanie) a car bought in Poland is not a hard procedure, but it comes with strict deadlines and a couple of tax details the seller usually will not warn you about. Let us walk through, step by step, what to do and when in 2026 so the car legally becomes yours without any fines.
The main thing: 30 days to transfer
If you bought a car in Poland that is already registered here, you are required to transfer (przerejestrować) it into your name at the wydział komunikacji (the vehicle registration department) within 30 days of the purchase date. Miss it and you face a fine. This is not the same as the first registration of an imported car - here the vehicle is already on the register and simply needs to be moved to a new owner.
Do not mix up two situations: bringing a car in from abroad with customs clearance and excise is a first registration, whereas buying a car already registered in Poland is a transfer. The requirements and the documents differ.
What you need for the transfer
The transfer happens at the wydział komunikacji for your place of residence. The basic set:
- umowa kupna-sprzedaży (the sale-and-purchase contract), or a faktura if you bought from a dealer;
- dowód rejestracyjny (the vehicle registration document);
- a valid OC policy (it passes over from the seller);
- karta pojazdu, if one was ever issued;
- a valid technical inspection (badanie techniczne);
- your own document: passport and karta pobytu, proof of address (meldunek);
- a PESEL, if you have one.
The office (urząd) checks some of this against its databases, but it is best to have everything in hand. If you do not yet have registered residence, start with registration of address (meldunek) - without a tie to your place of residence, the procedure stalls.
The 2% PCC tax: do not forget it
Here is the detail that catches unprepared buyers out. If you bought the car under a sale contract (rather than on a VAT invoice from a dealer), you are required to pay PCC (podatek od czynności cywilnoprawnych, the tax on civil-law transactions) - 2% of the car's value.
The key points:
- the PCC-3 declaration must be filed with the urząd skarbowy (the tax office) and the tax paid within 14 days of the purchase date;
- the base is the car's market value, not just the figure in the contract - an understated price can raise questions;
- when you buy from a dealer on a VAT invoice, PCC is normally not due.
PCC is easy to overlook because it runs separately from the transfer at the wydział komunikacji. But it is a duty of its own, with a short deadline.
What about the plates: you can keep the old ones
Good news from recent years: when you transfer a car you can keep the existing number plates (tablice rejestracyjne) - swapping them for new ones is no longer mandatory. That saves both money and time. If you do want new plates, that is possible too, but keeping the old ones is usually simpler.
What about the OC insurance
When you buy a car, the active OC passes to you along with the vehicle - you can drive legally right away. But:
- the insurer will recalculate the policy for your profile, and the price may change;
- you are free to cancel the previous owner's policy and take out your own OC wherever it is cheaper;
- you must notify the insurer of the change of owner.
How the policy price is worked out and why a foreigner without a PESEL is quoted more, we covered in the article on OC and AC car insurance. Do not leave the insurance for later - a gap in OC draws a fine from the UFG.
Fines for missing the deadlines
The deadlines here are real, not just on paper:
| Obligation | Deadline | What a delay means |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer at the wydział komunikacji | 30 days | A fine |
| PCC payment (PCC-3) | 14 days | Interest and penalties from the tax office |
| Active OC | Continuously | A UFG fine for any gap |
A delay on each point counts separately, so it is best to sort the car out right after the purchase rather than "when there is time".
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to transfer a purchased car? 30 days from the purchase date for przerejestrowanie at the wydział komunikacji for your place of residence. A delay carries a fine. This applies to a car already registered in Poland; a vehicle imported from abroad goes through a first registration instead.
Do I have to pay tax when I buy a car? Yes, if you bought under a sale contract rather than on a dealer's VAT invoice. The PCC tax is 2% of the car's market value; the PCC-3 declaration is filed with the urząd skarbowy and paid within 14 days of the purchase date.
Can I keep the old plates when I transfer the car? Yes, you can keep the existing number plates when you transfer - swapping them for new ones is not mandatory. That saves money and time. New plates are also available on request.
What happens to the insurance after buying a car? The active OC passes to the buyer along with the car, so you can drive at once. The insurer will recalculate the policy for your profile, and you are free to cancel it and take out your own OC for less. You must notify the insurer of the change of owner.
Do I need a PESEL to transfer a car? For the transfer itself the main things are proof of residence (meldunek) and the car's documents. But a PESEL comes in handy - among other things, to arrange OC properly with your history taken into account. Without it, the insurance is priced at the maximum rate.
Transferring a car is a matter of a couple of visits, but with short deadlines and a PCC tax that is easy to forget. A delay on any point turns a good buy into extra expense. Here in Warsaw we handle the transfer end to end: we check the car's documents, arrange the przerejestrowanie, and help with the PCC, the meldunek and the insurance. This is general information, not individual legal advice. To transfer a purchased car without fines, ask us to handle vehicle registration.