Registering a car or changing its owner in Poland - for foreigners
Since 2024 there is no more "notice of purchase" - the car has to be properly registered within 30 days of buying it, bringing it in or clearing customs (businesses that trade in cars get 90 days). Miss it and the fine is 500 PLN, rising to 1 000 PLN after 180 days. You register where you live, and in Warsaw a foreigner needs a meldunek (permanent or temporary registered residence) to do it. An OC insurance policy cannot be taken out without a PESEL, so if you do not have one yet, we start there. Every document not in Polish needs a sworn translation (tłumaczenie przysięgłe). We take the whole process off your hands: checking the seller's documents, sworn translations, the application to the wydział komunikacji (vehicle registration office), the fees, temporary and permanent plates - and for cars imported from outside the EU we also run customs clearance, the excise (akcyza) and the first inspection (przegląd zerowy).
Registration in Poland is not what you may be used to back home - the rules changed in 2024-2025, and for foreigners there are extra wrinkles around address and translations.
Buying second-hand within Poland: we check the umowa kupna-sprzedaży (sale contract) or faktura VAT, re-register the car to the new owner, swap or keep the plates. The seller separately files a zgłoszenie zbycia (notice of disposal) within 30 days, or pays 250 PLN.
A car straight from the dealership: faktura, świadectwo zgodności WE (EC certificate of conformity), fees. As the buyer you have the same 30 days: the 90-day term applies only to businesses that trade in cars.
From Germany, Lithuania, etc.: you need the deregistration document, a translation, a badanie techniczne (roadworthiness test, unless the documents show a valid one) and the fee. No customs, but the excise is declared on an AKC-U/S form (3,1% up to 2000 cm³ or 18,6% above) within 14 days and no later than the registration day. The car must be registered within 30 days.
The full cycle: customs clearance with the excise shown in the customs declaration (3,1% up to 2000 cm³ or 18,6% above), the first inspection (przegląd zerowy) at an SKP station, translations and registration. Exemption from duty may apply under mienie przesiedleńcze (transfer of residence) - we check this case by case.
The car is registered by the starosta for your permanent or temporary place of residence. In Warsaw a foreigner needs a permanent or temporary meldunek for this. A PESEL is not required for the registration itself, but without one you cannot take out OC insurance, and you may not drive without OC. If you have no PESEL, we help you get one first.
Change of address, surname, fitting an LPG (GBO) system, replacing a lost registration certificate or plates - also handled through the wydział komunikacji.
Within Poland - usually 1-3 working days to the temporary certificate. Import from outside the EU with customs and excise - up to 2-3 weeks.
We look at the car's origin (Poland / EU / non-EU), the document set, and your status. We calculate the fees and set out a plan.
We review the dowód, karta pojazdu, contract/invoice, OC insurance, badanie techniczne. We catch the risks: liens, VIN mismatches, missing deregistration.
Documents not in Polish (the contract, the exporting country's registration certificate) are translated by a tłumacz przysięgły (sworn translator) - a mandatory office requirement.
For cars from Ukraine, Türkiye and others: customs clearance; the excise is shown in the customs declaration and paid together with the duty. We check eligibility for an exemption.
Before its first registration in Poland an imported car goes through a technical inspection. Any SKP station can test a passenger car up to 3.5 t, for 149 PLN. A car from the EU whose documents show a valid inspection is exempt.
We file the wniosek o rejestrację, pay the fees (160 PLN for new plates). We collect the pozwolenie czasowe (temporary permit) - you can drive straight away.
The office issues the dowód rejestracyjny stały and the nalepka legalizacyjna (legalisation sticker). We collect them for you, or you come in yourself.
It depends on the car's origin. The exact list - after the consultation.
A fixed retainer for handling the case. State fees, excise and translations pass through at cost.
* Above are LegalWin's fees. Office fees (160 PLN for new plates and the dowód, less if you keep the plates), sworn translation (~80-200 PLN), badanie techniczne (149 PLN), excise (3,1% or 18,6% of the value of a car brought from the EU or from outside it) - separate.
You file a wniosek o rejestrację at the wydział komunikacji (vehicle registration office) within 30 days of buying the car or clearing customs. You file where you live; in Warsaw a foreigner needs a permanent or temporary meldunek, and any document not in Polish needs a sworn translation. We handle the whole process and you get a pozwolenie czasowe (temporary permit) to drive straight away.
Send a request: we check the documents, calculate the fees and excise, and give you an exact timeline. Within Poland - a temporary certificate in 1-3 days. Import from outside the EU - up to 2-3 weeks, turnkey.
