The desire to own your own car visits each of us at least once.
Moving to Poland cannot prevent you from realising your plans. After all, according to the law, foreigners can freely purchase both new and used cars in the Republic of Poland. The main requirement for the purchase and registration of a vehicle by foreign citizens is the presence of the grounds for legal stay in the country (D-type visa, residence card or decisión with the decision to issue you a card, etc.) and the address of registration. The latter is required for registration of the "iron horse".
You have two options: buy a new car or a used car. If buying a new car is not in your plans, the following information will be helpful to you.
A popular way to find a used car is to look for a vehicle on themed websites.
The most famous of these are:
otomoto.pl
moto.gratka.pl
moto.allegro.pl
autotrader.pl
In addition to the remote way of searching for a used car, you can also visit specialised commission sites. The third option is to use the services of intermediaries.
Purchase of the selected vehicle.
If the seller is a private person, you must draw up and sign a purchase agreement (Umowa kupna sprzedaży samochodu). If you buy the car from a salon or a legal entity, you must draw up the invoice (Faktura).
After signing the contract, the seller will give you a package of documents for the car. Now you have a month to register the purchase. And the first thing you should start with, if you have bought a car from a private person, is to pay the 2% tax levy on the value of the car. You have to do it within 14 days from the date of purchase. You go to the tax office (Urząd Skarbowy) and fill in a PCC-3 declaration there, and then make the payment. If the vehicle was purchased on invoice, you are exempt from paying tax on the purchase.
The car is registered in the Uzdąd in the buyer's place of residence (Wydział Ewidencji Pojazdów i Kierowców).
The following documents are required to register a vehicle:
- Application for car registration (Wniosek)
- Identity document (passport for foreign trips) and residence card (if available), etc.
- Proof of residence registration in Poland (minimum period of 1 month) (Meldunek)
- A document confirming the ownership of the car (sales contract or invoice)
- Technical passport (Dowód rejestracyjny) with the current inspection date (if the car is used)
- Vehicle card (Karta pojazdu) (if available)
- Confirmation of tax payment from the tax inspectorate (if the car was purchased from a private person)
- Registration fee receipt (payable locally)
- Licence plates (if available)
When registering, you will be given new numbers or offered to keep the old ones. It is also possible to officially buy "beautiful numbers" for a fee (about 1000 PLN).
After submitting the documents, the inspector will issue a temporary registration. It may take several weeks to produce a permanent technical passport. During this period, the police will check both the documents themselves and the vehicle, whether it has been stolen and so on. Afterwards, if everything is in order, you will be given the original vehicle registration. You will also receive a number sticker. This must be affixed in the lower right-hand corner of the windscreen.
At the end we would like to remind you that every vehicle must be insured. The presence of a policy (Ubezpieczenie OC) is mandatory for the operation of a vehicle in Poland. You are required to purchase it or use a policy, left over from the previous owner.
