Buying a car in Poland, or bringing your own over, can feel like two sets of paperwork in two languages. In practice the Polish side is short, and the UK side is ours to deal with. The car comes west across Germany to the Channel, then to our site to be converted, tested and registered.
- Route
- By road, RoRo or container
- Price
- Priced per job
- Transit time
- Usually 1 to 4 weeks door to door
- Import tax
- 20% VAT, no duty if EU or UK-built
How the car gets here
We can collect from your address in Poland, or you can deliver the car to us. Most Polish cars travel by road on a transporter, heading west through Germany to a Channel crossing. Where it suits the car or the location better, it can go by sea instead.
By sea, RoRo usually takes 3 to 7 days and a container typically 5 to 10. Weather, port congestion and the shipping line's schedule can stretch those. Door to door, once collection and customs are allowed for, European moves usually take 1 to 4 weeks. Our guide to container, RoRo or air explains the trade-offs.
Taking the car off the Polish register
In Poland, deregistration (wyrejestrowanie) is handled by the office where the car was last registered: the county office (starostwo powiatowe), a city office or, in Warsaw, a district office. The owner applies in person, by post or online where the office accepts it.
The detail that catches people out is timing. For a car sold or taken abroad, the office asks for proof of the sale and a copy of the foreign registration document. In other words, the Polish side is finished after the car has its UK registration, not before. The fee is 10 zł and the decision usually follows within a month.
So if you are buying from a private seller, expect them to ask for a copy of the new UK registration document once we have it. That is normal, and it protects them from fines and tax on a car they no longer own.
Import tax from Poland
Poland is in the EU, so a car coming from there pays 20% import VAT. There is no duty if the car was built in the EU or the UK. VAT is worked out on the price you paid plus the cost of transport, or on a recent valuation if the invoice is more than 3 months old.
Where the car was built is what counts. A Polish-registered car built in Japan, Korea or the US would pay 10% duty on top. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. The import tax calculator gives a quick figure, and the worked examples show the sums in pounds.
Moving to the UK
If you have lived in Poland for more than 12 months and owned the car for more than 6, Transfer of Residence means no import tax at all. Apply to HMRC before the car moves. A car that was UK-registered before can sometimes come back tax free with its UK purchase invoice and a copy of the old V5C, as our guide to bringing a UK car back home explains.
Customs and NOVA
We clear the car through UK customs ourselves as HMRC CDS authorised agents. HMRC also has to be told within 14 days that the car has arrived, through the Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA). The DVLA will not register the car without it, so we submit it as part of clearance. Our NOVA guide has the detail.
Making it UK road legal
Polish cars are left-hand drive and set up for driving on the right. The usual changes are:
- Headlights adjusted or replaced so they do not dazzle oncoming traffic on the left
- A speedometer reading in mph
- A rear fog light where the car's own one is not compliant
All of that is done on our own site. See speedometer and headlight conversions for how, and left-hand drive cars in the UK for what it is like to live with one.
Testing and registration
- Under 10 years old: a Certificate of Conformity for an EU-built car, or an IVA test
- Over 10 years old: an MOT, with changes generally coming down to the rear fog light
- Over 40 years old: no MOT needed, and the car can be delivered before registration
We run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain and test on site every week. Our Certificate of Conformity guide explains when a CoC is enough. Once the car is ready, our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register imported cars within 10 working days.
-
Before it moves
Quote and paperwork
We price the route, check where the car was built and set up any Transfer of Residence application.
-
Collection
Out of Poland
The car is collected from your address and travels by road, or by sea where that suits it better.
-
Arrival
Customs and NOVA
We clear the car through UK customs and tell HMRC it has arrived.
-
At our site
Conversion and test
Headlights, speedometer and fog light are sorted, then the car takes its IVA test, CoC route or MOT.
-
After registration
Polish deregistration
The seller or owner sends a copy of the UK registration document to the Polish office to close the old registration.
Your Poland paperwork
0 of 6 done
What it costs
We do not publish a guide price for Poland, because European routes are priced per job. Where the car is, how it travels and what it needs at this end all move the figure. The estimator covers the tax side, and our Europe guide gives the wider picture.
Questions people ask
Do I pay import tax on a car from Poland?
Usually 20% import VAT, with no duty if the car was built in the EU or UK. A car built elsewhere pays 10% duty too. Cars over 30 years old pay 5% VAT, and Transfer of Residence can make it tax free if you are moving here.
How long does it take to bring a car from Poland?
By sea, RoRo usually takes 3 to 7 days and a container 5 to 10. Door to door, allowing for collection and customs, European moves usually take 1 to 4 weeks.
Who deregisters the car in Poland?
The owner, at the office where the car was last registered. For a car taken abroad, the office asks for proof of sale and a copy of the foreign registration document, so it is usually completed once the car has UK plates.
Does a Polish car need an IVA test?
An EU-built car under 10 years old can often use a Certificate of Conformity instead. Otherwise it takes an IVA test, which we run on site. Over 10 years old it needs an MOT, and over 40 years old no MOT.
Can you collect the car from my address in Poland?
Yes. We collect from your address, or you can deliver the car to us, and we handle the transport, customs and registration.
Send us the car's details on the quote form and we will price the whole job.
