Before registering a car, it is necessary to pass a technical inspection and obtain a document confirming its suitability for driving on Polish roads.
Services
Customs clearance of cars
We provide customs clearance services and help register cars that were imported to Poland from the EU or other countries.
USPI WORK will clear your car in the shortest possible time!
USPI WORK will clear your car in the shortest possible time!
Customs clearance of a car in Poland (odprawa celna) applies to vehicles imported from outside the EU (for example, from Ukraine or the USA) and involves paying customs duty, excise tax and VAT; for cars from EU countries only excise tax is paid. The amounts are calculated from the car's value and parameters and are paid by the owner to state authorities. After clearance, the car is registered at the Wydział Komunikacji. USPI Work and Documents advises, helps prepare documents and translations and supports the procedure; payment amounts are set by the state.
Documents usually required
| Purchase document | sale contract or invoice |
| Vehicle registration documents | documents from the country of origin |
| Owner's documents | passport; PESEL/address if needed |
| Customs payments | duty/excise/VAT — paid by the owner at official rates |
What USPI Work and Documents does
Advises on the procedure and documents, helps with sworn translations, declarations and appointments, and supports you until registration is completed. These are consulting and organisational services.
What the state authorities decide
Customs clearance is handled by customs authorities (the PUESC system), excise by the Urząd Skarbowy, and vehicle registration by the Wydział Komunikacji. Payment amounts follow official rates.
Official sources
Reviewed: August 2026. Duty/excise/VAT rates — per official sources at the time of clearance.
Car customs clearance — frequently asked questions
How much does car customs clearance cost in Poland?
It depends on the car's value, engine size and origin (EU or non-EU): non-EU cars incur duty, excise and VAT; EU cars incur excise. Exact rates are on podatki.gov.pl and PUESC; payments are made by the owner.
EU vs non-EU car — what is the difference?
Cars from EU countries do not go through customs clearance — excise is paid and the car is registered. Cars from outside the EU (Ukraine, USA) require full odprawa celna.
How long does clearance take?
Timelines depend on the customs authorities, document completeness and workload. An intermediary cannot speed up the authorities' decisions.
What happens after clearance?
Technical inspection (if needed), excise payment and registration at the Wydział Komunikacji at your place of residence.
Can I drive on Ukrainian plates in Poland?
Only for a limited time and under the applicable rules; for permanent use the car must be registered in Poland. See official sources for details.
About the service
Customs clearance of a car in Poland using USPI WORK takes only 4 hours. The procedure is no different from the registration of local cars in Europe. The law requires the registration of a foreigner’s car within 30 days from the moment of purchase under the threat of a fine from 200 to 5,000 zlotys for violation of the deadline. The process is carried out in the city administration (Urząd miejski).
Necessary documents
- foreign passport (beaten card if available);
- technical passport;
- insurance (if available);
- numbers (if available);
- car purchase contract.
Registration of a new and used car: what is the difference?
If the car is registered for the first time on the territory of Poland, you will need to pay an excise tax when registering such a car.
The amount of excise duty directly depends on the volume of the engine and the year of manufacture of your car. The volume of the engine plays the most important role in this matter: up to 2 liters – the excise tax is 3.1% of the car’s value, more than 2.0 liters – the excise tax increases to 18.6% of the car’s value.
So the difference between new and used car registration is that you will need to include excise duty in your new car registration costs.
Steps of car customs clearance in Poland
1
Technical inspection
2
Preparation of documents
The second stage before registration is the preparation of all documents in accordance with Polish legislation. All documents related to the car must be translated from the language of the European country from which the car is imported into Polish. Without it, car registration is impossible
3
Pay excise duty
The car owner must then pay the excise duty (excise duty) to the Urząd celny (customs office). This is a fee that is required for any car imported into Poland, and depends on the volume of the engine and the cost of the car
4
Appeal to the city council
After that, with all the documents, technical inspection and receipt for payment of excise duty, you need to go to the city office. There, the car owner will have to fill out an application in which to indicate all the necessary data about the car and list all the documents attached to the application
5
Application submission
The last step will be to submit the application together with all the documents to the inspector. If all the documents are in order, the train station employee will accept them and issue the owner with a temporary technical passport, license plates, a sticker on the windshield and a train map.
Terms of issuing technical passports and registration certificates for foreigners
The temporary license is valid for 30 days, after which you will be issued a permanent license.
The validity period of a permanent technical passport, as a rule, depends on the period of legal stay of a foreigner in Poland. This term is established by the inspector, who puts a corresponding stamp in the technical passport.
If you have a residence permit until 2025, the technical passport will be valid until that date.
Therefore, when the validity of the technical passport is coming to an end, it must be extended by providing a new document confirming your legal stay in Poland.
So that you don't waste your time and nerves on studying Polish legislation - entrust the customs clearance of your car to the USPI WORK team!
We provide services exclusively under the contract, accompany clients throughout the entire period of cooperation and provide free consultation.
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