To import a car from Poland to the UK you need two things from the seller: the original Polish registration certificate, which Poles simply call the dowód (in full, dowód rejestracyjny), and a signed sale contract or invoice. When the car arrives, we handle the customs declaration, NOVA and the DVLA paperwork. A genuine historic collector's vehicle pays 0% duty and 5% VAT; any other car pays 20% VAT, plus 10% duty unless it was built in the EU and you can prove it.
- The dowód, in full dowód rejestracyjny (registration certificate), sometimes called the twardy (hard) dowód. It is one card, so there is only one part to collect. Make sure you get the original: the DVLA keeps it.
- Umowa kupna-sprzedaży (sale and purchase agreement) signed by both of you, or a faktura (invoice) if you buy from a business. It must show the real price, because that is where the UK customs value starts.
If the seller also has an older karta pojazdu (vehicle card), take it as history. No contract or invoice, for example because the car was a gift? An independent valuation sets the value instead. A lost dowód can be replaced, for the DVLA, by a dating letter that proves the car's age, and we obtain it for you.
Deregistration in Poland, any export plates and the export paperwork are handled by the seller. If you need it, we arrange the transport to the UK, and we handle the customs declaration, NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
Before you pay, check that the VIN on the dowód and on the contract matches the one stamped on the car.
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Duty and VAT: what decides the rate
A Polish number plate says nothing about the tax. Two questions decide it: is the car a historic collector's item, and where was it built?
| Your car | Customs duty | Import VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Historic collector's vehicle (heading 9705) | 0% | 5% |
| Other car, built in the EU, valid proof of origin | 0% | 20% |
| Other car, no valid proof of EU origin | 10% | 20% |
Historic collector's vehicles. The car must be over 30 years old, in its original state without substantial changes, and a model no longer in production. Restoration is allowed; modernised or hot-rodded cars are excluded, as HMRC's vehicle classification guidance explains. Qualifying cars pay 0% duty and 5% VAT whatever their origin.
Everything else. VAT is 20%. Duty is 10% unless the car has preferential origin, which means it was manufactured in the EU, not merely sold there. A Japanese car bought in Kraków has Japanese origin. The claim needs proof of origin, which a private seller usually cannot provide, and for a car built before Poland joined the EU in 2004 we look at origin case by case. Budget for 10% duty unless the evidence exists.
Polish classics
The cars most people associate with Poland were built there: the Polski Fiat 125p made by FSO in Warsaw under Fiat licence, the small Fiat 126p made by FSM, the FSO Polonez, and older designs such as the Warszawa and the Syrena. Examples over 30 years old, unmodified and out of production are natural candidates for the 5% rate.
Some Polish classics run on yellow plates as a pojazd zabytkowy (historic vehicle). That status supports the case that a car is original, but it does not decide the UK tax: HMRC applies its own test to every car. Look closely at anything that has been modernised, because substantial changes to the chassis, body, steering, brakes, transmission or suspension cost the 5% rate.
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Moving to the UK with your own car
Relocating from Poland with a car you have owned and used there? Transfer of Residence relief may remove both duty and VAT if you meet the conditions. It has to be claimed with the customs declaration. See our guide to claiming Transfer of Residence relief.
The UK steps in brief
- Customs declaration: we declare the car and pay the duty and VAT due.
- NOVA: we notify HMRC within 14 days of arrival.
- MOT: if the car needs one, you book a UK MOT, which can be done while the car is still on Polish plates. Cars under 3 years old do not need one, and vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes are exempt, with a V112 declaration instead.
- DVLA: we prepare the V55/5; you sign it and send it with the original dowód, the MOT certificate if one is needed, photo ID, proof of UK address, the £55 first registration fee and road tax. More in our guide to registering an imported car.
Buying or moving a car from Poland?
We handle any relief you qualify for alongside customs, duty and VAT, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. Over 1,500 vehicles cleared since Brexit.
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