How to register a car in Poland (Kraków guide for foreigners)

Quick answer

• Deadline: 30 days to apply. The clock starts on the day you buy the car in Poland, bring it in from another EU country, or get it released by customs.
• Late fine: 500 zł, rising to 1,000 zł if you still have not applied after 180 days.
• Fee in Kraków: 160 zł with new plates. Keeping existing Polish plates costs 72.50 zł with a temporary permit.
• Car from the EU: excise declaration AKC-US within 14 days, payment within 30 days, both no later than the registration day. 3.1% for engines up to 2,000 cc, 18.6% above; electric cars are exempt.
• Car from outside the EU (including the UK): customs duty, then excise on the value plus duty, then 23% VAT on the total. Customs sets the duty rate for your car.
• PESEL: not on Kraków's document list. Foreigners need one document proving they live in Kraków.

Who this is for

Expats who drove their own car to Kraków, EU students who bought a used car here, and anyone who brought a car from the UK. Polish rules treat these three cases differently. If you are only visiting, separate customs rules apply to a car on foreign plates, and we have not covered them here.

Proof of address instead of PESEL

Kraków's list of required documents does not include a PESEL number. A foreigner shows an ID or passport plus one document proving residence in Kraków:

• zameldowanie (permanent or temporary registered address);
• a flat rental agreement;
• an employment contract (umowa o pracę);
• a Kraków resident card (karta mieszkańca);
• electricity or other utility bills;
• a tax return.

A student with a signed rental agreement already has what the office asks for.

Bought a used car in Poland

The car is already in the Polish register, so the procedure is short.

1. Sign a sale contract (umowa kupna-sprzedaży). Keep the old registration certificate (dowód rejestracyjny) with a valid inspection.
2. Buy OC insurance. It must start no later than the day you register.
3. File PCC-3 tax: 2% of the car's market value, within 14 days of the contract. No tax if the value is 1,000 zł or less.
4. Apply at the vehicle office (Wydział Komunikacji; in Kraków it is the Wydział Ewidencji Pojazdów i Kierowców) within 30 days. You may keep the plates if they are legible.

The seller has 30 days to report the sale. Missing that deadline costs the seller 250 zł.

Bringing a car from another EU country

1. Excise. File AKC-US (people often search for the old name, AKC-U/S) within 14 days of the car entering Poland, if you bought it before the move. Pay within 30 days. Both deadlines end no later than the registration day. The PUESC portal takes the declaration online and sends a payment confirmation within two working days.
2. Rates: 3.1% up to 2,000 cc, 18.6% above. Standard hybrids pay 1.55% or 9.3%. Electric cars are exempt, and plug-in hybrids up to 2,000 cc are exempt until the end of 2029 with a certificate from the tax office.
3. Translations. A sale contract in a foreign language needs a sworn translation. An EU registration certificate does not, although the office may ask for one if something is unclear.
4. Inspection. If your EU registration document shows a valid inspection, the office may accept it. Otherwise book a Polish inspection station (SKP). The standard car inspection fee is 149 zł since 19 September 2025.
5. Registration within 30 days of arrival. Bring the foreign certificate and plates, or a statement if you had to return the plates abroad.

If the excise confirmation has not arrived yet, you can start the registration and bring it before the permanent certificate is issued. In that case you sign a statement that the car will not change owner in the meantime.

Cars from the UK and other non-EU countries

After Brexit a UK car is a non-EU import. It goes through customs first. The 30 days for registration start on the day customs releases it.

The charges stack:

1. Customs duty on the customs value. Reference sources give 10% as the standard rate for cars; customs confirms the rate for your car.
2. Excise 3.1% or 18.6% of the customs value plus duty. Transport and insurance to the first destination in Poland are included.
3. VAT 23% of the customs value plus duty plus excise.

This is plain arithmetic, and the total depends on the duty rate. A lower duty applies only if the car's preferential origin is proven, which is for customs to decide. We have not checked how the EU–UK agreement applies to used cars, so ask the customs office before you ship.

Moving house? The "mienie przesiedlenia" relief removes the charges if you owned and used the car abroad for at least 6 months, lived outside the EU for at least 12 months in a row, and do not sell the car for 12 months after import.

Fees in Kraków

The 160 zł breaks down as registration certificate 54 zł, plates 80 zł, legalisation stickers 12.50 zł and temporary permit 13.50 zł. The ministry has prepared higher fees, but as of September 2026 no new regulation has been published. Check the amount on bip.krakow.pl before paying.

Where to register in Kraków

• Vehicle registration offices (Referat Rejestracji Pojazdów): os. Zgody 2 (1st floor), al. Powstania Warszawskiego 10 (ground floor), ul. Wielicka 28a (level 2). Mon–Wed and Fri 7:40–18:00, Thu 8:00–18:00.
• Mall service points: Galeria Bronowice, Bonarka, Serenada, Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00, no cash desk and no appointments.
• Book a slot online: umawianiewizyt.um.krakow.pl. City helpline: +48 12 616 55 55.
• Is the certificate ready? Check info-car.pl. Collect it within the 30-day temporary registration.

Pay at the cash desk, by card at the counter, or by bank transfer with the VIN and plate number in the title.

After registration: the clean transport zone

Polish plates are checked automatically in Kraków's clean transport zone (SCT). A car still on foreign plates must be registered in the SCT system separately, even if it meets the norms. Details in our Kraków clean transport zone guide.

Sources

As of September 2026. Fees and documents: City of Kraków BIP, procedures KM-2 and KM-14; fee regulation: Dz.U. 2025 item 553; deadlines and fines: Road Traffic Act (Dz.U. 2024 item 1251 as amended); excise: Excise Duty Act (Dz.U. 2026 item 412) and PUESC; relocation relief and rates: powroty.gov.pl; PCC: gov.pl; inspection fee: Ministry of Infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions