Warszawa 19115 - Miejskie Centrum Kontaktu

If you are buying a used car - which is already registered in Poland - and you want to know how to re-register it, here is the information you need.

1. Fill in the vehicle registration form and the consent to the processing of personal data - if you give it. Sign the documents. Attach the other required documents to the application form.
   [!] You will get the forms at the city hall, among other places. 
2. Go to the  office with jurisdiction over your place of residence (or company seat) and submit an application form with attachments and proof of payment.
   [!] If the vehicle is not just owned by you, all owners must come to the office. You can deal with the matter on their behalf, but you must then have power of attorney from all persons.
3. An office employee will confirm your permanent or temporary residence registration in the system. If you do not have a registered address in Warsaw, you will need to present another document, which we will verify during the service, e.g. your annual PIT-37 tax return, your employment contract with an indicated address of residence, or your rental agreement. We will consider each such case individually.
4. We will check that the other documents are complete and do not contain errors. If they are complete and correct - we will register your vehicle. You will immediately receive legalised number plates and a decision on the temporary registration of the vehicle. We will also issue you with a temporary permit, which is valid for 30 days - during which time it replaces the registration certificate. 
5. Once you have a temporary registration decision, you need to update your vehicle's third-party liability insurance. 
6. Within 30 days, the Polish Security Printing Works (PWPW) will prepare your registration certificate. You can find out whether it is ready for collection on the info-car.pl website or at the office where you submit your application.
7. Come to the office before the expiry date of the temporary permit and collect the vehicle registration decision and registration card. When collecting the registration certificate, be sure to return the temporary permit to us and present a valid third-party liability policy.

[!] If you wish to apply in person at the office, you can book an appointment through the Appointment Booking System. Booking one appointment date entitles you to handle only one matter - such as registering one vehicle. If you have more matters to handle or more vehicles - book the appropriate number of appointments.

1. Application by the owner(s) for registration of the vehicle.
2. Consent to the processing of personal data, if you give it.
3. Power of attorney  - if you are represented by an attorney in the case. If you wish to submit a copy of the power of attorney it must be certified as a true copy by: 
   • a notary or
   • an attorney or legal adviser who is an agent in the case or
   • the authorised official in charge of the case. In such a case, you must also present the original document. 
4. Vehicle title document. Such a document can be, for example: 
   • a VAT invoice that confirms the purchase of the vehicle, 
   • a sale agreement,
   • an exchange agreement,
   • a donation agreement,
   • an annuity agreement,
   • a final court decision ruling on the right of ownership
   • an agreement of transfer of ownership of, for example, a bank, 
   • the original transfer of ownership agreement, together with a declaration of reversion and a declaration of full repayment of the debt.
5. Vehicle registration certificate.
6. Licence plates.
   [!] From 1 February 2022, you can keep your existing registration number if you apply for the re-registration of a used vehicle purchased in Poland. You can do this if the plates are white and have the EU marking (stars on a blue background). In addition, the plates must be legible, i.e. well-maintained and unbent. If the licence plate of the vehicle purchased does not meet these conditions, we will have to re-register your car with new numbers, which will result in a higher fee. 
7. If you are registering the vehicle as an individual, present an identity document, such as an identity card or passport, for inspection.
8. If you are registering the vehicle as a legal entity, e.g. a limited liability company - provide a current copy of the National Court Register (KRS) for inspection.
   [!] Matters concerning vehicle registration can be handled, on behalf of a legal entity, by an authorised person.
9. If you are a foreigner residing in Poland, a representative of a foreign company or a foreign cultural centre, a foundation or a press correspondent, present:
   1. proof of identity - passport, proof of temporary or permanent residence and one of the documents listed below:
      • a Schengen or national visa,
      • a residence card issued in relation to granting a temporary residence permit,
      • a certificate of registering the residence of a European Union (EU) citizen,
      • a residence card of a family member of an EU citizen,
      • a document confirming the EU citizen's right of permanent residence,
      • a permanent residence card of a family member of an EU citizen,
      • a residence card issued in connection with:
        • granting a residence permit for permanent residence, 
        • long-term resident's EU residence permit,
        • granting of refugee status, 
        • granting of subsidiary protection,
        • granting of a tolerated stay permit.
   2. for a foreign company - a certificate of entry in the register of representative offices of foreign entrepreneurs issued by the Minister of Economy or a current excerpt from the National Court Register for the branch of the foreign entrepreneur to be submitted for inspection,
   3. for cultural centres, foundations, press correspondents - for inspection: international agreements, certificates from embassies, accreditations.

[!] You must submit the attachments to your application in the original or as a certified copy. If you are submitting a photocopy of a document, show the original or a certified copy to the official. The official will then certify the conformity of this document with the original for an additional fee.
If you would like to check what rights you have in relation to the processing of your personal data in this case, please read our Information Clause.

You can pay the vehicle registration fees:

1. at the district office cash desk,
2. at a fee machine - if available at the place where you submit the application
3. by bank transfer - select the account assigned to the district in which you will be submitting your application.

Write in the title of the transfer:

• make and model of vehicle, 
• the VIN number (this number has 17 characters - verify its correctness before you send the transfer),
• the registration number, if the vehicle already has one.

* Applies to white, undamaged number plates issued by the City of Warsaw. 
** Applies to white, undamaged number plates with EU stars on a blue background, issued by Polish registration authorities.

Possible additional fees:

• PLN 5 - fee for certification of a document copy for conformity with the original by an employee of the office. We charge the fee for the certification of each page started. If you are submitting originals or documents already certified as true copies - we will not charge this fee.
• PLN 17 - stamp duty for submitting a document which confirms granting a power of attorney or proxy. The power of attorney you grant to a spouse, ascendant (parent, grandparent), descendant (child, grandchild) or sibling is free of charge.

You pay these fees:

• at the district office cash desk,
• at a fee machine - if available at the place where you submit the application
• by transfer to a bank account.

You can perform a bank transfer to the office's bank account: 
Urząd Miasta Stołecznego Warszawy
Centrum Obsługi Podatnika
21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070
In the title of the transfer please provide what you are paying the fee for, e.g. fee for power of attorney for XXX XXXX in the case of  XXXXX.

You can deal with the matter in person:

• If you have Polish citizenship or run a Polish company - come to the delegation of the Administration & Resident Services Department in the district where you live.
• If you are a foreigner or run a foreign company - come to the Administration & Resident Services Department on ul. L. Kruczkowskiego 2.

[!] If you wish to apply in person at the office, you can book an appointment in the Appointment Booking System. Booking one appointment entitles you to deal with only one matter - such as registering one vehicle. If you have more cases or vehicles - book the appropriate number of visits.

Administration & Resident Services Department of the City of Warsaw

1. Immediately - cases that do not require information or explanations or the collection of evidence.
2. Up to 1 month - cases that require investigation proceedings.
3. Up to 2 months - particularly complex cases.

If you receive a decision, you may appeal against it to the Local Administration Appeal Board in Warsaw (ul. Obozowa 57). Submit your appeal through the Mayor of Warsaw, who issued the decision:

• if you have Polish citizenship or run a Polish business, at the delegation of the Administration & Resident Services Department in the district where you live,
• if you are a foreigner or run a foreign company - at the Administration & Resident Services Department on ul. L. Kruczkowskiego 2.

You have 14 days from the date of receiving the decision to file an appeal. You do not have to pay to submit an appeal.

1. As a vehicle owner, you are obliged to register the vehicle within 30 days of purchase. If you are an entrepreneur and deal in vehicle trade, you have 90 days to register your vehicle. If you fail to do so by the deadline you face an administrative penalty. For more information, see our article "From 1 January 2024, new vehicle registration rules".
2. If you buy a vehicle that is already registered from the Police, the Internal Security Agency, the Intelligence Agency, the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Border Guard, the Military Counterintelligence Service, the Military Intelligence Service, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, the Customs Service then you do not need to present the registration certificate and number plates.
3. If the details of the transferor of the vehicle do not correspond to those in the vehicle registration certificate, you must attach all the documents which prove the transfer of ownership to the application for vehicle registration.
4. The competent authority for vehicle registration in Warsaw is the Mayor of Warsaw. Employees authorised by the Mayor are required to verify that the vehicle has a valid third party insurance. They will do this on the day they issue the registration card and the decision on the permanent registration of your vehicle. If you fail to present us with a valid third-party liability policy this will not affect a positive outcome. However, we must notify the Insurance Guarantee Fund (UBF), which may impose a financial penalty on you.
5. The Masovian Voivodeship is running out of license plates with the "W" mark (e.g. WX 12345). Until the pool of such plates is exhausted, we will continue to register cars with this distinguishing mark. The Minister of Infrastructure has already assigned us a new distinguishing feature for number plates, namely "A" (e.g. AX 12345). From January 2023, we will be issuing new number plates starting with the letter "A" for vehicles that have reduced number plates.
6. Natural and legal persons owning trucks with a maximum permissible weight of more than 3.5 tonnes, truck tractors and ballast tractors with a maximum permissible weight of the vehicle combination of 3.5 tonnes or more, trailers and semitrailers with a maximum permissible weight of 7 tonnes or more, and buses must pay tax on means of transport. You will find more information, together with the declaration form and annex to the declaration, in the information sheet "Determination or correction of the tax liability for the tax on means of transport for natural and legal persons".

1. The Act of 14 June 1960 Code of Administrative Procedure
2. The Road Traffic Law of 20 June 1997
3. The Act of 16 November 2006 on Stamp Duty
4. The Act of 22 May 2003 on obligatory insurance, the Insurance Guarantee Fund, and the Polish Motor Insurers’ Bureau
5. The Act of 20 January 2005 on the Recycling of End-of-life Vehicles
6. The Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of August 31, 2022 on vehicle registration and marking, requirements for registration plates and templates of other documents related to vehicle registration
7. The Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of August 31, 2022 on detailed actions of the authorities in matters related to the admission of the vehicle to traffic and model documents in these matters
8. The Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 4 August 2022 on the amount of fees for the issuance of a registration certificate, temporary permit and legalized registration plates (plates) and their duplicates
9. The Act of 12 January 1991 on local taxes and fees
10. The Act of 11 March 2004 on goods and services tax
11. The Act of 24 September 2010 on population records
12. The act of 7 July 2023 amending certain laws to mitigate certain effects of identity theft

Version 1.0 of 16.04.2024.