In search of a reliable and used vehicle, many pay attention to overseas markets. One of the most profitable options is buying a car in Poland. This country borders on Germany, where cars of excellent European quality come from. To the east of Poland are Ukraine, Belarus, and behind them the entire European part of Russia. The country's convenient geographical location allowed it to retain its status as an attractive car market for its eastern neighbors.
Advantages of buying cars in Poland
The desire to buy a car in Poland from residents of the CIS countries is associated with several points:
- in Poland, as well as in other EU countries, cars move on roads, the quality of which is quite good. For this reason, their technical condition is subject to wear much more slowly;
- most vehicles are assembled in EU factories in compliance with European quality requirements;
- here at competitive prices you can find interesting models with a rich complete set that are not sold in the CIS countries;
- availability of sites with advertisements in Russian, an abundance of interesting offers and affordable prices;
- all cars are adapted for convenient operation on the roads of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus (there are no right-hand drive models, like in Japanese cars, and red turn signals, like in American models);
- the geographical proximity of Poland significantly reduces delivery costs;
- the level of honesty of European sellers is higher than in the CIS, and for a decrease in odometer readings (mileage twisting) in all EU countries, punishment is prescribed by law.
Features of purchasing a car in Poland
In order to buy a car in the EU countries, it is not at all necessary to go there in person - currently there are dealers who supply cars to the CIS countries. The model you are interested in can be found on the Internet, and the intermediary of your choice will inspect it, redeem it and deliver it to the place of demand with the documents, as well as assist in customs clearance. This method is very convenient, but it requires additional costs to pay for the dealer's services.
The most profitable, but at the same time more troublesome way is an independent trip to Poland. To do this, you will need the following documents:
- International passport.
- International driving license.
- Schengen visa.
- Bank card of the international payment system Visa or MasterCard to pay for the purchase itself and travel expenses. It is necessary to notify your bank in advance about its upcoming use in the EU countries so that it does not block it when unexpected foreign transactions are detected in order to prevent fraud.
- Certificate of making a customs deposit.
What documents are needed for customs clearance
When purchasing a vehicle from a Polish seller, you must ensure that you receive:
- Contract of sale;
- Vehicle passport (PTS), which should indicate its main technical characteristics, VIN-code, previous owners and deregister in Poland.
- Transit numbers.
- Certificate of compliance with the environmental standard Euro 5 and higher, since the import of cars below this environmental standard into the territory of Russia and Belarus is prohibited. The car will be allowed through the border, but the customs officers will not issue a TCP, and without it, the car cannot be registered and operated.
- Green Card insurance.
- Export declaration issued by the Polish customs authorities.
- At the border, if a car crosses it on its own, a declaration is drawn up in the form TD-6. When delivering by car transporter, you must fill out a cargo customs declaration (CCD).
- Payment order for making a customs deposit. Drawn up before traveling to Poland.
Without a certificate of conformity to the environmental standard Euro 5, you can go through customs and receive a certificate only if we are talking about vehicles:
- over 30 years old with original engine and body;
- owned by migrants.
Finding the right model
The most convenient way to search is Polish auto sites. Using them, you can find out the range of market prices from home and decide on the city to which you will go. It is best to give preference to cities such as Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan, Bialystok, Opole, Slubice and Lodz.
As a rule, it is in the megalopolises that the most advantageous offers can be found, due to the high competition between sellers.
The most popular Polish websites that advertise the sale of cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses and special equipment are the following:
- autoallegro.pl;
- autoscout24.pl;
- autogielda.pl;
- auto.pl;
- autotrader.pl;
- gratka.pl.
Almost every Polish city has a car market where you can search for a used vehicle. The sellers on them are both the owners themselves and the intermediaries who buy used cars for resale or are engaged in commission sales.
The cost of cars on the Polish market
Prices for new and used cars in Poland, as well as in the CIS countries, depend on local market conditions. But even if you find the car you are interested in cheaper than at home, you should not rush into the purchase - the upcoming customs payments can negate all the benefits received. It should be borne in mind that the amount of payments is influenced by the age of the car and the power of its engine.
For example, if you buy a new model under the age of three, when imported into the territory of the Customs Union, which includes Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the amount of customs duty will be 48-54% of the customs value (average market price) of the vehicle.
Let's take the popular Nissan Qashqai to compare prices. In Russia, prices for it in car dealerships start at 1,246,000 rubles (as of 2021). A Polish seller on the website gratka.pl has indicated a price of 69,900 zlotys for the 2021 model. After conversion, we get the amount of 1,280,225 rubles. It is not difficult to guess how much the final cost will increase after the payment of customs duties in the amount of 48%.
It is most profitable to buy cars between the ages of 3 and 5 years with a small engine displacement. Their cost is influenced by parameters such as year of manufacture, mileage and actual condition at the time of sale. However, in this case, the customs officers will not be interested in the average market value of the imported car: when determining the amount of duties, they will take into account only the number of cubic centimeters in the volume of the car's engine.
We should also mention the import of trailers (rydwan). They are self-sufficient vehicles, therefore, their customs clearance is carried out separately. On the territory of the Customs Union, the duty on them is 30% of the cost.
Important points of customs clearance
Before the trip, you must make a customs deposit to the account of the customs authorities at the place of residence and receive a payment order confirming this fact. The deposited amount will be used in the future to pay customs duties, recycling fees and the cost of processing the upcoming purchase.
Therefore, even before the trip, you need to determine the age and engine size of your future car and calculate the costs of customs clearance. This can be done using a special online TCS calculator.
If you have not yet decided on the choice, according to the order of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation No. 302, the payment must be made at a fixed rate. The difference can be returned after completing all procedures. In case of a shortage of the deposited amount, an additional payment will be required.
From 1.01.2021, it is prohibited to import cars into the territory of Russia and Belarus that are not equipped with the ERA-Glonass system, which is designed to emergency call rescuers and other special services. Without this equipment, the customs will not issue the TCP, which is necessary for registration with the traffic police.
Installation of "ERA-Glonass" is carried out at the expense of the vehicle owner.
Tips for car buyers in Poland
As in the CIS, buying a car on the secondary market in Poland has certain risks. The following tips will help you to minimize them:
- Before concluding a transaction, be sure to check the vehicle history by VIN code on the free online service of the Central Vehicle Register.
- You should not give the seller a deposit or the full value of the car before meeting with him and conducting an inspection.
- It is advisable to purchase cars from dealers. Their prices may be slightly higher compared to private sellers, but in certain cases non-EU residents, which are all CIS citizens, are exempted from paying VAT in the amount of 23%. Of course, at the time of purchase, you pay the cost of the car together with VAT, but it will be returned to you as soon as the car leaves the territory of the EU on Polish transit numbers or on the platform of an auto transporter.
- Local sellers prefer to accept payment in local currency, less often in dollars and euros. Therefore, in advance, specify the currency of the transaction according to the model you are interested in and look for the most profitable conversion method.
What are the most frequently asked questions about buying a car in Poland?
Those who want to buy a car in Poland have many questions. Let's take a look at some of them.
Where are confiscated cars sold in Poland?
In search of lucrative offers on the Polish market, you can find advertisements for the sale of confiscated cars, which is carried out by the local customs. They sell vehicles seized at the border from smugglers. Prices for such cars are set several times lower than market prices, but not everyone will like their condition.
Since the cars were confiscated from the smugglers, there are traces of a thorough inspection on them: removed bumpers and plastic interior elements and even places that have been “walked” with metal-cutting tools. Such vehicles are put up for sale in the same form as they were purchased after customs officers looked into each of their secluded places.
How do I check my vehicle history?
To conduct an online check, in addition to the free website of the Central Register, you can also use the following paid services:
- Autobaza.pl - verification is carried out on insurance companies and various auctions in 12 EU countries. Here you can also identify the wanted car. The cost of a paid report depends on the amount of information found and ranges from approximately 20 to 50 zlotys.
- Autodna.pl is identical to the previous service, but sometimes their reports differ markedly in the amount of data received for the same vehicle.
- Bimmer-check.com - designed to check BMW cars. Here you can find data from the service history, photos and other interesting information.
What does the price of Bruto and Netto mean?
On the ads of sellers, you can often see two different prices for one car - brutto and netto. In the first case, it is the cost of the car for the EU buyer. It is set including VAT. The netto price is a value excluding VAT at 23%, targeted at non-EU residents.
It should be noted that VAT (in Poland it is called VAT) cannot be refunded in all cases. This is only possible when buying a car that was sold new and was first registered in Poland. On them the price is indicated with the mark Faktura VAT.
All used cars that entered the country are sold by Faktura VAT-Marza. You will not be able to refund VAT after purchasing them. Therefore, these two points should be clarified in advance.
Is it possible to import a car without customs clearance?
On the territory of Russia, cars with Polish registration can be legally operated without customs clearance if their owners are:
- migrants to Russia;
- Polish citizens who have the right to stay in the Russian Federation;
- residents of Russia who have a residence permit in the EU.
With the exception of migrants, in the other two cases, temporary admission is issued for one year. Before the expiration of this period, the car must leave the territory of the Russian Federation, returning to the country from which it arrived. On the way back, you can issue a new temporary import for one more year. Under these conditions, the machine may only be used for personal purposes.
Temporary import of a car to Belarus from Poland for personal use, like in Russia, is issued for a period of one year. This opportunity can be used by:
- citizens of Belarus who have citizenship or a residence permit in the EU;
- foreigners and stateless persons who have a residence permit on the territory of the republic.
To formalize temporary import when crossing the border, you must fill out a customs declaration and submit documents confirming the registration of the car in the EU.
Bringing a car to Ukraine from Poland without customs clearance is possible if it is registered for a Polish legal entity. That is, when using this scheme, it turns out that a Polish company allegedly hires a Ukrainian and sends him to Ukraine on a business trip.
Entry into the country by car with a foreign registration is allowed for up to 1 year. For further operation, you need to go back to Poland and go through the procedure again. However, the customs authorities may require the car to be taken back immediately after the completion of the transport operations declared at the border crossing, and this may happen within a few days after entry.
Conclusions
If you wish, you can buy a car in Poland or other EU countries, and then operate it in Russia and other CIS countries. However, all the costs of customs clearance and delivery of the car should be calculated in advance, which will allow you to understand whether such a purchase is profitable or not. It should also be noted that for models that are not sold in the CIS, spare parts will also have to be ordered from the European Union in the future.
