Deregistering a Car in Poland While Living Abroad

If you or your family live in the UK or another country abroad and still own a vehicle registered in Poland, there are situations where you'll need to deregister that vehicle. This might follow exporting the car abroad, scrapping it, having it stolen, or simply no longer wanting to keep a car registered in Poland. Deregistering a vehicle from abroad is possible, but there are a few requirements and pitfalls worth knowing in advance.

Legal notice: informational material, not legal advice. Correct as of June 2026 — rules and fees change, so check the current position on gov.pl. TwojaSprawa.com is an information platform, not a law firm.

When should you deregister a vehicle in Poland?

Deregistration means removing a car from the Central Vehicle Register (CEP — Centralna Ewidencja Pojazdów). The most common situations are:

• Exporting the vehicle abroad — selling or moving the car to the UK, an EU country, or elsewhere outside the EU
• Scrapping the vehicle — handing it over to an authorised dismantling station (taking it out of use)
• Theft — the vehicle cannot be recovered and has been reported to the police
• No longer using the vehicle — giving up ownership of a registered vehicle
• End of the vehicle's usable life — the vehicle is immobilised, unroadworthy, or no longer in use

The deregistration procedure from abroad

Deregistration is handled by the vehicle registration department (wydział komunikacji) of the local district office (starostwo) or city office responsible for the place where the vehicle was last registered in Poland. If you live abroad, you have a few options:

Option 1: A proxy (representative) in Poland

If you have someone you trust in Poland — family, a friend, or a lawyer — you can grant them a power of attorney (pełnomocnictwo — a formal authorisation for someone to act on your behalf) to deregister the vehicle for you. The power of attorney should be:

• Notarised (i.e. drawn up before a civil-law notary — notariusz, a Polish legal official whose role is broader than that of a UK notary public) or, as a rule, bear a signature certified by a commune (gmina) office employee
• State the make of the vehicle, its registration number (plates), and the reason for deregistration
• Be submitted together with the documents required by the registration department

Your proxy takes the documents to the registration department and completes the formalities in person.

Option 2: By post

Some district offices will process deregistration by correspondence. The procedure is:

1. Prepare the documents (see below)
2. Send them by registered post to the registration department of the relevant district office
3. Wait for confirmation of deregistration
4. Receive the confirmed deregistration certificate

Practice varies from office to office — before posting anything, it's worth calling or emailing the registration department to confirm they accept this route.

Option 3: A personal visit to Poland

If you're planning a trip to Poland, you can deal with the deregistration in person at the registration department. This is the fastest method, letting you resolve the formalities and receive the certificate straight away.

Documents needed to deregister a vehicle

To deregister a vehicle in Poland, prepare:

1. A deregistration application — the form is available on the district office's website or at the registration department
2. The vehicle's registration certificate (dowód rejestracyjny — the Polish vehicle logbook) — issued when the vehicle was first registered
3. Proof of ownership — a bill of sale, purchase agreement, or entry in a will (depending on the basis of your claim)
4. A document confirming the reason for deregistration, for example: - Export abroad: confirmation that the vehicle has been registered in another country, or a haulier's invoice - Scrapping: a certificate from a dismantling station (VFZ — an authorised vehicle dismantling facility) - Theft: a police report confirming the theft
5. Power of attorney — if a proxy is handling the deregistration
6. The deregistration fee — roughly PLN 50–150, depending on the district office

Documents issued abroad (e.g. UK vehicle registration confirmation) should be translated into Polish by a sworn translator if the registration department requires it.

Third-party insurance (OC) after deregistration — important!

One common mistake is stopping payments on the mandatory third-party liability insurance (OC) before the vehicle is formally deregistered.

Under the Act on Mandatory Insurance (consolidated text, Journal of Laws — Dz.U.):

• A vehicle registered in Poland must have active OC cover right up until it is actually deregistered
• No OC cover means exposure to penalties from the Insurance Guarantee Fund (UFG — Ubezpieczeniowy Fundusz Gwarancyjny) — a fine, and potentially enforcement against your assets
• If the vehicle is being sold abroad, cover should continue until it actually leaves Poland and is deregistered

In practice, before sending the vehicle abroad: - Notify your insurer of the change in circumstances (the vehicle leaving the country) - The insurer may offer to amend the policy (e.g. for a "temporary export") or to terminate it - Keep OC cover in place until the vehicle is deregistered in Poland

Deregistration deadlines

Polish road traffic law does not set a fixed deadline for deregistering a vehicle, but:

• If the vehicle is actually leaving Poland (e.g. being exported to the UK), deregistration should happen as soon as reasonably possible — within days or a few weeks
• Delaying deregistration of a registered vehicle means you keep paying OC insurance and any applicable vehicle-related charges
• It's worth deregistering the vehicle as soon as it's sent abroad, so you don't keep paying OC unnecessarily

Right-hand-drive vehicles (UK) — can they be deregistered and sold in Poland?

If you own a vehicle imported from the UK (right-hand drive) and want to deregister it in Poland:

• A right-hand-drive vehicle can be deregistered without needing to be converted to Polish specification
• If, however, the vehicle will continue to be used in Poland (e.g. sold on), it will need conversion and a technical inspection
• For deregistration itself, the registration certificate plus confirmation of the reason (export, scrapping, sale, etc.) is enough

Frequently asked questions

Can I deregister a vehicle from the UK without visiting Poland in person?

Yes — either through a proxy (someone in Poland holding a notarised power of attorney) or by post (sending the documents to the registration department).

What if I no longer have the vehicle's registration certificate?

The registration department can issue a duplicate based on the data held in the CEP register. The cost is roughly PLN 50–100. Submit a duplicate application at the registration department where the vehicle is registered.

Do I have to keep paying vehicle tax until deregistration?

Any applicable vehicle tax is calculated from the data held in the CEP register. Once the vehicle is deregistered, the tax obligation ends.

Can I sell a vehicle abroad without deregistering it in Poland first?

No. To sell a vehicle — especially abroad — it must first be deregistered from the Polish register. If it isn't, the formal ownership record stays in the CEP register, which can create legal problems both for you and for the buyer.

How long does deregistration take?

A personal visit to the registration department — usually 15–30 minutes of paperwork. Through a proxy — a few days to two weeks. By post — 1–3 weeks, depending on how busy the office is.

Related articles

• Registering a car from the UK in Poland
• Importing a car from the UK to Poland — excise duty and customs

Legal basis

• Act of 20 June 1997 — Road Traffic Law (consolidated text, Dz.U.) — vehicle deregistration
• Act of 22 May 2003 on Mandatory Insurance, the Insurance Guarantee Fund and the Polish Motor Insurers' Bureau (consolidated text, Dz.U.) — OC cover obligation until deregistration
• gov.pl / vehicle registration departments — procedure and required documents

Last verified: June 2026.