Registering a Belgium cars. Find out how to do it!
On the one hand, Belgians maintain and service their vehicles. On the other hand, they treat even a small crash as a total loss and prefer to buy a new car. Thanks to this, you can buy a decent car for an affordable price. Interestingly, it is estimated that up to 50.000 used cars from this country are imported to Poland every year. What is the procedure for importing a Belgium cars and its registration in Poland? Check out what you need to know!
*The information given in the article concerns only the Polish regulations.
How to import a Belgian car?
Belgium, next to Germany and France, is one of the most popular countries from which used cars are imported to Poland. According to the report of the Samar Automotive Market Research Institute, in 2022, nearly 49.638 vehicles of this type from Belgium were delivered to Poland, and in 2023, in the months of January-March, 12.629 vehicles.
The extent of import is, of course, much lesser compared to Germany. Last year, 415.784 cars were imported from this country. Still, the small country of Belgium is ranked as the third most popular country from which cars are imported to Poland. Apart from Germany, it is overtaken only by France, with a score of 97.898 cars imported in 2022.
Wondering if it’s worth importing a Belgian car? The popularity of Belgium results from the good quality of the offered vehicles. Belgians regularly replace their cars every few years. The high standard of living as well as high salaries translate into the decent quality of the offered vehicles. The cars are usually well maintained, but even the smallest repair due to a small crash might significantly lower their offer price.
As in the case of other countries, if you are interested in purchasing a used car, the best option is to use the services of some popular advertising services, such as “mobile” or “autoscout24”. All you need to do is use the filter for the country range, to limit the offer only to Belgium, or expand it to the countries of Benelux – Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
Apart from the relative closeness of this market, the Belgian cars are also attractive thanks to the well documented vehicle history of the registered cars. Checking the car is not troublesome for an interested customer. They can easily check the technical condition of a Belgian car and thus be sure that the status of the vehicle meets their expectations.
Before selling, every car has to have a special certificate, the so called Car-Pass. This is a document confirming, among others, the mileage of the car. Its aim is to minimize the risk of selling a vehicle with a clocked odometer. Importantly – without this document, the buyer is not able to register the car.
This also means that the seller is not be able to sell it without the Car-Pass. The procedure of putting a car for sale in this case is as follows. The seller drives their car to a diagnostic station to purchase a Car-Pass, and then seller should immediately put the car for sale. That is because the document is valid only for 2 months, and if after this period of time the seller does not sell the car, they must purchase a new document.
Documents
What does the Car-Pass contain? This document contains basic information about the vehicle, i.e.: brand, model, VIN number or CO2 emission level. In the header of the document, you can also find information about any vehicle inspections done after a serious accident. Every vehicle registered in Belgium must have such check done after a more extensive repair caused by e.g. an accident.
Further, a very crucial information in the Car-Pass is the odometer readings, with the reading data and the reading itself. These values should, of course, increase with each year. Every Car-Pass should also contain a hologram which is printed on a special paper featuring fluorescent elements. Each document has its unique QR code, scanning which allows verifying the authenticity of the certificate.
In order to register a Belgian car in Poland, you need a purchase and sale contract or an invoice, if you purchase a car from a used car lot, the Belgian vehicle registration book (in French – Certificat d’immatriculation, or in Dutch – Inschrijvingsbewijs), the vehicle card and the Car-Pass, optionally also a service book.
The purchase and sale contract should contain the following information: the name and last name of the seller and the buyer, their permanent residence addresses, the data and place of signing the contract, the sale price excluding the VAT, the advance payment amount, the receivable balance as well as the payment method, the note about the right to withdraw from the contract, if it is signed in the country of the seller, a confirmation from the buyer about having read and understood the information and receiving a copy, and the signatures of the seller and the buyer along with the date.
Unregistering
In order for a Belgian car to exit the country by being driven, it needs to be unregistered and temporary exit plates need to be issued. Unregistering a Belgian car can exclusively be done in the City Atrium building in Brussels (Rue du Progrès 56, 1210 Bruxelles), where the so called DIV, or the local transport authority. The entire procedure of unregistering might take up to 2 working days. The exit plates can be issued the same day, if DIV deals with the request until 2pm. You can receive them in the Tour & Taxis post point (Avenue du Port, 86 C at 1000 Brussels). The cost of the exit plates type X valid usually for 30 days is 75 Euro. It is also necessary to take out insurance – on average approx. 200 Euro. The total cost – unlike e.g. in Germany – is similar or even higher than the tow truck transport, especially when it turns out that you need to stay overnight waiting for the car to get unregistered. Therefore, most of the buyers decide to import a Belgian car to Poland via an agent.
an exit plate – Belgium
Check VIN
Checking the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is crucial when buying a used car, especially one imported from Belgium. This unique identifier helps to reveal the entire vehicle history. You can confirm the year of manufacture, model, place of manufacture, and even certain factory specifications. Moreover, with the help of the VIN number, you can check whether the car was stolen, involved in a serious accident or was the subject of financial disputes.
Driving a Belgian car back to Poland
Don’t know how to transport a car from Belgium to Poland? Importing a Belgian car is possible in two ways. The first way is to bring the car by driving it, the other one is to bring it on a tow truck. Before it is time for this, though, you need to purchase the car and have evidence for it. After you estimate the technical condition of the vehicle and you make you decision to purchase the car, you need to make sure that the seller provides you with all the necessary documents.
In case of purchasing a car from a private seller, it is the purchase and sale contract. If the car is purchased from a used car lot, you should receive the invoice. The previous owner of the car should also provide you with the vehicle registration book, the set of car keys, the Car-Pass document and the service book. If the vehicle card has been issued, you should also receive it.
Importing a Belgian car and driving it requires completing certain formalities on your own. You need to go to City Atrium in Brussels to have the exit plates issued, thanks to which you will be allowed to drive the car within the EU during a period of time from 2 weeks to 3 months. The car has to have valid insurance and technical review. If you don’t have the last one, you need to go a near diagnostic station. If you want to minimize the amount of formalities, you can skip these two things. All you have to do is unregister the car and arrange for the car to be transported by tow truck to Poland.
Car registration in Poland – step by step
Have you brought the car to Poland already? Do you want to drive it legally on Polish roads? Now you have to register your car, for which you have 30 days by law. Financial penalties are imposed for late re-registration of a car.
Excise tax in Poland
You must calculate and complete the payment of excise duty at the tax office within 14 days. Its amount depends on the type of engine and its capacity. You must pay the excise tax at the following rates:
- 3.1% of the value of the vehicle in the case of cars with engines up to 2000 cm3;
- 18.6% of the value of the vehicle in the case of cars with engines with a capacity of more than 2000 cm3;
- 1.55% of the value of the vehicle in the case of hybrid cars with engines up to 2000 cm3;
- 9.3% of the value of the vehicle in the case of hybrid cars with engines with a capacity of over 2000 cm3;
- 0% tax on Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) with engines up to 2000cm3 and Extended Range Electric Vehicles (REX).
Documents needed to register a Belgian car
In the communication department, it is necessary to submit an application for vehicle registration together with the relevant attachments. In addition to proof of payment of excise duty and confirmation of a valid technical examination, you must attach:
- purchase and sale agreement or invoice – proof of purchase of the vehicle,
- Belgian vehicle registration book and vehicle card – the latter if it has been handed over to you,
- foreign license plates or a declaration of their absence (this applies if the car was brought on a tow truck)
- confirmation of uneregistering the car in Belgium,
- confirmation of positive result of technical tests,
- confirmation of payment of excise duty or a document confirming the right to exemption,
- confirmation of registration fees,
- your ID card.
It is worth remembering that the absence of any of the documents or the occurrence of errors in them will prevent the completion of the vehicle registration procedure. If everything is correct, the official will issue a decision on the temporary registration of the vehicle, along with a temporary registration book, temporary plates and a control sticker. They are valid for 30 days – this is the time during which the office permanently registers the vehicle.
Costs of car registration in Poland
Wondering how much it costs to register a Belgian car? As a trivia, it is worth mentioning that until September 4, 2022, the cost of registering a car from abroad was PLN 256. Currently, this fee is lower because the obligation to make a vehicle card and a control sticker has been lifted. The total price of vehicle registration is PLN 161.50 and consists of the following fees:
- issuing a vehicle registration book – PLN 54,
- standard license plates – PLN 80 (alternatively: individual license plates – PLN 1000, temporary license plates – PLN 30)
- temporary permit for the vehicle with a set of stickers for temporary plates – PLN 13.50,
- legalization sticker – PLN 12.50,
- registration fee – PLN 1.50.
These fees can be paid at the cash register or directly to the account of a given office. The only key thing is to pay them before submitting the application for registration. You can also use the help of another person – a proxy who will take care of all formalities. It is then necessary to pay a fee of PLN 17 for the appointment of a proxy.
Translating the documents
When importing a Belgian car, you need to take into account the necessity of using the services of a sworn translator. The documents submitted to the department of transportation must be translated into Polish. This applies to the vehicle registration book (if it has additional stamps or notes), the purchase and sale contract (if not prepared in two language versions), the invoice and the vehicle card (if issued).
Technical review of the vehicle
Every car must have a valid technical review in order to be driven. If the purchased vehicle is more than four years old, the review should be done annually. It should be done in diagnostic stations, it costs PLN 99.
How to check a Belgian car?
Before purchasing a Belgian car, it is worth checking the vehicle’s VIN number, and verify its mileage or at least the first registration date. You can do it in authorised repair shops or via the autoDNA vehicle history reports. Within a few moments, you can receive information from reliable sources, which include vehicle data, environment data, information about the vehicle registration status in Belgium, as well as the vehicle technical data. All you have to do is provide the VIN number, which you should get from the seller without any problems.
Is it worth buying a Belgian car?
Belgian cars might not be as popular as German cars. Nevertheless, cars from Belgium have a good reputation. Belgian cars have many advantages. This is mainly due to their good technical condition. These are cars are well maintained and often serviced in authorized workshops. In addition, many models are well-equipped cars that ensure comfortable and safe driving. Very good road infrastructure is also important, which has an impact on the occurrence of fewer damages and results in the cars’ good technical condition.
As with all cars, it is worth checking the reliability of the vehicle’s mileage and the state of its legality before buying.
Registering a Belgium cars. Find out how to do it!
Did you like this article? Anything you’d like to ask in your comment? Feel free to share your feedback and comment at the bottom of the article. And remember – always before buying a car, motorcycle or even a trailer – check vehicle history and free VIN lookup with autoDNA based on the VIN number. VIN check is one of the most important things to do before deciding to buy a used vehicle. Thanks to this, autoDNA helps you make an informed decision.
Also read:
How to import a car purchased in Belgium?
Driving out of Belgium requires purchasing export plates, which cost 75 euros. They can only be obtained at the City Atrium in Brussels. It is also necessary to take out insurance and have a valid review. The car can also be brought on a tow truck, which does not require completing the aforementioned formalities.
What documents are required to register a Belgian car?
After bringing the car to Poland, you should first pay the excise duty - at the tax office or online, in accordance with the applicable rates. It is necessary to have an up-to-date technical examination and a valid MTPL insurance. In addition, you need documents such as: the vehicle registration book, vehicle card and car purchase and sale agreement or invoice. All these documents must be translated into Polish by a sworn translator
What if you don’t pay excise duty on a Belgian car?
The excise duty must be paid within 30 days from the date of crossing the border, but within 14 days the AKC-U/S declaration must be submitted to the tax office or via the Internet, in which the amount to be paid will be specified. In the event of failure to meet the deadline, it will not be possible to register the vehicle, and also a penalty may also be imposed on the owner. In addition, interest may be added to the calculated amount of excise duty. In extreme situations, criminal and fiscal proceedings may be initiated, which in turn may lead to the loss of a car.
What if a Belgian car is not registered within 30 days?
Exceeding the 30-day deadline for registering a vehicle from Belgium may result in the imposition of a fine of PLN 200-1.000 on the owner.
What insurance should you take out for a Belgian car?
A good solution is short-term insurance, which is valid for 30 days. It allows you to peacefully complete formalities and use the car at the same time. You should only keep in mind that it does not extend automatically, so it is necessary to take out year-round insurance.
