Job Discussion Forums

[Jetset]

What is the procedure for buying a car in Poland? Are strict inspections a la TUV required or is it sort of a case of slapping some plates on an old donkey cart? Taxes? registration fees? etc...

also

With an unlocked Quad�band GSM phone I want to pop a SIM card in and go. What is the best "no contract" cell provider in Poland.

thanks

JS

[cezarek]

[Grrrmachine]

I wish you hadnt brought up the vehicular issue, as it's a sore point for me (I bought a car last monday, sold it on tuesday, because of all the paperwork)
But seeing as you HAVE brought it up, here's what Ive gathered:

1) Polish vehicles dont have a static licence plate. When you purchase a car, the car has to be re-registered in your name to your official registered address - if you dont have one of those, you fall at the first hurdle (like me.)
2) Once the car is registered, you have to inform the local "ratusz" that the car now belongs to a new district, so that they can change the license plate. You legally have six months to do this, but if you're a foreigner and your reg document doesnt match the plate, the police wont be too happy if they pull you over.
3) There is NO road tax in Poland, that's covered in the fuel cost
4) A once-yearly technical check-up is required, proved by a stamp on the car's registration document. It costs about 100zl, plus however much you want to give the mechanic to make sure it passes.
5) Insurance is mandatory to OC level. You can also upgrade to AC or NNW (although I cant remember what they all stand for.) To get insurance you have to have a PESEL, or so I was told by the nice lady at PZU (with Warta, they are the two biggest vehicle insurers.) Your rate is based on age of the driver, how many years you've had insurance, and the size of the engine. For a decent city runaround for an average driver, you're looking at maybe 1500zl for a years OC insurance, payable in instalments.

So, if you want a car, it has to have its little paper booklet, with safety stamps, and you need a registered address and PESEL.

[Grrrmachine]

Oh, and seeing as you're saying "cellphone" im presuming you're from across the water, which means you have to carry a green card or other international license document at all times.

[Jetset]

i am from across the pond but UK blood so i got red n gold baby ;o)

well it sounds like a bit of a pain this whole car registration process, I guess Ill just put one in my girlfriends name or somethingl... probably eassier.

What about buying an "export market" German car iwth a bit of TUV and plates and just driving that for 6months in Poland?

thanks for the advice so far guys.

JS

[Grrrmachine]

I have no idea about buying German cars, but you'll still need some insurance to drive it, which will mean having some Polish or German insurance. For the mercedes I wanted, the insurance was 1000zl a year for me (because of all my bonuses). When I wanted to cheat the system by putting it in my lady's name and adding me as a driver, it went up to 1000zl a MONTH!

[elblagskich]

[opie]

You could also lease a car if you r thinking of staying in Poland for awhile. I did this and it's worked out quite well, you need a decent sized deposit, normally about a third of the cost of the car, then you have monthly installements to pay. The main advantage is you get cars which are 1 or 2 years old, by the time you've paid it off the car will be very sellable and you should get a good return.

[Jetset]

whats a PESEL??

how much would insurance cost monthly for a Maluch?

[Grrrmachine]

Oh Gawwd....

A PESEL is the Polish identity number - you need one to sign any kind of document. You get it when you register yourself as living at an address in Poland (something you are legally obliged to do within 48 hours of arriving with the intention of staying.)
If you have any kind of official paperwork, like a residency card, look for a number that starts with your date of birth - for example, if it starts with 8205 you were born in May 1982....

[Grrrmachine]

Insurance is based on engine size, age of driver, number of years of license (I think) and where you live. Also, if the car is over 25 years you can get a 50% discount.
For example, Im under 25, but because Ive had a license for 6 years, insurance for 5 and my car is 27 years old the policy is only 1300zl a year. If you think thats high, it's because the car is a 3litre beast, and I live in Warsaw

[contact_wroclaw]

"A PESEL is the Polish identity number - you need one to sign any kind of document. You get it when you register yourself as living at an address in Poland..."

This is flatly not true (except for the part about PESEL being the identity number). I've lived in Poland for 2+ years (legally), registered myself at several addresses, founded a company, bought a car, cellphone, etc. and have never had to produce a PESEL for anything. A registered address and identity document is almost always enough (unless a specific company has a computer system which requires a PESEL, e.g. in some banks), and sometimes you might also need a NIP.

[Grrrmachine]

Really? Maybe it's the Polish "nie ma" attitude, but Ive been utterly plagued by this PESEL (search my previous posts.) Insurance companies, civil servants any many official computer systems just won't accept my passport or identity card number.
Plus, the official residence and the PESEL go hand in hand - you get the PESEL when you register. You have to have a registered address in Poland, and you have to provide it when you buy a car, so PESEL or not, you still need to go to the "meldunek" office and prove your residency.

[Jetset]

well problem solved for the pesel - my friend is gonna register the car in her name what a sweetie! polish gurls are the best.

now meantime - whats the fine for driving with no insurance/ improperly registered car? are we talking Jailtime or just a 1000zl fine or something?

[contact_wroclaw]

"now meantime - whats the fine for driving with no insurance/ improperly registered car? are we talking Jailtime or just a 1000zl fine or something? "

Regarding the PESEL business, perhaps Warsaw does things a little differently, being the capital and all, but I have purchased and registered a car without a PESEL - I just needed a registered address (adres zameldowany), my passport, and residency card.

Driving someone else's car is no problem, provided that person will back you up and tell the cops you have her permission to drive it. That said, you've got bigger problems...

Insurance is dependent on the car, not on the driver. Your friend will not be able to get a permanent registration document (dow�d) for the car if she can't produce proof of insurance to the government. It works like this - when you buy the car, you go to the government and get a temporary registration document. Then, you have 30 days to return with proof of insurance - with that, you take the "hard" title to the car, plus the "car passport" after it gets altered to reflect the change of ownership. So, no insurance = no registration = no go.

I would not, under any circumstances, risk a run-in with the police if I didn't have everything above board and fully legalized. They'll impound your car and haul you down to the station even for the most minor infraction.

Also, I've not noticed your nationality. You should check with the license office in your city to see what the exact requirements are, because if you're residing in Poland with a Polish legal address you may be required to get a Polish license. This isn't too difficult or costly, but you would have to write the exam in Polish "But this is the European Union!" doesn't get you out of trouble, either. Call it the "polish mentality". This isn't too difficult or costly, but you would have to write the exam in Polish