Poland prepares new rules: technical inspection and re-registration for vehicles with Ukrainian number plates

New restrictions for foreign vehicles

Owners of vehicles registered in Ukraine that are staying in Poland will have to comply with stricter requirements. According to the draft amendments, which the Ministry of Infrastructure plans to consider on 29 October, if a vehicle remains in the country for more than a year, its owner is obliged to undergo a technical inspection, arrange insurance, and re-register the car.

Explanation from the Minister of Infrastructure

Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak announced the details of the upcoming changes on the Radio ZET radio station. In his words, "навколо цієї теми накопичилося надто багато суперечок, тому потрібно чітко закріпити правила у законодавстві" (too many disputes have accumulated around this topic, so it is necessary to clearly enshrine the rules in legislation). In addition, the official noted that Polish technical inspection stations would receive additional revenue thanks to servicing such vehicles.

Currently, most cars with Ukrainian number plates drive on Polish roads without undergoing a technical inspection. This is permitted by international traffic regulations: the requirements of the country where the vehicle is registered apply to it. Since mandatory technical inspections for passenger cars are not provided for in Ukraine, such vehicles do not require an inspection on Polish territory.

Deadlines for residents and foreigners

For foreigners who have a permanent place of residence (residence permit) in Poland, a significantly shorter deadline is established: only 30 days are allotted for registering the vehicle. After this, owners are obliged to undergo technical inspections on general terms, like all other drivers in the country.

The legal basis for these amendments is the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. According to its provisions, a foreign vehicle loses its "guest" status after one year of stay in a specific country, which gives the authorities the right to apply national norms to it.

Control mechanism and possible sanctions

If the owner fails to register the vehicle within the established deadline, the vehicle may be towed to a penalty parking lot, and the owner's foreign documents for the car may be confiscated.

At the same time, it will be difficult for the police to verify compliance with these deadlines. Since foreign vehicles are not listed in Polish databases, a patrol officer will not be able to determine on the spot how many months the car has already been on Polish territory. The exact date when the amendments will enter into force has not yet been determined, as the draft still needs to be approved by the government and parliament.