Selling a car and other vehicle documents in Poland
A private sale of a used car in Poland needs no notary; a written car sale agreement (umowa kupna-sprzedaży samochodu) is enough. The benefits, burdens and risk of accidental loss or damage pass to the buyer when the car is handed over (art. 548 § 1 of the Civil Code), so the time, the mileage and any damage belong in a vehicle handover record. The seller then tells the district office (starosta) within 30 days and the insurer within 14 days, with the notice to the insurer that the vehicle was sold; until the insurer is told, the seller is jointly liable for the OC premium. The compulsory OC policy passes to the buyer, who may terminate it. The buyer applies to register the car within 30 days and, where its market value exceeds 1,000 zł, files a PCC-3 return and pays 2% of that value within 14 days.
Police and an ambulance must be called when someone is killed or injured on the road (art. 44 of the Road Traffic Act). After a minor collision without injuries, drivers give each other their details and their OC insurer on request, and an at-fault driver's statement records what happened and who admits fault. The injured party claims directly from the at-fault driver's insurer: a claim against the OC insurer starts its 30 days to pay, extended to 90 at most when the facts cannot be established sooner. An accepted fixed-penalty ticket (mandat) can be challenged only under art. 101 of the Code of Procedure for Petty Offences, for instance where the act was not an offence or the person was under 17, and the application to annul the ticket is due within 7 days of the ticket becoming final.
An owner must tell the authorities on request who was entrusted with the vehicle at a given time (art. 78(4) of the Road Traffic Act). When family, an employee or a travelling companion drives the car, an authorisation to drive the vehicle sets out who may drive it, for how long and where. The documents are in Polish, and each document's page describes it in English. Fill one in online and download a finished PDF, or download it blank. Loan agreements and settlements are among the money documents.
The documents
7 forms available to fill out or download.
Vehicle handover record (protokół zdawczo-odbiorczy samochodu)
A record of handing a car over to a buyer, hirer or other user in Poland, to go with the sale or rental agreement: the date and time of handover, the parties, the make, registration and VIN, the odometer and fuel level, the number of keys, the documents and equipment handed over, and visible damage. The handover time settles who answers for fines, charges and damage, and the description of condition heads off disputes about defects.
Application to annul a final fixed-penalty ticket (Poland)
An application to the Polish district court to annul a fixed-penalty ticket (mandat) that has already been accepted — for a traffic offence, say — under art. 101 of the Code of Procedure for Petty Offences. It identifies the ticket, the date it became final, the statutory ground and the reasons. The grounds are narrow — an act that is not an offence, an act committed before the age of 17, a fine above the legal limit — and the deadline is 7 days from the ticket becoming final. The document says so plainly.
Authorisation to drive someone else's vehicle (Poland)
A car owner's authorisation for another person to drive it for a set time and in a set territory — for a trip abroad, or when lending the car to family or an employee. It gives both people's details, the vehicle, the OC policy, what is authorised, and states plainly that selling or passing the car on is not. There is room below the signature for notarisation, which some non-EU countries require.
Claim against the at-fault driver's motor insurer (Poland)
The injured party's claim to the at-fault driver's insurer: the date and place, the at-fault driver, their vehicle and policy number, the injured party's vehicle, what happened, the damage, the evidence, the amount claimed and the account for payment, reserving the right to a replacement-car hire refund. It reminds the insurer that compensation is paid within 30 days of the claim, and filing the claim interrupts the limitation period.
At-fault driver's statement after a collision (Poland)
A statement written at the scene of a minor collision in Poland where nobody was hurt: the date, time and place, the at-fault driver's details and licence, their vehicle and OC policy, the other driver and vehicle, what happened, visible damage, witnesses, room for a sketch, and the admission of fault. It is the main evidence for a claim against the at-fault driver's insurer when the parties do not call the police.
Notice to the insurer that a vehicle was sold (Poland)
The seller's letter to the insurer that a car with OC motor insurance has been sold: the policy number, the vehicle, the date of sale and the buyer's details that art. 32 of the Compulsory Insurance Act requires. Since 10 September 2025 the deadline is 14 days, and until the insurer is told the seller is jointly liable for the premium with the buyer. It does not replace the notice to the district office.
Car sale agreement (umowa kupna-sprzedaży samochodu)
A Polish agreement for the private sale of a used car: the parties, make and model, VIN, registration number, mileage, known defects, the price in figures and words, and handover with the documents and keys. It also sets out what each side must do afterwards: the seller tells the district office within 30 days and the insurer within 14, the buyer registers the car within 30 days and pays 2% tax on civil-law transactions within 14. No notary is needed.