Guides / Motorcycle UK to Poland · Updated 30 September 2026

Moving a motorcycle from the UK to Poland: customs and registration

Since the UK left the EU, a motorcycle ridden or shipped from Britain to Poland is an import from a third country. That means paperwork on both sides of the border: a UK export and DVLA notification, a Polish customs clearance, and only then registration at a Polish vehicle office.

Two sides of one journey

It helps to think of the move as two separate processes that must line up. On the UK side you deal with DVLA (the vehicle record) and, where it applies, an export declaration. On the Polish side you deal with customs (duty and VAT, or a relief) and then with the local vehicle registration office. Each side produces documents the other side will ask for, so the order in which you do things matters.

UK side: telling DVLA the motorcycle is leaving

GOV.UK says you must tell DVLA if you are taking a vehicle out of the UK for 12 months or more. For a permanent move the steps are:

Fill in the "permanent export" section of the V5C (the log book).
Detach that section and send it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BD.
Keep the rest of the V5C. GOV.UK states you will need it to register the vehicle in the country you are taking it to.
If your address is changing, include a letter with the new address so DVLA can send any vehicle tax refund there.

According to GOV.UK, a refund, if you are due one, usually arrives within 4 to 6 weeks and is worked out from the date DVLA receives the permanent export section.

Do not leave without a V5C. GOV.UK notes that DVLA cannot send a log book to an address outside the UK. If you do not have one, apply before departure; without it the Polish registration office has no foreign registration document to work from.

UK side: the export declaration

GOV.UK explains that goods leaving the UK need an export declaration and customs clearance before they are allowed to leave, and that you can make the declaration yourself or hire a transporter or customs agent to do it. Exporters need an EORI number (see the glossary entry on EORI); declarations are made in CDS, the system that replaced the older CHIEF. Whether a private owner riding their own bike across needs a formal declaration, or a carrier handles it as part of a shipment, depends on how the motorcycle travels, so agree this with your transporter before booking.

Polish side: import customs clearance

When the motorcycle enters the EU it has to be released for free circulation through a customs declaration. The Polish Ministry of Finance portal is clear that customs duty and VAT are separate matters: a customs relief does not by itself remove VAT, and each must be assessed on its own terms. The duty rate depends on the tariff classification of the specific motorcycle, so check the commodity code rather than relying on a figure you saw online.

The clearance produces the document you will need later. Polish registration guidance lists a customs clearance document issued by the customs office among the papers required to register a used vehicle brought from a non-EU country. Many movers use a representative for this step; our guide to whether you need a broker explains the options, and remember that in direct representation you as importer stay liable, while in indirect representation the agent is jointly liable.

What about excise?

Poland charges excise on imported cars. The official returnees portal (powroty.gov.pl) describes excise on passenger cars (samochody osobowe), with rates tied to engine capacity and drive type, and says it applies regardless of relocation status. That page does not list motorcycles, so do not assume the car rules transfer; confirm the excise position for your specific motorcycle with the customs office or your representative before import.

Relief for people moving house: personal property

If you are relocating your normal residence to Poland, the motorcycle may qualify for relief from import duty as personal property, under Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009. The conditions published on podatki.gov.pl include:

At least 12 months of uninterrupted residence outside the EU immediately before the move.
The goods must have been owned and used by you at your previous residence for at least 6 months before you stopped living there. For private vehicles, registration in your name in the third country serves as evidence of this.
Items can be brought in, including in batches, within 12 months of establishing residence in Poland (with exceptions for special cases).
For 12 months after release you must not sell, lend, hire or otherwise hand control of the goods to someone else, or duty becomes payable.
Commercial vehicles are excluded.

The returnees portal adds that a vehicle newly bought on the way back does not qualify. And, as above, the duty relief is separate from VAT and excise, so check each one. For household removals more generally, see our personal effects glossary entry.

Registering the motorcycle in Poland

The powroty.gov.pl registration procedure for a used vehicle from a non-EU country gives a 30-day deadline counted from customs clearance, based on Article 73aa(1)(2) of the Road Traffic Act. Documents it lists include:

Registration application.
Proof of ownership (for example a purchase contract or invoice).
The foreign registration document (your remaining V5C) and plates, or a statement if they are unavailable.
A certificate of a technical inspection carried out in Poland.
The customs clearance document.
Certified Polish translations of foreign-language documents.

You apply at the vehicle office of the county (starostwo powiatowe) or city where you live. The portal notes that a temporary registration is issued while the permanent one is processed. For a fuller walk-through in Polish, including the office visit, see a step-by-step Polish guide to clearing a motorcycle from the UK (in Polish).

A sensible order of steps

Make sure you hold a current V5C in your name.
Agree with your carrier or agent who makes the UK export declaration.
Send the V5C permanent export section to DVLA and keep the rest.
Gather evidence for relief if you are moving house: proof of residence abroad and of 6 months' ownership and use.
Clear the motorcycle through Polish customs and keep the clearance document.
Get a Polish technical inspection and register within 30 days of clearance.

If the bike travels in a lorry under transit rather than being ridden across, our T1 transit guide explains how the goods move to an inland Polish office before clearance.

Related guides

Want the Polish-language version?

Agencja Celna UK is a Polish-language customs guide for people moving goods between the UK and Poland, run by the same team as this site. Its motorcycle article covers the Polish side step by step.

Read the Polish guide

Sources

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.