How to import car from Austria? Is it worth buying?

Used cars are very popular among people who are looking for a vehicle in the best possible condition for slightly less money than new cars. However, buying such cars requires checking several issues and completing certain formalities specific to each country where the purchase is made. How to import car from Austria? What documents should you keep in mind?

*The information given in the article concerns only the Polish regulations.

 

What should you pay attention to when selecting such a car?

Various offers for Austrian cars can be found on advertisements portals. Traders even praise the country of origin of the car if it comes from Austria. Remember that in absolute terms, imports of cars from Austria are relatively small compared to Germany. However, before deciding to buy such a vehicle, you need to check a few key parameters. The car should be in good technical condition, but it is also good if it the car is not too expensive. When buying an Austrian car, it is worth paying attention to:

• mileage,
• technical condition,
• the car’s legal status,
• number of owners,
• the manufacture year,
• MTPL insurance,
• possible deregistration.

When browsing Austrian sales offers, you should make some effort in Poland before going to inspect selected copies. Buying a car is just the beginning of expenses, you need to remember about it – also in Austria, the low price at which the vehicle in question offered might mean a long list of troubles it carries. It is often more profitable for the owner to sell a car with issues than to make the necessary repairs in their country, and pay horrendous prices for it. Therefore, it is worth asking the seller to provide the car data – proof of ownership, passing the current technical inspection, insurance, current registration number and, of course, the VIN number. Many of the cheapest offers from Austrian advertisements are vehicles without a valid technical inspection. In Austria, the technical inspection is carried out at a completely different level than in Poland, without turning a blind eye to trifles – restrictive tests exclude from operation copies that in Polish reality would pass the technical inspection with a high degree of certainty. However, you should definitely avoid offers and sellers who are not willing to provide detailed information about the vehicle – unfortunately, sellers of questionable honesty are everywhere.

 

 

The mileage of an Austrian car may indicate how it was used by the previous owner. There are cars on the market that have been used only a bit and are still in very good condition. However, you need to make sure that the mileage is real. It is one thing to indicate the car odometer reading, but you also need to pay attention to the overall technical condition of the car. Even if it is undergoing inspections, it is worth checking the accident history and possible faults. Their repair can significantly increase the cost of bringing the vehicle to a proper condition.

 

Identification of the car using the VIN number

Many sellers conceal the full vehicle history of a particular car, therefore it is worth to check it via the VIN number of a particular vehicle. Checking the VIN number at autoDNA is the first important step. The second step is verification whether the VIN provided by the seller in fact identifies the car you plan to buy. There are cases of sellers providing a different VIN than the one placed on the offered car – which is not done to advertise their product as best as possible. It doesn’t happen often, but nevertheless you should pay attention to it. However, this can be checked only after arriving to the place where you can inspect the car. Among the things that you can do on your own, it is also definitely worth checking the car at an independent diagnostic station. Such an operation is an expense of up to 100 Euros – it’s a lot from the perspective of a Polish customer, but the money spent in this way can save you from a bigger problem.

 

 

MTPL insurance

Third party liability insurance is necessary if you plan to return by car on your own. Every registered vehicle must have such a form of protection. Without it, in case of any accident, it is the driver of the uninsured car that the police will find guilty. What is more, you would have to pay out of your own pocket for all the damage, including the treatment of the injured. Therefore, it’s better not to risk. For this reason, during the transaction with the seller, you should receive the appropriate documents. Then, in Poland, after your return, you should take out a standard third party liability policy.

 

Importing an Austrian car and how to do it

If you have already chosen Austria as a place where you will look for a second-hand dream car, then you still have another issue to decide – how will you bring the car to Poland? You can outsource the import of a car from the beginning to the end to a specialized company, you can find one without any problems – but it is worth checking the opinions about the quality of their work beforehand. The second option is to transport the car on your own.

 

Bringing an Austrian car on your own

Austria belongs to the European Union, which is why importing a car is quite easy in this case. However, you should receive specific documents from the seller during the transaction. These are:

• vehicle registration book,
• confirmation of technical tests,
• vehicle card,
• third party liability policy.

 

 

 

 

 

They are necessary to register the car in a Polish office. Optionally, you can also receive a service book and a COC certificate. However, it is your responsibility to organize a special marking, which are exit plates. They cost several hundred euros and you have to buy them in Austria by visiting the relevant office.

 

 

For this reason, many people decide to transport a car on a tow truck. This is a more convenient solution, although it is also not the cheapest. This way, you do not have to travel even a few hundred kilometers by car yourself, and invest several hundred euros in exit plates.

Vignettes in Austria

In Austria, you need to have a special vignette, for the lack of which there is a penalty of up to 3.000 Euros. When planning to return by car to the country, or if you travel by a rented trailer, you need first stock up on Austrian vignettes. The Austrian authorities have no mercy for drivers who have forgotten to pay the fees. You can find more information in our article on toll motorways in Europe.

For this reason, many people decide to transport a car on a tow truck or, after buying a car, outsource its transport to an external company. This is a more convenient solution, although it is also not the cheapest. This way, you do not have to travel even a few hundred kilometers behind the wheel.

 

Temporary license plates in Austria

If you want to return to Poland by car, you need to buy 3-day green temporary plates. The cost of such plates is 300 Euro. You mustn’t drive a car without legal license plates in any country, especially in Austria, where there are very strict traffic laws and officers of the law.

When deciding to return with the car back on your own, you also need to remember to abide by the traffic laws. In Austria, for exceeding the speed limit by 30 km/h you have to pay 150 Euro.

 

 

In Austria, the way less severe instances of speeding by a few kilometers are also punishable there. In Austria, the concept of tolerance of offences is unknown.

 

Where to look for an Austrian car?

It’s best to do so on European auction portals. It is definitely worth looking at such websites as:  autoscout24.pl, mobile.de/pl and ooyyo.com. What’s important is that on each of these websites you can select Polish as the language. Thanks to that, you don’t need to know the Austrian dialect of German. Similarly as in Switzerland, in Austria you can also buy a car put up on sale in somebody’s front yard. However, you need to know where to look for such cars and have a lot of time for that – it is definitely not a task for people who do not know at least English and who have any resistance to leaving their comfort zone. Remember that a personal visual inspection and subsequent purchase of a car is associated with numerous conversations and visits to offices.

 

Purchasing a car directly in Austria

It is a different story when you use services of a person who imports cars from Austria. Then, such person can help you find an appropriate place with well-maintained cars. Similarly to any other country, in Austria you can find used car lots and private sellers offering cars in good condition, as well as badly-maintained items.

You need to remember about one more thing. Dealers who regularly stock up cars from used car lots are always able to buy them for a much better price. A lay customer will not be able to negotiate a noticeable price drop, but it’s always worth a try.

 

 

Used cars from used car lots at car dealerships

Used cars are always a reliable choice, only those purchased from car dealerships which sell cars purchased previously from customers who replace their old cars for new ones. Of course, such units are much more expensive, but in the vast majority of cases these are cars in really good condition – with a trusted service history, which will undoubtedly pay off in the future. Unfortunately, you might also come across very exploited cars, as well as the ones which have issues with documents. It’s better to avoid such cars. Buying a used car from an authorized dealer of a given brand has one more advantage. For such a seller, sending the car data to a potential customer is not a problem.

 

Importing a car via an agent

There is also an option to take advantage of the offer of dealers who import cars and sell them directly in your country. However, if you want to become the owner of a specific car directly from Austria, you can choose the help of intermediaries.

Special companies provide services that consist in completing the necessary formalities on the spot, and then bringing the ready car to the new owner. This is a convenient solution, allowing you to bring a car without the necessity of going to Austria and going through all the visits to the offices. However, it involves paying a fee, which is why the final cost of the entire project increases. There is also a risk that you might come across a dishonest trader.

 

Returning by an Austrian car to the country

Before leaving Austria, you need to deregister your vehicle at a local office. If you want to drive the car home, it is indispensable to buy temporary plates which cost several hundred Euros. Thanks to them, you will be able to enter Poland independently and fully legally. However, within 30 days from that moment, it is necessary to complete further formalities and register the Austrian car. Let’s also not forget about the mandatory MTPL insurance.

 

Temporary plates

As we have already mentioned, exit plates are necessary and allow for legal crossing of borders. Their absence is associated with serious penalties, so it is worth paying a few hundred euros and getting a document that will allow you to safely bring the car to Poland. This should be done in a special office. For this reason, it is usually not possible to return to the country the same day after purchasing the vehicle – an additional overnight stay will unfortunately increase the overall costs of the entire travel.

 

Car registration in Poland – step by step

Purchasing temporary plates for several hundred euros allows you to legally enter Poland, but immediately afterwards you should start completing the formalities related to registration. Everything takes place in the communication department appropriate to your place of residence. The whole procedure of registering a car in Poland should be started as soon as possible – any problems related to the documentation may also happen, so it is worth having time to deal with any difficulties.

 

What documents do you need?

Registration of an Austrian car requires obtaining appropriate documents. Many of them can be obtained at the time of concluding the transaction, and others must be arranged on your own after returning to Poland. These are:

• vehicle registration book,
• the purchase and sale agreement,
• confirmation of the technical examination,
• proof of payment of excise duty,
• proof of payment of the registration fee.

 

Translation of documents

You also need to have specific documents translated by a sworn translator. Without this step, the office will probably refuse to accept them. For this reason, it is so important to start completing the necessary formalities as soon as you arrive in Poland.

 

How long do you have to wait for translations?

Translating papers often takes a minimum of a few days. There are cases when it can be done in one day. However, usually translators have their hands full and you will have to wait your turn. For this reason, some people decide to sign the contract in two versions, but sometimes it is necessary to certify that both copies are consistent with each other in terms of exact content. How much does such a translation cost? Usually the price does not exceed PLN 150. Of course, it depends on the city. In larger cities, such a service is more expensive – but you have a much larger selection of companies providing the service.

 

Costs of registering an Austrian car

Registration of a n Austrian car also entails the payment of appropriate fees at the ticket office of the communication department appropriate to your place of residence. They are fixed, but they change when, for example, you want to buy an individual license plate.

 

How much do individual documents cost?

The costs of registering a car from Austria are as follows:

• vehicle registration fee – PLN 0.50,
• vehicle card – PLN 75,
• time permit – PLN 13.50,
• license plates – PLN 80,
• verification marks – PLN 85.

 

How much does excise duty cost?

Also, do not forget about excise duty. In the case of vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 2000 cm3, this is 3.1% of the value of the car. If the engine capacity is greater than 2000 cm3, then the excise duty is 18.6%. This fee is mandatory and you cannot register your car without it. Confirmation of payment of such a sum must be presented when submitting the application to the office. You should also remember that the purchase and sale agreement should be for the actual amount – the office may question its amount.

 

Technical examination of the vehicle and check of the car

An Austrian car must have a valid technical inspection. Confirmation of such inspection should be provided by the seller. The technical examination must also be carried out at a Polish vehicle inspection station. It is necessary to register an Austrian car at the department of transportation. It will also be useful for taking out insurance that is required both abroad and in your country. The completed Polish technical examination is one of the required attachments to the completed application for registration at the office.

 

Checking the car based on the VIN number

Checking cars imported from abroad is very important before deciding on a specific model. This can be done based on the VIN number.

Before purchasing a car, it’s a good idea to check its vehicle history included in the autoDNA report. The autoDNA database consists of billions of entries concerning i.a. damage, inspections and mileages. The knowledge concerning the vehicle history checked at autoDNA before purchasing a car might help saving expenses connected with repairs e.g. after undisclosed accidents or a clocked odometer. Before taking a drive to see the car, it is worth checking if it’s any worth it.

 

 

Is it worth buying an Austrian car?

More than 20.000 cars are imported from Austria every year. Brands such as Toyota, Volkswagen or Opel are among the popular ones. Trade in cars from this country is very common due to the fact that they are easy to import, and at the same time you can count on excellent condition at an attractive price. For this reason, many drivers decide to go to Austria to bring a car. Intermediary services are also popular.

 

Which cars are most often imported from Austria?

The situation in Germany and Austria has not changed for years. Poles most willingly and in the largest quantities import vehicles of German brands to Poland. Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, Opel or Mercedes lead the way. A common advantage of Austrian cars is that they are mostly regularly serviced – Austrians have a high technical culture, which is foreign to Italians or the French.

 

Thoroughly check of the car is essential

However, before deciding to buy a given car, you need to carefully check its condition and history. For this reason, it is worth taking a little time and doing it thoroughly. It is also a good idea to sacrifice a few hundred Euro for checking the car in a service or even at an authorised service point. In the case of more expensive cars, you should not save money on them. If during the car inspection certain faults about which the seller has not informed you are discovered, you can try lowering the price or the car or ask the seller to repair the found faults themself. What’s interesting, it works in many cases. Especially, if the faults found during an inspection were not mentioned in the sale offer.

 

 

Also read how to import a car from:

1. UK
2. Importing a car from Italy
3. Importing a car from Germany
4. Importing a Dutch car
5. Belgium
6. Importing a car from France
7. Importing a car from Denmark
8. Importing an Ukrainian car
9. Importing a car from Sweden