The question we hear most often: when will the car be in Poland? Usually 3 to 8 weeks from the winning bid to delivery to your address. Below we explain where this difference comes from and what you can influence.
What the import time depends on
Two things matter most: how far from the port the car is and when the next container leaves. A car standing close to the port gets into a container faster than a car from the other side of the country, which first has to travel hundreds of kilometres on a car transporter.
The port the car sails from also counts. The voyage to Europe from ports on the east coast of the USA and Canada is clearly shorter than from the west coast, where the ship sails around the continent or through the Panama Canal.
The third thing is the documents. Before a car leaves the USA, the exporter has to present the original title and the car itself to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), at least 72 hours before export. Without a title, the car waits at the port even if there is room for it in a container.
The import stages step by step
- Auction and payment - after the winning bid you have 2 working days to pay for the car.
- Transport to the port - the car travels on a car transporter from the auction yard to a port in the USA or Canada. The further from the port, the longer it takes.
- Formalities and loading - at the port the car waits for a container and for the export filing. It usually travels together with a few other cars, so the date also depends on when the container is full.
- Sea freight - the car sails in a container to Rotterdam.
- Unloading and customs clearance - in Rotterdam the customs agency unloads the container and clears the car. You pay 10% customs duty and 21% Dutch VAT.
- Delivery - the car travels on a car transporter to the address you give in Poland.
Cars from Canada go through the same stages, and their import also fits within the same 3-8 weeks.
Paying quickly after the auction speeds up the whole import and protects you from storage fees at the auction yard. If you send us the transfer confirmation the same or the next day, we pay for the car straight away.
What can make the import take longer
Most delays can't be predicted on the day of the auction, but it's worth knowing where they come from:
- Auction documents - sometimes the auction house issues the ownership document (Title) later than the car itself. Without it the car can't sail. What's on a title and what types there are is covered in Certificate of Title - the ownership document of a US car and its types.
- Late payment - until the car is paid for, the auction house won't release it, and it charges fees for every day of storage.
- Queues at ports - in busy periods, for example before holidays, cars wait longer for loading and unloading.
- Weather and ship schedules - storms, schedule changes and calls at ports along the way move voyages by a few days.
- Customs checks - sometimes customs officers want to inspect the car or the documents more closely, which adds a few days.
We tell you about every delay as it happens - you don't have to call and ask.
How to shorten the import time
You can influence some stages before the auction:
- Choose cars closer to a port - a car on the east coast usually reaches Europe faster than a car from California or the middle of the country. The auction listing shows where the yard is.
- Check the document in the listing - if the auction says the title is on its way, we tell you before the auction and include it in the timeline.
- Pay right after the winning bid - the sooner the car is paid for, the sooner we can collect it from the yard.
After delivery: deadlines in Poland
Once the car is brought into Poland, deadlines start running: you file the excise declaration within 14 days, pay the excise duty within 30 days, and register the car within 30 days of bringing it in. All steps are described in Registering a car from the USA in Poland step by step.
Where to check what stage the car is at
In the client panel you see every stage of the import and photos of the car from its current location. You also get a link to track the container, and you are in touch with your own dedicated advisor all the time.
We describe the full process on the page Import process from the USA and Canada. If you want to know how much a specific car will cost, see the page Costs of importing a car from the USA or ask us for a free quote.
