Importing cars from Germany step by step: PUESC, AKC-US, transport, and pre-sale costs

Importing a car from Germany is not hard if you keep the order in your head. It becomes hard when you buy because the price looks good and only later try to handle PUESC, AKC-US, transport, documents, and fees. Traders do not make money on "we will sort it out somehow". They make money on process: fast listing check, clean papers, calculated excise, controlled transport, preparation, and resale without embarrassment.

Step zero: calculate the car before you fall in love

The most expensive imports often start with "it is too cheap to pass". Maybe it is. Maybe it is cheap because of damage history, missing documents, VAT issues, high mileage, a risky engine, or excise you did not add. Before calling the seller, you need a working total cost: purchase price, transport, excise, translations, inspection, registration, preparation, first service, and minimum margin.

After the May KPO revision, you do not add new taxes on combustion cars. That matters because the market likes old scares. You still calculate standard Polish excise: 3.1% up to 2000 cm3 and 18.6% above 2000 cm3 for typical passenger cars. That jump can turn an import from an opportunity into a display item on the lot. For the wider tax context, start with the 2026 import cost guide.

Step one: seller documents

Before travel or deposit, establish who sells the car and what document you will receive. Private seller, dealer, leasing company, commission lot, auction - each scenario has different VAT logic and credibility. You need an invoice or contract, registration documents, seller data, VIN, owner information, mileage confirmation, and service history where it exists. Without that, you are buying a story told on the phone.

In Germany, watch for Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II, the small and large registration documents. Check whether the car is deregistered, whether plates exist, whether it can drive home, or whether transport is required. Make sure the VIN in the listing, documents, and vehicle match. These are boring checks. Boring checks save margin because they catch problems before you are 600 km from home.

Minimum paperwork before purchase

• Invoice or contract with full seller and buyer data.
• Vehicle registration documents, ideally the full German set.
• VIN, mileage, first registration date, engine size, and fuel type.
• VAT information: VAT margin, full 23% VAT, private purchase, or another model.
• Damage history, service history, technical inspection, and number of keys.

Step two: transport without romance

Transport is not only "truck or drive it back?" It is a question of time, risk, and cash standing still. Driving back can be cheaper, but it requires plates, insurance, a mechanically sound car, and a margin of safety. Transporter is more expensive, but often cleaner legally and practically, especially with damaged cars, missing inspection, or long-distance pickups.

A professional calculates transport before the call. Not after purchase. A car near Hamburg is different from a car near Dresden. Two cars from one region may share transport cost. One unit with thin margin can lose the deal to transport alone. In import, small amounts add up faster than beginners think.

Step three: PUESC and AKC-US

After importing a passenger car from the EU into Poland, excise is handled through PUESC. The declaration is AKC-US. In a normal process, you file within 14 days from the tax obligation, but no later than registration. Tax payment is due within 30 days from the tax obligation. For a trader this means one thing: do not leave excise for "later", because later the buyer asks for documents.

AKC-US needs taxpayer data, vehicle data, taxable base, rate, engine size, value, and purchase document. If the invoice value looks absurdly low versus the market, the office may ask questions. Document the actual condition of the car. Damage photos, missing-equipment notes, repair estimates, and seller messages are boring until you need to explain why the car was cheap.

What to prepare for excise

• Car data: make, model, VIN, year, engine size, fuel, drive type.
• Purchase document and a value that can be defended against the market.
• Purchase date, movement to Poland, and planned registration date.
• Rate calculation: 3.1%, 18.6%, or the right preference for a specific hybrid.
• Excise payment confirmation, without which sale and registration become stressful.

Step four: translations, inspection, registration, preparation

After tax comes paperwork and preparation: translations, technical inspection, registration fees, insurance, plates, first mechanical check, detailing, tyres, brakes, oil, filters, coding, small plastics. Beginners throw those into the "we will do it somehow" bucket. Professionals put them into the calculation immediately.

Not every car needs the same budget. An ex-lease car with full history needs a different reserve than a premium SUV after a weak repair. But every car needs a buffer. The final buyer does not want to hear that margin is thin, so the brakes can wait. If you sell on reputation, preparation is part of price, not an honor cost.

The order that saves cash

• First filter the listing: model, price, VAT, engine size, excise, transport.
• Then call: documents, damage, availability, reservation, payment conditions.
• Then purchase and pickup: complete paperwork, VIN consistency, transport without improvising.
• After import: PUESC, AKC-US, excise payment, and confirmation.
• Finally: translations, inspection, preparation, listing, and sale with a clean file.

VAT and import: do not mix buyers

When importing from Germany, VAT status must match the final buyer. A VAT-margin car can be excellent for private resale, but it does not give a company full deduction. A full-VAT car can be attractive for leasing, but if you buy it too high, the document will not save you. We explain this split in the VAT margin vs 23% VAT guide.

OtoSnajper: the first cost filter before the first call

OtoSnajper exists so the process starts faster and cleaner. The bot monitors Otomoto and mobile.de. When a fresh listing matches your filters, it sends a Telegram alert. In the alert you see key import data: price, link, vehicle parameters, engine size, excise, and signals that help judge VAT. You do not open fifteen tabs just to discover five minutes later that 18.6% kills the deal.

Summary: import is a process, not a trip

Importing cars from Germany step by step means: calculate cost, verify documents, establish VAT, secure transport, file AKC-US through PUESC, pay excise, prepare the car, and then sell with a clear head. There is nothing romantic here. There are many places to lose margin through haste, bad assumptions, or delayed paperwork. If you want to do it professionally, build the process and use tools that shorten the first decision.