Which documents must the Czech seller hand over?
The Czech Republic has simplified its documents: recently registered vehicles only have an osvědčení o registraci vozidla, in the European format. Older vehicles still travel with two documents, the “large” technický průkaz (technical data and owners) and the “small” one (kept in the vehicle). Insist on everything that exists, together with the invoice or the kupní smlouva with the VIN.
Before buying, consult the Ministry of Transport’s public vehicle register check, which returns the date of first registration, the country of origin, the mileages recorded at tests and the status of the vehicle. At the sale, the seller or you asks the registration office (registr vozidel) for authorisation to export: the large technický průkaz is withdrawn or invalidated and export plates can be issued.
Do I need a certificate of conformity for a Czech car?
If the osvědčení or the technický průkaz shows an EC type-approval number in K and the type-variant-version in D.2, your registration authority may be satisfied with it. Vehicles sold new in the Czech Republic, Škoda first and foremost, have an EC type approval and a COC available from the manufacturer. See Škoda certificate of conformity.
The Czech market is nevertheless a re-import market: a large share of used cars were first registered in Germany, Austria or Italy, and the certificate got lost along the way. The procedure does not change: we start from the VIN and ask the manufacturer. Beware of vehicles from the United States or Canada, present in the country: without an EC type approval, no COC, but an individual approval.
VAT and tax clearance: what the tax office expects for a vehicle bought in the Union
A vehicle bought in another Member State is not cleared through customs: it falls under intra-Community VAT rules. Two situations:
- New means of transport (less than six months since first registration or less than 6,000 km): VAT is due in the country where you register the vehicle, at that country’s standard rate, even when you buy from a private individual. A dealer then invoices you without VAT.
- Used vehicle: no VAT in your country if you buy from a private individual. From a dealer, VAT is either included in the price (margin scheme, stated on the invoice) or charged in your country when the sale is made VAT-free as an intra-Community supply.
In both cases, most registration authorities want proof that the vehicle’s VAT position is in order before they issue the registration certificate: a tax clearance certificate in France (quitus fiscal), the e-705 customs signal in Belgium, the vignette 705 in Luxembourg, the BPM declaration in the Netherlands, the VRT appointment with Revenue in Ireland. Ask your authority which form applies and obtain it before filing. VAT rules on Your Europe.
From a Czech trader, the invoice states a margin scheme (nothing to pay at destination) or an exempt intra-Community supply (VAT due in your country when you apply for clearance). Check that the displayed price really includes all taxes.
Roadworthiness test: what your registration authority accepts
Most authorities ask for a valid roadworthiness certificate for a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing (four years in most countries). A test passed in a centre approved in your own country is the safe route; a test passed in another Member State must be recognised as long as it is still valid under the frequency rules of Directive 2014/45/EU, but tests from outside the Union (British MOT, Swiss cantonal inspection) are not. Some countries, Belgium and the Netherlands among them, add a specific import inspection that checks the vehicle against its approval data.
A roadworthiness test checks the condition of the vehicle, not its conformity with the approved type: it replaces neither the certificate of conformity nor entries D.2 and K of the foreign registration certificate.
The STK (stanice technické kontroly) is a periodic test of another Member State, recognised while valid; a recent test in your own country remains the safe route for a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing.
How to bring the car home: Czech export plates
The registration office issues a registrační značka na vývoz, an export plate valid for three months at most, with a temporary certificate; the vehicle must be insured. This is the solution designed for reaching the country of destination; failing that, a trailer. On arrival, the temporary registration your authority offers if the file is not complete.
Once the vehicle has been de-registered in its country of origin, its old plates no longer cover it. Most countries offer a temporary registration while the file is being completed (the WW provisional certificate in France, transit or temporary plates elsewhere) or expect you to trailer the vehicle until the definitive certificate is issued. Ask your registration authority what exists and how long it lasts: temporary registrations are short and rarely extended, so gather the certificate of conformity and the roadworthiness test first.
Documents usually requested: proof of ownership (invoice or contract), ID, proof of address, the foreign registration certificate or the official document that replaces it, and proof of insurance. The vehicle must be insured from the first kilometre, including for the journey home on the export plates of the country of origin.
Registration taxes: what you pay when you file
Most countries levy one or more taxes at first registration on their territory, paid when the application is filed:
- a one-off registration tax based on CO₂ emissions, engine capacity, power or list price, with an age-related reduction for a used vehicle already registered abroad (VRT in Ireland, BPM in the Netherlands, the malus in France, the tax on entry into service in Belgium);
- an administrative fee for the certificate and the plates, and sometimes a postage charge;
- in some countries a weight-based component, or a regional tax proportional to fiscal horsepower;
- then the annual road tax, which starts with the registration.
The certificate of conformity supplies precisely the values that serve as the tax base: WLTP CO₂, masses, power. An NEDC figure read from an old document can distort your estimate. Our calculators give an order of magnitude; the taxable value is set by the administration. Car taxes across the Union, on Your Europe.
How do I file the registration application?
The application is filed with the registration authority of the country where you live: online in France (ANTS), through your insurer’s WebDIV access in Belgium, at the SNCA in Luxembourg, at an RDW inspection station in the Netherlands, at an NCTS centre in Ireland, at the local Zulassungsstelle in Germany. You present or upload the documents, pay the taxes, and receive a provisional or definitive registration certificate that lets you have plates made.
Our step-by-step guide details the documents, the order of the formalities and the Belgian, Luxembourg, Swiss, German and Dutch variants.