Moving to Poland from the USA

Yes, if you meet the conditions of the relocation relief, called mienie przesiedleńcze in Polish: at least 12 consecutive months living outside the EU, your center of life moving to Poland, goods that are your own, used and not for resale, and no sale for 12 months after import. Customs decides each case.

Anyone moving their residence to Poland after at least 12 consecutive months outside the EU, whether moving back or settling for good. If your stay abroad was shorter, customs can make an exception when a stay of at least 12 months was clearly planned from the start.

Yes. The car travels empty in the same 40-foot high-cube container as your furniture, with your boxes next to it. It can enter free of duty, VAT and excise if you owned and used it for at least 6 months before the move and keep it for personal use for the next 12 months.

A household-goods inventory with quantities and values in two copies, proof that you lived outside the EU for 12 months, proof of your move to Poland, your passport or ID, and a signed authorization for our customs agency. For a car, add its registration and purchase document. The inventory and authorization forms are free on our Forms page.

It depends on how much you ship (in cubic meters), whether you share a container or book your own, the loading port, the season, the distance from your home to our New Jersey warehouse and whether you want packing. Customs clearance in Gdynia and delivery in Poland are quoted with it. Every move is quoted individually, so send us a rough list of your items and both addresses.

The shipping side is straightforward: we load your container in the US, clear it in Gdynia on your authorization and deliver it to your new address, so you never have to visit the port. The relief conditions on this page concern how long you lived outside the EU and the goods you bring. For visa and residence rules, check with a Polish consulate.

From New Jersey the ocean crossing to Gdynia takes about 16-20 days, and the whole move usually 4-6 weeks door to door. From Savannah allow about 18-24 days at sea, from Houston 24-30 and from Los Angeles 30-38.

A 20-foot container holds about 33 m³, a 40-foot about 58 m³ and a 40-foot high-cube about 65 m³. A whole apartment plus a car usually fits in one 40-foot container. For a smaller move you can share a container and use only the space you need.

No. We clear your goods in Gdynia on your behalf, using your signed authorization and documents.

Not during the first 12 months. Goods released under the relief may not be lent, pledged, rented out or handed over in that time without telling customs first, or duty and VAT become payable. A car brought in under the excise relief may not be sold, rented or handed to anyone else for 12 months.

Then we clear it as a normal import: import duty of 10% of the customs value, Polish excise of 3.1% (18.6% with an engine over 2,000 cm³, lower for some hybrids) and 23% VAT. That is why we check the dates before loading.