The idea of shipping a car by ship is nothing unusual. Thousands of cars sail in all directions – from Europe to the US, from the US to Europe, from Japan, Korea, and so on. It's no surprise. In 2025, 86,983 cars were imported from the US to Poland. Most of them are cars that no other brand sells in the European market, like the Expedition, GMC Yukon, or Chevy Suburban. But the Cadillac Escalades are the most popular.
Normally, you have to pay 10% customs duty, but on July 1st, the new US-EU agreement came into effect, and the duty dropped to 0%. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines yet on how to apply these new regulations, but I hope this will be established before the car arrives. Furthermore, you have to pay 23% VAT for private purchases, and if you register the car as a company, you pay 0% or half of 23% – depending on whether the car will be used exclusively for business or mixed use. And finally, there's the luxury tax of 18.6% for cars with engines larger than 2 liters (up to 2 liters, there's 3.1%, and electric cars are 0%). And speaking of changes, of course, the rear lights – in Europe, turn signals can't be red, but amber. And you have to add a rear fog light. In the Expediton, the front turn signals are already amber, and I also hope the low beams are asymmetrical, because if not, that too will require modification. Fortunately, in Poland, we have wizards who can handle this without a problem
