From June 30, 2026, Polish drivers will no longer have to personally de-register a vehicle after scrapping it. The information about the demolition will be sent directly to the Central Vehicle Register (CEP), making the process fully automatic.
The new regulations cover all vehicles handed over to authorised dismantling stations and collection points. The change is expected to cut red tape for car owners and boost the legal recycling industry.
Currently, after handing a car to a scrapyard, the owner must still deliver documents to the vehicle registration office. The new system automates this step, with demolition stations sending data directly to the CEP.
Red tape cut, grey market targeted
The simplification may encourage more owners of old, wrecked or accident-damaged cars to choose legal demolition instead of postponing the decision or turning to informal solutions, said Przemysław Oleś, president of OLMET.
According to industry estimates, hundreds of thousands of vehicles disappear from the official system each year – either dismantled in uncontrolled conditions, sold for parts or simply abandoned. The new procedure is designed to curb this grey zone.
Recycling potential and circular economy
Each end-of-life vehicle is a source of valuable secondary raw materials. In times of growing importance of resource security, their recovery has increasing value for the economy, added Oleś.
Legal dismantling stations recover up to 95 percent of a vehicle’s mass. Metals go to smelters and processing plants, components return to the used parts market, and the rest is recycled. This fits into the push for a circular economy and reduced raw material imports.
No more excuse to avoid obligations
Leaving an unroadworthy car on a street, driveway or roadside does not free the owner from duties. The obligation to maintain third-party liability insurance remains, and a lapsed policy can lead to heavy fines. The car can also be removed at the owner’s expense.
From this perspective, legal scrapping is the simplest solution – and after the change, it will be much less of an administrative burden, concluded Oleś.
Źródło: wnp.pl, Fot. Albertus teolog / commons.wikimedia.org
