Importing a vehicle from the EU to Croatia - a guide to buying a car

Importing a car from Germany, Austria or another EU member state can be a very attractive option.

A wider choice of vehicles, different equipment levels, the chance to find an exact configuration and a better price are just some of the reasons why buyers in Croatia look at cars on the European market.

However, finding a good listing is not the same as safely buying a car and bringing it into Croatia.

Between the listing you found on mobile.de or AutoScout24 and the moment the vehicle gets Croatian number plates, there are a number of steps that have to be done properly. Even more importantly, the final price of the vehicle is not just the price in the listing.

When is a car considered used?

To determine the tax treatment of a vehicle, it is important to know when a car counts as used for VAT purposes.

For a vehicle to count as a used means of transport, both conditions must be met: more than six months must have passed since it was first put into service and the vehicle must have covered more than 6,000 kilometres. Meeting only one of the two conditions is not enough!

For example, a two-year-old car with 4,000 kilometres does not meet both conditions because it has not covered more than 6,000 kilometres. Likewise, a five-month-old car with 10,000 kilometres is not used because it is not older than six months.

That is why it is important to check both the age and the mileage of the vehicle before buying, because these two figures determine its status for VAT purposes.

Where to look for a vehicle?

Many buyers looking for a vehicle from the EU start by searching online listings. The best-known platforms include:

mobile.de (available in German and English)
AutoScout24 (available in several languages, including Croatian)
official showrooms and authorised manufacturer dealers
verified dealerships and specialised used car dealers

When buying a vehicle up to 5 years old, it is especially important to pay attention to the seller. An attractive car at a lower price is not necessarily a good buy.

Before you start arranging an inspection or transport, first check who is selling the car.

Check the seller first, then the vehicle

One of the most common mistakes is focusing only on the car. The buyer finds a great BMW, Mercedes or Audi, sees a good price and immediately starts thinking about how to bring it to Croatia.

Before that, however, the seller needs to be checked. Check:

the details of the dealership
reviews and experiences of other buyers
whether the seller really exists at the stated address
whether they sell vehicles as a professional dealer
whether the details on the invoice, contract and documents match
whether there are inconsistencies in the communication or the terms of sale

If there are already serious doubts about the seller, there is no point spending time and money on inspecting the vehicle.

Checking the vehicle before buying

Once you have established that the seller is reliable, it is the vehicle’s turn. With a newer used car it is not enough to look at the photos and take a test drive. Before buying, you should find out as much as possible about the vehicle.

Pay particular attention to:

the chassis number (VIN)
the service and technical history
the mileage
previous damage and paid damage claims
service records
the authenticity of the documents
the factory equipment
the CO₂ figure
whether the data in the listing matches the actual condition of the vehicle

Be especially careful with listings that are noticeably cheaper than comparable vehicles on the market. A low price in itself does not mean the car is bad, but it is always a reason for an additional check.

How much does the vehicle really cost?

One of the biggest mistakes when buying a car from the EU is counting only the price in the listing. If the listing says €35,000, that does not mean you will register the car in Croatia for €35,000.

The final cost may include:

the purchase price of the vehicle
transport of the vehicle to Croatia
the special motor vehicle tax (PPMV)
the end-of-life vehicle fee
the costs of the conformity assessment / homologation
documentation costs and any manufacturer certificate
insurance
registration
any financing costs and bank fees

That is why calculating the total cost before buying is one of the most important steps of the whole process.

PPMV - a cost to check before buying

The special motor vehicle tax (PPMV) is one of the key costs when bringing a vehicle into Croatia.

For a used vehicle, the market value for PPMV purposes is not simply determined by how much you paid for the car abroad. The Customs Administration determines the market value of a used vehicle in Croatia, and the taxpayer can, depending on the case, request that it be determined using a depreciation table or an appraisal.

That is why it is important to take PPMV into account before you make the final decision to buy. In practice, two seemingly similar vehicles can have a different total cost after import to Croatia. When calculating, it is therefore important to look at the whole package, not just the price of the vehicle abroad.

You can calculate an estimate in the PPMV calculator.

Note: any PPMV calculation made before the official decision of the Customs Administration should be regarded as preliminary.

The documents are as important as the car itself

A good car without the right documents can cause serious problems. Depending on the specific vehicle and the country it comes from, documents such as these need to be checked:

the invoice or purchase contract
the registration documents
the CoC document, where required
the manufacturer certificate, where required
documents relating to the vehicle and ownership
other documents needed for the conformity assessment and taxation procedure

The Customs Administration states that the taxation procedure requires, among other things, a certificate of conformity, an invoice or other commercial document or a purchase contract, and the registration certificate for a used vehicle.

That is why the documents should be checked before buying, not when the car has already arrived in Croatia.

Transporting the vehicle to Croatia

After the purchase, the vehicle’s journey to Croatia has to be organised. There are different options: you can collect the car yourself, drive it back on temporary or export plates, or hire a car transporter.

For more expensive and newer vehicles, many buyers find professional transport more practical. That way you avoid travelling abroad, fuel and accommodation costs, and the risk of driving the purchased vehicle to Croatia for many hours or several days.

What happens after the vehicle arrives in Croatia?

After the vehicle is brought in, the administrative part of the procedure follows. For a used vehicle bought in another EU member state, the PPMV taxation procedure has to be carried out, and the tax return is filed within 15 days of the vehicle entering Croatia.

The process then includes the necessary documents and the conformity assessment procedure, payment of the assessed charges and the final steps needed to register the vehicle.

In other words, buying a car is only finished when the vehicle has been dealt with administratively and is ready for registration.

The most common mistakes when importing a vehicle from the EU

1. The buyer looks only at the listing price

The most common mistake is comparing vehicles only by the listing price. A €35,000 car is not necessarily cheaper than a €36,000 car once PPMV, transport, documents and other costs are included.

2. The vehicle is bought without a check

Photos and the listing description are not enough. Especially with cars worth tens of thousands of euros, checking the vehicle before buying can prevent a very expensive problem.

3. The seller is not checked

Knowing the make and model of the car is not enough. It is important to know who you are buying from.

4. PPMV is calculated only after the purchase

If you do not have an approximate calculation of the total cost before buying, you may get an unpleasant surprise once the car has already been bought.

5. Additional costs are forgotten

Transport, documents, homologation, the end-of-life vehicle fee, insurance, registration and any financing costs are part of the total price.

Why is a check especially important for vehicles up to 5 years old?

A newer car gives the buyer a certain sense of security. However, a car that is three or four years old can still have serious past damage, inconsistent data, an unclear service history or other problems that are not visible at first glance.

With higher-value vehicles, the consequences of a wrong purchase can be significant. That is exactly why, with newer vehicles, the goal is not just to find the “cheapest listing”.

The goal is to find a car that matches the required specification, check it, check the seller, calculate the total cost and only then make the decision to buy.

Choose how you are buying for more detailed information

Private person

Company

Turnkey vehicle import

If you do not want to handle the communication with the seller, the checks, negotiations, transport and paperwork yourself, the whole process can be organised through a vehicle import to order service. With this approach, the buyer chooses what kind of vehicle they want, while the other steps are organised according to the agreed procedure.

Not sure which option pays off for you? See the comparison: importing a car yourself, turnkey or buying in Croatia.

The service I offer includes:

searching for the vehicle
checking the vehicle by VIN
- checking paid damage claims on the vehicle
- checking the vehicle documents
- checking the vehicle history
- checking the CO₂ figure
checking the dealership
calculating the special motor vehicle tax (PPMV)
negotiating the vehicle price in your interest
preparing and checking the vehicle contract
transport
the manufacturer certificate
homologation
financing
bank costs and commissions
temporary plates
the parking ticket within the customs area
the customs declaration for the PPMV calculation
the end-of-life vehicle fee

PPMV calculated before the final official decision is considered preliminary.

Who is this service for?

The service is primarily intended for buyers who want to buy a newer used vehicle from the European Union but do not want to take on the whole purchase and import process themselves. It is especially useful if you are looking for:

a car up to 5 years old
a specific make and model
an exact equipment level
a premium or more expensive vehicle
a vehicle that is not easy to find on the Croatian market
a car from Germany, Austria or another EU country

It is important to understand that the service is not a substitute for your own decision to buy. You decide which vehicle you want. My job is to check the vehicle and the seller, calculate the costs, negotiate in your interest and organise the complete process until the vehicle arrives in Croatia.

Conclusion

Buying a car from the EU can be an excellent way to find exactly the vehicle you are looking for. But the real work does not end with finding a good listing.

Before buying, you need to check the car, the seller and the documents, calculate PPMV and all other costs, and know in advance what the transport and the procedure in Croatia will look like.

With cars up to 5 years old, especially higher-value vehicles, a few hours of checks before buying can make a big difference to the final cost and the security of the whole purchase.

If you have already found a car on mobile.de, AutoScout24 or another European marketplace, you can send the listing for a check. Based on the specific vehicle, it is possible to assess what needs to be checked, what the expected costs are and how to organise its import to Croatia.

From the first listing to a vehicle ready for registration - turnkey vehicle import.