Check the PRA, owner, documents, revisione and the car's condition. How to complete radiazione, transport and registration of a car from Italy.
An Italian car may appeal because of bodywork free from winter corrosion and generous equipment. Yet a different detail determines whether it can be exported: whether the car can be properly removed from the Italian registers. Radiazione is not a formality that can always be completed after departure without consequences. It belongs in the plan before any deposit is paid.
The PRA checks the car's legal layer
Italy's Pubblico Registro Automobilistico records ownership and legal events. Before signing, obtain a visura PRA and compare it with the Documento Unico di Circolazione e di Proprietà, the VIN and the seller's identity. Look for liens, administrative restrictions and continuity of ownership.
When buying from a dealer, ask for an invoice that identifies the vehicle precisely. In a private sale, do not accept an explanation that the person named in the document is a relative who will “sign it later”. Cross-border registration requires a complete chain of ownership.
Revisione is a checkpoint, not the car's full technical story
The Portale dell’Automobilista lets you check records of revisione inspections from the available period. Compare the mileages and dates with the service records. However, the record will not show every service or the car's current condition.
For cars from southern Italy, check the interior and paint for UV damage, as well as the air conditioning, seals and tyres. In northern regions, by contrast, do not assume there will be no corrosion. The technician must inspect the underbody, leaks, brakes, suspension, bodywork and diagnostics and conduct a road test just as thoroughly as in any other country.
Radiazione per esportazione needs its own plan
The Italian system requires removal from the ANV/PRA register for permanent export. The official ACI guidance states that this is normally completed before the vehicle is actually exported. The application involves the registration plates and the relevant documents, typically the Documento Unico or older documents depending on the vehicle's age.
Before buying, establish whether the seller, an agency or the buyer acting under a power of attorney will arrange the radiazione, where the process will be completed, and which document you will receive for use in Poland. Do not leave original documents without a receipt with an unknown intermediary.
Driving back or using a transporter
Italy does not offer a foreign buyer a single universal, risk-free model of temporary export plates that works in every situation. A transporter is therefore often more predictable. If the car is to be driven back, temporary registration, insurance and transit must each be verified separately.
Include the distance, tolls, fuel, accommodation and a time reserve for Italian offices in the calculation. A car is not cheaper merely because its advertised price is EUR 1,000 lower.
Completing the transaction in Poland
The car is not administratively ready simply because it has crossed the Polish border. Customs duty is generally not due on a used car from the EU, but the buyer must deal with Polish excise duty, registration, insurance and, where applicable, a technical inspection or translations. The AKC-US declaration is normally filed within 14 days of the tax liability arising, and the tax is paid within 30 days. An application to register a car imported from an EU Member State must be submitted within 30 days of import.
VAT cannot be determined merely from the fact that the car is described as used in an advert. Under EU rules, a vehicle is new if it has travelled no more than 6,000 km or was supplied within six months of first registration. It is used only when both opposite conditions are met. For a dealer invoice, the VAT scheme applied also matters. Keep the radiazione confirmation and check whether the technical data in the Documento Unico or CoC are sufficient for the Polish authority.
A Polish administrative step cannot make up for a missing Italian document. Before paying, therefore, check that the purchase document, foreign registration certificate, any deregistration confirmation and the technical records form an unbroken chain for a single VIN.
Italian red flags
You are told that a visura PRA cannot be obtained. The seller is not listed in the register. The radiazione is supposed to take place only after departure, without a clear power of attorney. The car has a recent revisione, but the mileage sequence does not add up. Or the price is conditional on a cash payment outside the invoice. Each of these points increases the legal or tax risk.
FAQ
What is a visura PRA?
It is an extract from Italy's public vehicle register that helps verify the owner and the vehicle's legal status.
Does the revisione show mileage?
The available records can help establish a mileage sequence. They are not a complete service or technical history.
When should radiazione per esportazione be completed?
The official procedure links it to permanent export and normally provides for it to be completed before the vehicle is physically exported. Recheck the precise conditions.
Is it better to drive the car back or use a transporter?
Because of the distance and temporary registration, a transporter is often more predictable, but the answer depends on the specific documents and insurance.
Primary sources
- ACI — exporting a car abroad — radiazione per esportazione, documents and plates
- ACI — purchasing a used vehicle — PRA, ownership and legal status
- PUESC — AKC-US — declaration within 14 days and payment within 30 days
- Polish Ministry of Infrastructure — vehicle registration — the 30-day deadline and registration framework
- Your Europe — VAT when buying or selling a car across borders — new versus used vehicles for VAT purposes
