Driving licence in Poland: exchange, obtaining, renewal

Under art. 3 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1280, a valid Ukrainian licence is recognised without exchange, translation or an IDP for the whole period of temporary protection. Protection has been extended until 4 March 2027 (Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1460). This applies to holders of temporary protection (PESEL UKR); outdated 2025/2026 dates still circulate online.

The 31 August 2026 deadline applies only to those whose PESEL was assigned based on a declaration (art. 25 of the act of 23.01.2026, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203). Those who got PESEL based on Karta Polaka or another document have 60 days from the issue of a new travel document (art. 26). From 1 September 2026 the UKR status becomes NUE, meaning loss of legal stay under the special act — and without temporary protection, recognition of a Ukrainian licence ends too.

No. Since 17 June 2024, drivers carrying passengers commercially in cars (taxi, Uber, Bolt) must hold a Polish licence — art. 39a ust. 1 pkt 2 of the Road Transport Act; platforms must verify this (art. 27e). The requirement covers only commercial passenger transport by car: parcel couriers are not affected, and you may drive trucks and buses on a Ukrainian licence, but you need a Polish driver qualification card (code 95).

You cannot exchange a lost document — exchange requires surrendering the original. Art. 6 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1280 gives the state the option to issue a temporary-protection holder a Polish document with code 99.01 after verifying entitlements in Ukrainian registers; following Commission guidelines C/2025/988 the code is issued without an end date. Poland has published no official procedure — ask your local office. Alternative: obtain a duplicate from Ukraine and then drive or exchange it in the standard way.

No — there is no special track for military personnel; general rules apply (confirmed in the 12.07.2026 verification). A valid Ukrainian licence is recognised until 4.03.2027 like for everyone under temporary protection, and exchange follows the standard path of art. 14 of the Driving Licence Act. A practical catch: since 23.04.2024 the Ukrainian consulate does not accept applications from men aged 18–60, which blocks data confirmation for expired licences.

It depends on the office — practice varies (as of 12.07.2026). Warsaw, Kraków (KM-19) and Białystok require a sworn translation; Wrocław runs a separate procedure for Ukrainian licences (case 50888) with no translation on the list, but with mandatory verification via the consulate taking about 3–4 months. Rule of thumb: a translation is usually needed — check your office's requirements before applying.

Since 17.12.2025 (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1676) the criterion of art. 14 ust. 1 is not the issuing country but the document's conformity with the Vienna Convention model and data scope (annex 6). Licences from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and other convention parties generally match the model and are exchanged without an exam — the office makes the final call. A document outside the model is exchanged only after passing the theory part of the state exam.

These are two separate rules. Art. 5 ust. 4 of the Driving Licence Act: you may drive in Poland on a foreign licence only for 6 months from the start of your stay. Art. 11 ust. 1 pkt 5: you can apply for exchange only when Poland is your place of residence — i.e. you stay here at least 185 days in a calendar year for personal or professional reasons (you submit a declaration plus a copy of your residence card/visa). You need not physically wait 185 days — residence status is what counts.

You surrender the original when collecting the Polish document — the office returns it to the issuing authority; outside the EU this goes via the diplomatic mission (art. 14 ust. 1 of the act; § 15 ust. 9 of reg. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1073). Exception — § 15 ust. 10: documents of refugees, people from conflict-affected countries and Belarusians covered by § 14 ust. 12 stay in the case files and are not sent back. You cannot drive on both documents at once.

Under § 14 ust. 1 pkt 5 of reg. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1073: application form, proof of the 100 zł fee, a 35×45 mm photo, a copy of the licence and a sworn or consular translation (not required for documents matching the Directive 2006/126/EC model). Plus a residence declaration and a copy of your residence card or visa (§ 14 ust. 4). For expired licences, data confirmation and a medical certificate are added.

The fee is 100 zł (§ 1 of reg. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 953, since 01.08.2025); the records fee was abolished on 01.07.2023. The office has up to 30 days to decide, up to 2 months in complex cases (art. 35 § 3 of the Administrative Procedure Code); in practice a decision often takes about 2 weeks, plus card production by PWPW. You can track the document status at info-kierowca.pl.

You can appeal a refusal to the Local Government Appeal Board (SKO) within 14 days of delivery of the decision — filed via the office that issued it (Administrative Procedure Code). The appeal is free and needs no lawyer. Watch for a common office error: country lists on many BIP pages are based on a 2006 regulation and miss about 35 newer Vienna Convention parties (e.g. the UK or Türkiye) — in your appeal, cite the current UNTC ratification status.

Yes, a serious one. Art. 41 ust. 6 of the Vienna Convention allows refusal to recognise a licence issued or renewed when the driver already had their place of residence in Poland — and courts apply this consistently (III SA/Lu 679/17). Moreover, in recent rulings III SA/Lu 534/25 (18.12.2025) and III SA/Łd 189/26 (20.05.2026), courts — on prosecutors' complaints — declared even completed exchanges ineffective. The document's issue date versus your relocation date is among the first things the office checks.

Belarusian citizens holding a humanitarian visa (art. 60 ust. 1 pkt 23 of the Foreigners Act) or a temporary residence permit "due to other circumstances" under art. 186 ust. 1 pkt 9 are exempt from confirming their licence data with the issuing country — § 14 ust. 12 pkt 3 of reg. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1073 (in force continuously since 06.03.2025). Their document stays in the office's files and is not sent to Minsk (§ 15 ust. 10). Note: an ordinary work- or study-based temporary permit does NOT qualify.

The legal basis exists: art. 14 ust. 1a (since 17.12.2025) allows exchanging an expired document after data confirmation and submitting renewal documents (medical certificate), and holders of a humanitarian visa or a permit under art. 186 ust. 1 pkt 9 are exempt from the confirmation. Warsaw has a recorded case of accepting expired Belarusian licences (January 2026, Targówek district), but there is no official announcement — it is practice, not a guarantee. Ask your office directly before applying.

This is a real problem: Belarusian authorities demand personal appearance, which is impossible or dangerous for many — the Ombudsman (RPO) flagged this to the Infrastructure Ministry back on 12.08.2024. The Belarusian embassy offers a certificate by mail for 50 EUR; formally such a document is acceptable (§ 14 ust. 10 lets the applicant obtain the confirmation themselves), but this route's reliability is unconfirmed, and for persecuted people contacting regime offices can be risky. Also check whether you qualify for a humanitarian visa or a permit under art. 186 ust. 1 pkt 9 — then no confirmation is required at all.

The standard way: Russia is a Vienna Convention party and the Russian card generally matches the convention model, so a valid licence is exchanged without an exam (art. 14 ust. 1 as amended from 17.12.2025). You submit the application, the 100 zł fee, a 35×45 mm photo, a copy of the licence with a sworn translation, and a residence declaration. There is no special track or restriction for Russian citizens — difficulties start only with expired licences, when data must be confirmed with the issuing country.

The Russian consular section in Warsaw has officially not processed licence confirmation requests since 4 April 2025, and all Russian consulates general in Poland are closed (Poznań 10.2024, Kraków 05.2025, Gdańsk 12.2025). The direct route remains: a certificate from GIBDD or via the Gosuslugi portal — Polish rules accept a confirmation obtained by the applicant themselves or via the issuing country's state portal (§ 14 ust. 8–10 of reg. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1073). Fair warning: response times from Russia are unpredictable and there are no systematic statistics.

Yes — since 17.12.2025 the new art. 14 ust. 1a of the Driving Licence Act (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1676) applies, universal for third countries. Conditions: confirmation of your data and entitlements with the issuing country plus the documents required for renewal — a medical certificate, and for categories C/D also a psychological one. The medical certificate costs a market rate of about 200–300 zł; the psychological test has a fixed 150 zł fee.

The Ukrainian consulate issues licence data confirmation for a 125 zł fee; the official timeline is about 1 month plus delivery, in practice often 3–4 months. Critical restriction: since 23 April 2024 the consulate does not accept applications from men aged 18–60. Their remaining option is obtaining the document directly from Ukraine — Polish rules accept a confirmation obtained by the applicant themselves (§ 14 ust. 8–10 of reg. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1073).

Until 17.12.2025 — no: these countries are parties only to the 1949 Geneva Convention, and the WSA Lublin court (III SA/Lu 718/24, a case about an Algerian licence) held that such a licence is not a document exchangeable under art. 14 at all. Since 17.12.2025 the new wording of art. 14 ust. 1 formally opens a route: a document outside the Vienna model is exchanged after passing the theory exam, with a sworn translation. There is no confirmed office practice yet — do not assume either outcome in advance and ask your local office.

No — gov.pl states it plainly: an international driving permit cannot be exchanged, as it is only a supplement to the national document. An IDP does, however, let you drive in Poland for 6 months from the start of your stay (art. 4 ust. 1 pkt 2 lit. a and art. 5 ust. 4 of the act). After that you need a Polish document — it is the national licence that gets exchanged, not the IDP.

Three: South Korea (agreement of 25.11.1998, M.P. 2016 poz. 973), Japan (agreement of 01.04.2004, M.P. 2015 poz. 1079 — translation required) and Taiwan (regulation of 4.04.2017, Dz.U. 2017 poz. 761). Licences from these countries are exchanged without any exams, and the agreements take priority over convention-based routing. This matters because Japan and Korea are outside the Vienna Convention — without the agreements they would fall under the theory-exam route.

The Driver Candidate Profile (PKK) is an electronic profile in the system, without which you cannot sign up for a course or exam; the starosta issues it free of charge (art. 10 ust. 1 of the act). You need, among others, a medical certificate, a photo and an application — online via info-kierowca.pl (login via login.gov.pl or the eDO App) or in person at the office. Per gov.pl, the profile is sometimes issued on the spot, within 2 days if documents need checking, and up to 1–2 months in complex cases. A PKK is also needed when exchanging a foreign licence that requires the theory exam.

The statutory minimum for an OSK course: 26 hours of theory + 4 hours of first aid + 30 hours of practice (§ 9(1) of reg. Dz.U. 2016 poz. 280, consolidated 2018 poz. 1885); theory can be done externally by taking the state exam directly. Market prices in 2026 run about 3200–5600 zł depending on the city and package (Warsaw is usually pricier). Add the medical exam, exam fees and possible extra driving lessons.

A computer test at a WORD centre: 32 questions — 20 from the general part and 12 category-specific (§ 19 of reg. Dz.U. 2023 poz. 2659). The maximum is 74 points, the pass threshold 68, the time limit 25 minutes (40 minutes for deaf candidates). You cannot go back to the general questions and must answer in real time; the result is shown right after the test.

The theory exam is available in Polish, English, German or PJM (sign language); in Ukrainian — for categories B/B1 (since 01.2024) and, from 16.02.2026, also C/C1. There is NO Russian version. You may, however, take it with a sworn interpreter arranged at your own expense — the interpreter assists until the test starts (§ 18 of reg. Dz.U. 2023 poz. 2659).

Rates are set by voivodeship assemblies (art. 56a of the act), hence the spread: theory 55–59 zł, practical cat. B 222–239 zł, C/D 278–298 zł. Examples for 2025/26: Warsaw 56.98 / 229.99 zł, Kraków 56 / 229 zł, Wrocław 55 / 222 zł, Gdańsk from 01.04.2026 — 59 / 239 zł. There is no limit on attempts, but every retake costs the full fee.

From 3 March 2026 you can obtain category B at 17 (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1676); the course can start at 16 years 9 months. Conditions for a 17-year-old: parental consent, the first 6 months driving only with a supporting driver (min. 25 years old with 5 years of licence), driving only within Poland until 18, plus a 3-year probation period. Other thresholds: AM — 14, A1 — 16, A2 — 18, A — 24 (20 with 2 years of A2), C — 21 (18 with professional qualification), D — 24 (21 with qualification).

Renewal is formally a document exchange: you submit an application with a photo, a current medical certificate (if your medical validity has lapsed) and the 100 zł fee. It takes up to a month; you can apply online via info-kierowca.pl or in person at the office. Don't wait until expiry — driving after it is an offence, although your entitlements themselves are not lost.

Report the loss or damage to the office within 30 days and apply for a duplicate with a loss declaration made under penalty of criminal liability. The fee is 100 zł and the duplicate is ready within up to 9 working days. You can also apply online; track the document status at info-kierowca.pl.

Yes — after a change of the data shown on the document (surname etc.) you must replace the licence via the standard exchange: application, a 35×45 mm photo and the 100 zł fee. It takes up to a month and you can apply online via info-kierowca.pl. You hand in the old document when collecting the new one.

info-kierowca.pl is a PWPW portal launched in May 2026 that replaced esp.pwpw.pl and kierowca.pwpw.pl. It lets you file an e-application for a licence and PKK (login via login.gov.pl or the eDO App), book a WORD exam slot and check the document production status. The info-car.pl service runs transitionally — booking and status checks still work there, and it hosts the official directory of WORD addresses (info-car.pl/infocar/adresy/).

After 6 months of stay, a foreign licence stops being valid in Poland (art. 5 ust. 4), and driving without valid entitlements is an offence under art. 94 § 1 of the Petty Offences Code: a fine from 1500 zł up to 30 000 zł (art. 24 § 1a). The court also mandatorily imposes a driving ban (art. 94 § 3) — the case goes to court, it does not end with an on-the-spot fine. For reoffending within 2 years, the minimum fine is doubled (rules from Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1872).

No — a Ukrainian code 95 is not recognised in Poland, because professional qualification works only within the EU system. To drive a truck or bus you need a Polish driver qualification card: initial qualification or periodic training, after which you receive the professional competence certificate and code 95. Add the examinations: medical (market price around 200–300 zł) and psychological with a fixed 150 zł fee (§ 13 of the reg., consolidated Dz.U. 2022 poz. 165). The shortened "code 95.01" route from art. 4 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1280 formally exists, but Poland's rollout of it is unconfirmed.

You need a PKK number, then book a slot online via info-kierowca.pl (the portal has run since May 2026; info-car.pl still works transitionally) or in person at the WORD. You pay the exam fee per your voivodeship's price list — e.g. theory 55–59 zł, practical cat. B 222–239 zł. Mind the centre names: in Wrocław exams are run by DORD, in Kraków by MORD, in Gdańsk by PORD.