In Poland, the national driving licenses of all former CIS countries are recognized, as Poland is among the many states that have ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention. Signatories to this convention agree to recognize the driving licenses of other states that have also signed this document.
Therefore, you can safely use your national license in Poland, but only for a period of 6 months. After that, the license must be exchanged for a Polish one.
Who can do replacement of driving licence in Poland?
Below we list some of the most basic conditions that allow for the exchange of your driver’s license:
– Possession of a Polish visa, valid for at least 6 more months;
– Possession of a residence card;
– Legal residence in Poland for 6 months (at least 180 days);
– Possession of a passport from any EU country.
If you have far-reaching plans regarding work and settling down in Poland, and you cannot imagine your life without a car, you definitely need to exchange your license. We say this because when exchanging a driving license, the license issued by your country is annulled.
Therefore, consider this matter carefully. If you plan to stay in Poland for only a short period, then it is not sensible to exchange your license. You need to exchange your country’s driving license for a Polish one after 6 months of your stay in Poland. Of course, we are talking about legal residence in the country.
When you get your new license, you will need to surrender your old one, issued by your country. When exchanging a driving license, you will receive a European standard Polish license without having to retake any exams or tests.
Why exchange a driving license?
If you drive for more than 6 months on your own license, for example, a Ukrainian one, and you are stopped by the traffic police, in principle, nothing special will happen. This is because the traffic police officer will not be able to understand from your documents how long you have been in Poland.
However, nothing will happen until you need to use your insurance. For example, in the event of an accident. Your rights at the time of the insurance event will be considered invalid and you will not receive compensation from the insurance company.
And in any situation of violating traffic rules, the fact that your license has not been replaced with a Polish one can serve as an aggravating circumstance when issuing a fine. Remember that for violating traffic rules in Poland, you can not only be fined large sums, but also be imprisoned.
Therefore, we advise you to take care of your documents in advance so that they do not raise any questions from the traffic police officers.
What documents do I need to exchange my driving licence?
To undergo the procedure of exchanging a driver’s license, you need to visit the city office (Urząd miejski) in the area of your registered residence. The following documents are required on the day of your visit to the office:
– A valid international passport;
– A residence card (if available);
– Your national driving license;
– A sworn translation of your license into Polish (if the license does not have information in Latin script);
– A 3.5*4.5 cm photo (taken according to the same rules as for a visa or residence card);
– A medical certificate (issued once a year after passing a driving commission in your country). If it’s expired, you’ll need to undergo a similar commission in Poland;
– Proof of your Polish residence registration.
If you wish to exchange your license based on an EU passport, in addition to the above, you will need documents for obtaining mandatory residence, insurance, and Polish residence registration.
Stages of exchanging a driving licence in Poland.
Initially, it’s necessary to determine which Urząd miejski is appropriate for your registered residence and visit it. Check with the office whether you need to make an appointment with an inspector, or if it’s enough to just arrive and join the electronic queue. Due to the pandemic, many offices are only accepting documents sent by mail.
Stage 1
At the office, you need to pick up a form for the license exchange and fill it out (or find the current form online). A sample form for completion is also available at the office.
Stage 2
Submit all your documents and the filled-out form to the inspector.
Stage 3
The inspector will direct you to pay a government fee of 100 PLN.
During this waiting period, the inspector will request verification from your home country regarding the legitimacy and authenticity of your driving license. This process often gets prolonged as consular officials of your country may take time to respond to inquiries from Poland.
This inquiry could be chargeable, depending on whether your country’s consulate charges for such a service. For example, the Ukrainian consulate has already declared this service to be paid.
Stage 4
Surrender your national license to the inspector. It will be sent back to your country for annulment.
Stage 5
Actual receipt of your new European standard driving license. Before receiving the license, you will need to pay a fee for the plastic card production – 50 PLN.
Deadlines for issuing a Polish driving licence.
The driving license is issued for a period similar to the existing license. The duration of the entire process depends on how quickly the police in your home country respond, where you originally obtained your license.
Usually, it takes from 1 to 2 months, sometimes even longer.
