Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Poland: documents, test, time

A foreign driving licence from outside the EU and EFTA lets you drive in Poland for 6 months from the start of your stay; then you exchange it. You pay 100 zł, hand over the foreign document and must live in Poland. If it does not match the Vienna Convention model, you also pass theory and attach a translation.

Who has to exchange a foreign driving licence and when

The basis is art. 14(1) of the Act on Vehicle Drivers (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami). A person with a valid national driving licence issued abroad can, on application, receive a Polish driving licence of the corresponding category, for a fee and after returning the foreign document. The condition is a place of residence in Poland, meaning a stay of at least 185 days in the calendar year (art. 11(1)(5)). The deadline for the exchange follows from another provision: a foreign document from outside the EU and EFTA entitles you to drive in Poland for 6 months from the start of your permanent or temporary stay (art. 5(4)), and after that you need a Polish driving licence.

A driving licence issued in a European Union country, Switzerland or an EFTA country does not need to be exchanged. You drive on it in Poland with no time limit. Similarly, a British driving licence issued up to 31 December 2020 remains valid and you do not have to exchange it.

Two things drivers with a foreign document often forget. First, an international driving permit cannot be exchanged; only a national licence can. Second, you must carry the foreign document while driving: the exemption from this obligation applies only to a Polish driving licence, as we explain in the text on the obligation to carry your driving licence.

Two paths: without a test or with theory at the WORD

Whether a test awaits you is decided by the model of the document. Since 17 December 2025 the criterion is compliance with the model and scope of data set out in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (a change introduced by the Act of 17 October 2025). If your driving licence matches that model, the exchange is purely administrative. If not, two conditions are added: passing the theory part of the state exam and a certified translation of the document.

The test is the same theory that Polish candidates take: 32 questions in 25 minutes, a pass mark of 68 out of 74 points. We describe the procedure in the article on what the theory test looks like. You can take it in Polish, English, German or Ukrainian, and the details are in the text on the theory test in a foreign language.

Which documents to prepare

The list of required documents according to gov.pl:

• a completed application for exchanging the driving licence;
• a current colour photo;
• an ID card or passport for inspection;
• a document confirming your registered address: according to gov.pl an ID card, a residence card or a certificate of registration of residence;
• a copy of the foreign driving licence (you hand over the original when collecting the Polish one);
• a sworn translation, when the document does not comply with the Convention model.

If the foreign driving licence has expired, you add a medical certificate confirming no contraindications to driving. For categories C1, C1+E, C, C+E, D1, D1+E, D and D+E a psychological certificate is also needed, unless your document carries code 95.

How much the exchange costs and where to apply

The fee for issuing a Polish driving licence is 100 zł (PLN) (as of September 2026). If you have to pass theory, there is also the exam fee, set by the regional assembly (sejmik województwa): in Mazovia it is 56.98 zł. Current amounts and the booking procedure are in the text on test fees and booking.

You submit the application at the county office (starostwo powiatowe), city hall or district office for your place of residence. Gov.pl allows the documents to be submitted in person or by post.

The exchange step by step

1. Check whether you need to exchange the document at all: licences from the EU, Switzerland and EFTA, and British ones from before 2021, stay as they are.
2. Gather the documents from the list above. If your driving licence does not match the Convention model, order a sworn translation.
3. Submit the application at the office. The office sends an enquiry to the country that issued the document to confirm the details.
4. If a test is required, the office sets up a driver candidate profile (PKK, Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę) for you. With the PKK number you book the theory part at the WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional exam centre) and pass it.
5. You pay the 100 zł fee.
6. You collect the Polish driving licence at the office or by post. You hand over the foreign document: without returning it you will not get the Polish one.

How long the exchange takes

The office has up to 9 working days from the day it receives confirmation of the details of your foreign driving licence and confirmation of the fee. The catch lies in the first condition. Confirmation of the details by the authority of another country can take even several weeks, and Rankomat describes cases where the whole procedure takes 1-2 months.

You have no influence on this stage, so apply early. If the issuing country does not confirm the details, the office will not exchange the document (art. 14(2e) of the Act on Vehicle Drivers). The same applies when the reply shows that your entitlements have been revoked.

What about a driving licence that has expired

Previously the Act expressly provided for the exchange of an expired document only from EU and EFTA countries (art. 14(2a)). Since 17 December 2025 a foreign driving licence from another country whose validity has expired can also be exchanged, provided the issuing authority confirms the details (art. 14(1a)). In practice this means a longer wait and additional certificates: a medical one for every category, a psychological one for lorry and bus categories.

The probation period after the exchange

Since 4 September 2026 a new chapter of the Act on the probation period has applied. It also covers people who exchanged a foreign driving licence, if less than 2 years have passed since it was issued (art. 91(3) as worded from 4 September 2026). The probation period runs from the day the foreign driving licence was issued, so it covers you until the end of 2 years from that date (when the date cannot be established, from the issue of the Polish document). During this time you drive with a 0.0 per mille limit, and two offences against safety in traffic extend the probation period. The full rules, including the consequences of exceeding 12 points, are described in the article on the probation period for new drivers.

If you have held the foreign document for more than 2 years, the probation period does not cover you.

Ukrainian driving licence: who does not have to exchange

Ukrainian citizens with temporary protection (PESEL UKR) benefit from Regulation (EU) 2022/1280: a Ukrainian driving licence is recognised in Poland without exchange for the whole duration of temporary protection, extended until 4 March 2027. People staying in Poland on another basis exchange the document after 6 months from the start of their stay, without a test, because Ukraine is a party to the Vienna Convention. Professional drivers, for example in passenger transport, must hold a Polish document.

The whole path, from the PKK to the test in Ukrainian, is described in the article on a driving licence in Poland for Ukrainian citizens.

The most common problems with the exchange

A refusal for lack of confirmation of details happens when the authority of the issuing country does not reply or does not confirm the details. The second problem is incomplete categories: you receive a Polish driving licence in the categories corresponding to your foreign entitlements, so if in the issuing country one category covered more vehicles, in Poland you may have a narrower scope. The third is trying to exchange an international driving permit, which cannot be exchanged.

Before you apply, do one thing: compare your document with the Vienna Convention model and establish whether a test awaits you. If so, start studying straight away, because the official verification of your details will take weeks anyway. A mock test with questions in your language, for example tests in Ukrainian, will let you use that time.