How to get a PKK (Driver Candidate Profile) step by step

You set up a PKK (Driver Candidate Profile) free at the transport department for your place of residence, usually on the spot or within 2 days. You first need a certificate from a doctor authorised to examine drivers, a 35 x 45 mm photo, the form and ID. The number goes to your driving school and the WORD.

What a PKK is and why you need it

PKK stands for Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę, the Driver Candidate Profile: an electronic set of data about you, stored in the office's system and marked with a unique number. It is created by the transport department (wydział komunikacji, the unit of the district office that issues driving licences) on the basis of an application for a driving licence. Without this number a driving school will not start your training, and the WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional driving test centre) will not accept your booking for the test.

The profile replaced the paper documents that a learner used to carry between the school, the test centre and the office. Today every institution sees your data by the PKK number: the OSK (ośrodek szkolenia kierowców, the driving school) records the completed training, the WORD records the test result, and on that basis the office issues the document.

You give the PKK number twice: when signing up for a course at the OSK and when booking the state test. Save it on your phone, because you will also need it when booking the test and paying the fee.

In what order to handle the formalities

The order matters. The office will not create a profile without a medical certificate, and the doctor will not issue a certificate without an identity document. Stick to this list:

1. Go for a medical examination with a doctor authorised to examine drivers. You will pay at most 200 zł (PLN) and leave with a certificate.
2. Have a colour photo taken, 35 x 45 mm, the same as for an ID card. Photographers usually know these requirements; the price is around 50 zł (as of September 2026).
3. Fill in the application for a driving licence. You can download the form from your office's website or get it on the spot.
4. Submit the complete set at the transport department for your place of residence. Bring your ID card or passport for inspection.
5. Collect your PKK number. With complete documents you will get it on the spot or within 2 days.

If you are under 18, before visiting the office also obtain the written consent of a parent or guardian. Details below.

Which documents to submit for a PKK

For category B the list comes down to five items: the application, the medical certificate, the photo, an identity document and a document confirming your address. You do not need a psychological certificate. The Act on Vehicle Drivers (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami) exempts categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B, B+E and T from this requirement (art. 11(1)(2)(b)).

What photo for a PKK

The photo for a driving licence has the same parameters as the photo for an ID card. The office will reject a photograph that fails even one condition, so check it before your visit:

• dimensions 35 x 45 mm, in colour;
• the face takes up 70-80% of the photo area;
• a uniform, light background;
• taken straight on, eyes clearly visible, natural expression;
• taken no earlier than 6 months before submitting the application.

Tell the photographer it is a photo for an ID card or a driving licence and you will get the right format. Ask for a digital version straight away. It will come in handy if your office accepts applications electronically.

Where to submit the application: office or online

You submit the application at the transport department competent for your place of residence. Depending on where you live, this will be:

• the district office (starostwo powiatowe),
• the city office of a city with district status (urząd miasta na prawach powiatu),
• a district office in Warsaw (urząd dzielnicy).

What counts is your place of residence, not your registered address (zameldowanie). If you study in another city and live there, you set up your PKK at the office competent for that city.

Some offices accept the application electronically; the method and the form depend on the office, so check your transport department's website before sending anything. According to gov.pl, documents can also be sent by post. Visiting in person is simpler: the clerk sees straight away whether anything is missing and, with a complete set of documents, often creates the profile on the spot.

How much a PKK costs and how long you wait

Creating the profile is free of charge. You pay only for what you bring to the office: the medical examination (up to 200 zł) and the photo (around 50 zł). The 100 zł fee for issuing the driving licence appears only after you pass the test.

The one-month deadline applies to cases requiring clarification, and up to 2 months is an exception when the office needs additional explanations. With a typical category B application, with a correct photo and certificate, such a delay does not happen.

You will find a full breakdown of expenses from the examination to collecting the document in the article on the cost of a driving licence in 2026.

PKK before your 18th birthday

Since 3 March 2026 you can obtain a category B driving licence from age 17. You may start the course 3 months before reaching the required age, and sit the test one month before. This means you can set up a PKK for category B at 16 years and 9 months, because without the profile the school will not start your training.

A minor attaches to the application the written consent of a parent or legal guardian. Some offices have a separate application template for minors, so check your transport department's website. The parent's consent appears in this procedure once more: when starting training at the OSK (art. 21(2)). The WORD does not collect separate consent, it only checks the one submitted to the office (art. 50(2)(8)).

The same rules apply to category AM (from 14) and to A1, B1 and T (from 16). The conditions for a 17-year-old with category B, including driving with an experienced passenger for the first 6 months, are described in the article on getting a driving licence before 18.

Residence requirement in Poland: 185 days and a declaration from 3 September 2026

A driving licence is issued to a person whose place of residence is in Poland. The Act on Vehicle Drivers (art. 11(1)(5)) understands this as staying at least 185 days in each calendar year because of personal or professional ties. This applies to Polish citizens and foreigners alike. Studying in another country does not interrupt residence in Poland within the meaning of the Act (point 5(d)).

You submit the declaration of your place of residence under penalty of criminal liability (art. 11(1)(5)). From 3 September 2026 a deadline and a form are added: you submit it at the latest on the day you collect the document or on the day of the test, with the statutory clause on criminal liability (art. 11(1a)-(1b), introduced by the amendment of 17 October 2025). A false declaration carries criminal liability, so if your situation is unclear, ask at the office before signing.

What next after receiving your PKK number

You have two routes. The first, classic one: you sign up for a course at an OSK, give your PKK number, go through theory, practice and the internal test, and then sit the state test.

The second: you first pass the theory part of the state test at the WORD, without a course. With a PKK number you can book the theory test straight away, at the earliest one month before reaching the required age. Whoever passes the theory at the WORD is exempt from the theory part of the course and from the theory part of the internal test (art. 23a of the Act). A passed theory test is valid indefinitely.

You can prepare for the theory with mock tests based on the official question catalogue. The mock test mirrors the WORD rules: 32 questions, 25 minutes and the same scoring.

Typical mistakes that delay a PKK

• A photo older than 6 months or with a dark background. The clerk will reject it and you come back with a new one.
• A certificate from a doctor without authorisation to examine drivers. An ordinary note from your GP is not enough; the doctor must be entered in the register kept by the regional marshal (marszałek województwa).
• Visiting the wrong office. You submit the application according to your place of residence, not where the driving school is.
• No parental consent for a candidate under 18.
• An unsigned application or no identity document for inspection.

A practical tip: book the medical examination and the photo for the same day, and fill in the application at home. With a complete set of papers, one visit to the office usually ends with a PKK number in hand. On the same day you can sign up for a course or for the theory test.