E-scooters in Poland: minimum age, licence rules and fines (2026)

You can ride an e-scooter from age 13; this age limit has applied since 3 March 2026. A rider aged 13-17 needs a cycling card (karta rowerowa) or a driving licence of category AM, A1, B1, T or B, and from 18 no document. A child under 13 may ride only in a residential zone under adult supervision.

From what age can you ride an e-scooter

Since 3 March 2026 the minimum age is 13 (art. 8(1)(10a) of the Act on Vehicle Drivers (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami), as amended by the act of 17 October 2025). Before that the limit was 10. The amendment raised it by three years, so a twelve-year-old who was still legally riding on a cycle path in February 2026 can no longer do so from March.

A child under 13 may not ride an e-scooter on the road. The exception is a residential zone: there riding is allowed only under the supervision of an adult (art. 33d of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)).

The definition itself is narrow. An e-scooter is an electrically powered, two-axle vehicle with handlebars, without a seat or pedals (art. 2(47b) of the Road Traffic Act). A design with a seat or pedals does not fit this definition.

What entitlements you need: table by age

Legal basis: art. 7(1)(2) of the Act on Vehicle Drivers. Category B joined this list on 3 March 2026, together with the lowering of the minimum age for that category to 17. An adult does not need any entitlement, so an AM licence is not required for an e-scooter. AM is useful for a teenager who, instead of a cycling card, prefers to get a category AM licence from age 14 and ride a moped as well.

Cycling card: who issues it and how much it costs

The cycling card is issued free of charge by the head teacher of a primary school (to pupils of that school) or by the director of a WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional driving test centre) or of an accredited driving school (art. 17 of the Act on Vehicle Drivers). Conditions: consent of a parent or guardian and a passed skills check. The procedure looks like this:

1. A parent or guardian signs the consent.
2. The pupil passes the skills check.
3. The head teacher issues the card free of charge.

If the teenager is no longer a primary school pupil, what remains is a card from a WORD or an accredited driving school, or alternatively an AM licence from age 14. The cycling card also entitles you to ride a bicycle, for which the minimum age is 10.

Helmet compulsory from 3 June 2026 for anyone under 16

From 3 June 2026 a person riding a bicycle, an e-scooter or a personal transport device who is under 16 must wear a protective helmet (art. 33(1b) of the Road Traffic Act). The provision was added by the amendment of 17 October 2025 and came into force 6 months after its publication on 2 December 2025.

A guardian who lets a child ride without a helmet is liable to a fine of up to 100 zł (PLN) (art. 89a of the Code of Petty Offences (Kodeks wykroczeń)). From 16 the helmet remains voluntary.

Where you may ride and how fast

The order is set by art. 33a of the Road Traffic Act:

1. A cycle path or a cycle lane, if they exist.
2. The carriageway, when there is no cycling infrastructure, but only on a road with a speed limit of up to 30 km/h.
3. The pavement or a footpath, exceptionally: when there is no cycle path or lane and the limit on the carriageway is above 30 km/h. On the pavement you ride at a speed close to walking pace and give way to pedestrians (art. 33c).

The maximum speed of an e-scooter is 20 km/h (art. 20(6)(4)). The official question catalogue tests exactly this. Question 13530 asks whether you may ride on the carriageway at 30 km/h, and the answer is no. Question 13615 confirms that a footpath may be used exceptionally.

What you must not do on an e-scooter

The prohibitions come from art. 33a-33c and art. 45 of the Road Traffic Act and keep coming back in test questions:

• carrying a passenger, an animal or a load; question 13604 asks directly about a passenger, and question 13531 about a child up to 10 in a zone marked with a sign, and in both the answer is no,
• towing and holding on to other vehicles,
• using a phone that requires holding the handset or microphone in your hand (question 13535),
• riding on the carriageway where the limit exceeds 30 km/h, apart from the pavement exception described above.

Alcohol on an e-scooter: 1000 zł or 2500 zł

The fines tariff provides for a 1000 zł fine for riding a non-motor vehicle after consuming alcohol, and 2500 zł for riding in a state of intoxication. These rates apply to an e-scooter rider. The state after alcohol consumption starts at 0.2 per mille in the blood or 0.1 mg per 1 dm3 of exhaled air, which catalogue questions also ask about.

If you already have a driving licence or are applying for one, the rules on fines and the consequences of offences for drivers are described in the article on penalty points and losing your licence.

Fines for e-scooters: table from the fines tariff

Amounts from the regulation on the level of fines imposed by way of penalty notices (Dz.U. 2021 item 2484), as of September 2026:

On top of this comes the fine of up to 100 zł for the guardian of a child without a helmet, mentioned above.

E-scooters in driving licence test questions

If you are studying for the theory test, the e-scooter keeps coming back in questions from the basic knowledge part. When overtaking an e-scooter in a car, you must keep a distance of not less than 1 m (questions 13146 and 13170, worth 3 points each). Other questions concern speed on the carriageway, a passenger, a phone in hand, exceptional use of a footpath and signs that restrict which part of the road you may use (question 13786).

These questions land in the randomly drawn set just like any other, so practise them in a mock test under WORD conditions: 32 questions, 25 minutes, time limits per question.

A practical tip for parents: before you buy your teenager an e-scooter, check three things. Are they 13, do they have a cycling card or an AM licence, and do they have a helmet if they are under 16. Without the first, riding on the road is prohibited, and for a missing helmet the guardian pays the fine.