Who can give back the registration document if it is retained during a traffic control, on the grounds that the vehicle is a danger to traffic order?

The question is about the return of a vehicle registration certificate retained during a check when it was found that the vehicle endangers traffic order. The certificate is returned by a unit authorised to carry out technical inspections, after an inspection that corresponds to the reason for the retention - the answer is A.

The Road Traffic Act states that a police officer will retain the vehicle registration certificate if it is found or reasonably suspected that the vehicle endangers road safety or traffic order, breaches environmental protection requirements or does not have a valid technical inspection; in these cases the retained certificate may also be returned by a unit authorised to carry out technical inspections, after carrying out an inspection that corresponds to the reason for the retention, and this unit passes information about the return to the central register of vehicles. The logic is simple: whoever has confirmed that the fault has been repaired "gives back" the document. The municipal police (straż miejska) from answer B has no power either to retain or to return a vehicle registration certificate - this is done by the Police, the Border Guard, the Customs and Tax Service and vehicle inspection stations; the road authority from answer C does not deal with vehicle checks. Today the retention of the certificate takes the form of an entry in the register, and the driver receives a receipt in which the police officer may allow the vehicle to be used for up to 7 days, for example to drive to an inspection station.

Legal basis: Art. 132 para. 1 point 1 letter b, para. 2, 6 and 6a of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)