Many of us are used to using a car in our daily lives. Shopping, travelling, taking your child to school or kindergarten - it is more convenient and comfortable to use your own car. Of course, all foreigners want to keep this possibility after moving to Poland. For the first 6 months of residence in Poland, a foreigner can use a driving licence issued in his home country. However, at the end of this period he/she is obliged to change his/her driving licence for a Polish licence. The period of stay is counted from the date of obtaining a residence card or from the date of obtaining a long-term visa.
The process of exchanging a driver's licence is not complicated, but it may take a while. The first place to start is to prepare a package of documents:
- To write an application for the replacement of a driving licence. You can pick up the form in advance at Urząd miasta or download it from the website of the administration. Alternatively, you can write the application right before submitting it, using the template on the stand;
- Make a photocopy of your ID card;
- Make a photocopy of your residence card or visa;
- Prepare 1 colour photograph of 3.5*4.5 cm. The photo must be taken not later than 6 months before the date of submission;
- Bring with you the original national driving licence, passport and a residence card for data verification;
- If required, undergo a medical commission / obtain a psychologist's ruling.
There is no need to pass a driving test. However, this applies only to citizens of those countries that have signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (this includes Russia, Ukraine and Belarus).
Attention: open sources on the World Wide Web contain information that holders of blue-coloured Ukrainian licences are asked to pass a theoretical examination when replacing them with a Polish licence. The exchange of pink Ukrainian licence is carried out without taking the test. Unfortunately, there is no official confirmation or refutation of this information.
When everything is ready, you need to apply to the Urząd miasta in your place of residence, to the Wydział Ewidencji Pojazdów i Kierowców department. You can submit the documents without an appointment during the Urząd's opening hours, or you can sign up on the website
www.bip.um.wroc.pl/artykuly/233/rezerwacja-kolejki (for Wroclaw residents).
If you don't know which employee to contact or how to get a ticket for the electronic queue, the phrase "Zmiana praw jazdy" will help you. Now all you have to do is wait to be invited.
When you submit your documents, you will be asked to pay a fee of 100.5 PLN at the cash desk.
Payment is possible both in cash and by card.
By the way, your driving licence will not be confiscated when you apply for an exchange. You have to surrender your licence when your Polish licence is ready and you come to collect it. Don't be frightened, the national licence is not destroyed after withdrawal, but is sent back to your home country to the transport inspectorate office where you obtained it.
Let's return to the procedure for replacing your driving licence. After submitting the application, the licence officer will give you a certificate stating that you have submitted the documents for replacement. We recommend that you keep it and carry it with you. Whenever necessary, you should present the document together with your national driving licence. Otherwise, a police officer may issue a fine for driving without documents if you have been living in Poland for more than six months. Also, in case of insurance claims, you may be refused compensation if you do not have the certificate. Do not take risks!
Replacement procedure
Now be patient, as the procedure of replacing a foreign licence with a Polish one may take several months. This is because Poland requests information about you from the transport inspectorate of your country through the consulate. The driving licence is issued for the same period of time as the national licence.
For example, you obtained a national driving licence in 2015 for 10 years and in 2019 you moved to live in Poland and decided to replace it. Then the new driving licence will be valid until 2025. The only exception is if you are a holder of an indefinite national licence. Then you will be issued a Polish driving licence for a period of 15 years.
Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that as of 4 March 2019, the Polish driving licence will no longer bear the address of the holder's residence in Poland. All previously issued licences will be valid for the period indicated on them. Also, these documents are not subject to mandatory exchange in case of change of residence address or street renaming.
*The required list of documents, approximate cost of fees are indicated at the time of publication of this note.
