Many foreigners driving cars in Poland know that their driving licence needs to be changed. However, information on how and when to do this varies.
On the one hand, everything is simple – collect the documents, submit them to the local Office and get your driving licence. But on the other hand, once you get into the process, you start to encounter various obstacles and difficulties.
There is the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, signed in 1968. All signatory countries recognise each other’s driving licences, which means that a driving licence issued in one country can be used in others.
In addition to the convention signed in Vienna in 1968, there are a number of countries that recognise the earlier Geneva Convention (1949). Signatories to the latter only recognise the international format of national driving licences.
Obtaining an international driving licence is straightforward – simply apply to the traffic police department where you live. They are conditionally issued free of charge (depending on the country, small fees may be charged for the issuance), dealt with quickly and do not require additional tests.
It is legal to use in Poland a driving licence issued in countries that have signed the Vienna Convention. However, in the case of a longer stay (more than 185 days in a calendar year), it is necessary to exchange the driving licence for a Polish one.
It is clear from the above that replacement of a driving licence issued in the signatory states of the Convention is required in the case of residence (staying) in Poland for more than 185 days a year. The question arises as to how exactly these days are counted – total or consecutive?
According to the law, persons “residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 185 days in each calendar year” must exchange their driving licence. As you can see, there is no word “consecutive” or similar in the wording, so the total stay during the year is taken into account.
What happens if you don’t change it?
In the vast majority of cases, the police, when checking the documents, will either not check the foreigner’s length of stay in the country at all, or will hastily count the stay according to the sign of the last entry. But!
In the event of a breach of the requirement to replace the driver’s licence with a 185-day stay, in the event of an insurance incident, the insurance company will have legal grounds to refuse payment.
According to the wording of Article 11(1)(5) of the Act on Driving Drivers, driving licences may only be obtained by persons (among others) who have been warned of criminal liability for false statements/statements of untruths, including a stay of more than 185 days per year.
Where can I exchange my driving licence in Poland?
Local authorities are responsible for exchanging driving licences in Poland. An application for exchange of driving licence must be made at the place of registration with one of these institutions:
Starost’s office.
City office.
District office.
Please note that documents will only be accepted at the place of registration, which means that you must be registered.
Foreign signatories of the Vienna Convention who exchange their national driving licence for a Polish one do not have to pass a theory and practice test.
They only have to confirm that the driving licence is valid and that the details on it correspond to reality, for which an application will be sent to their home country. This point poses some difficulties. This is because the document is not provided by the foreigner, but required by the officials themselves. This can lead not only to additional costs, but also to a longer waiting time for a Polish driving licence. In most cases, the answer comes within 2-6 weeks, but there have also been situations of waiting for many months. It does not matter whose fault it is – the consulate or the local authority to which the application is addressed. In any case, it has an impact on the time spent by the foreigner.
General list of documents for exchange of driving licence to Polish driving licence:
- application for exchange of driving licence.
- current photograph – 1 piece of 35 x 45 mm.
- foreign passport.
- visiting card or visa in passport.
- Proof of registration.
- medical certificate (for specialised transport drivers).
- The original of the existing licence and a copy thereof, together with a translation.
- proof of payment of the required fees.
Application form
The application is drawn up on a specific form. It can be obtained, and a specimen of its completion can be found, directly from the institution of choice. Often the forms are available for download on the websites of municipalities (cities, counties).
Photo
The photo is taken against a white background and the face takes up at least 70-80% of the total photo area. There are many other conditions. To simplify understanding, it should be said that the photo is taken in accordance with the visa rules
Passport and basis of residence
The passport is provided for familiarisation. If there is a visa – it is in the passport itself. The residence card is provided separately.
There are only two points to note. Firstly, none of the documents can be taken away from the foreigner during the processing of the application, but copies can be made. Secondly, the issue of replacing the driving licence during a visa-free stay is ambiguous. In the absence of other prerequisites, which in combination with the applicable ‘visa-free movement’ gives the necessary 185 days, the exchange may be rejected.
Medical certificate
A certificate of fitness to drive is mandatory. The difficulty is that two reports are required: a general medical report and a separate psychological report.
Foreign driving licence and its translation
The law states that it is necessary to provide a copy of the foreign driving licence with a sworn translation.
Application through the consulate on the legality of rights
Once again, the foreigner does not provide this document himself. However, such a request can be made by the official responsible for issuing the permit. On the one hand, the applicant is not interested in the technology of the process – it is not in the competence of the person changing the driving licence to worry about how, from whom and what the local authorities demand.
The cost of changing a driving licence is PLN 100.50. On top of this, there may be the cost of translating documents and confirming the legality of the driving licence.
This is basically all that is known about changing a driving licence in Poland.
