A foreigner and a driving license in Poland - legal aspects.

As specified in the Road Traffic Act, a driving license may be obtained by a person who has been staying in the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 185 days in each calendar year due to their personal or professional ties, or who presents a certificate that they have been studying here for at least six months. Therefore, in accordance with the content of Art. 90 of the Act, a driving license may be obtained by a person who:

• has reached the age required for a given category;
• obtained a medical certificate that there are no medical contraindications to drive a vehicle and a psychological certificate that there are no psychological contraindications to drive a vehicle, if required;
• completed the training required for a given category;
• successfully passed the state examination required for a given category;
• has been staying in the territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 185 days in each calendar year due to personal or professional ties, or presents a certificate that he or she has been studying for at least six months.

The requirement to stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland was introduced by the Act of October 29, 2005 amending the Act on road transport and certain other acts. On the other hand, pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 21 January 2004 on the issuance of driving licenses, a person applying for a driving license submits a declaration of meeting the condition referred to in Art. 90 sec. 1 point 5 of the Act, and the foreigner also attaches to the application a photocopy of the residence card, residence visa or other document confirming the right to stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland, or a certificate that he or she has been studying here for at least six months.

A foreigner and a driving license in Poland - practical aspects.

By now, we already know what legal requirements a foreigner must meet in order to obtain a driving license in Poland. But what does the whole procedure look like in practice?

To begin with, it should be emphasized that the prices of driving license courses currently range from PLN 1,900 to even PLN 2,500. Only selected centers offer driving license courses with English or German as the language of lecture. If a given center does not provide for such a possibility and the course is conducted only in Polish, the foreigner should be accompanied by an interpreter during the entire course. The exam itself, both theoretical and practical, does not differ from the one taken by Polish citizens. The scope of the material and the database of questions remain the same. It is worth emphasizing that a foreigner can take the theoretical exam in English or German, while during the practical exam, he or she must be accompanied by a sworn translator entered on the list of sworn translators by the Minister of Justice. We recommend that it is a translator who already has extensive experience in the field of driving exams.

Naturally, as in all matters related to the legalization of stay and work of foreigners, also in the case of assistance in obtaining a driving license, please contact our Law Firm!