null Exchange of foreign driver’s licences not provided for in Conventions on Road Traffic

Announcement

In the period from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, the obligation to replace this document will not apply to persons holding a driving license issued by the competent administrative authorities of Ukraine. In the period from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, driving licenses issued by the competent Ukrainian entity with expired validity period are also considered as valid.

Step by step

Polish translationRussian translationUkrainian translation

 

 

  1. Download, print and fill in the application form and the consent form1. Forms are also available at the office.
  2. Enclose the required documents to the application.
  3. Take with you your identity document and the current driver’s licence.
  4. Go to the district office for your place of residence and submit the application with appendices.
  5. You can book an appointment at the Office via the City of Warsaw's appointment booking system (click on the link rezerwacje.um.warszawa.pl). Remember that booking one appointment only entitles you to do one thing.
  6. The employee will confirm in the system of your permanent or temporary residence. If you do not have a residency registration, you must provide another document that we will verify during our service. Each such case will be considered on an individual basis. 
  7. Collect your Driver Candidate Profile, which is the basis for your registration for the theoretical test at the Voivodeship Road Traffic Centre. The Driver Candidate Profile is issued after the authority has confirmed the data and information contained in your foreign driver’s licence.
  8. After passing your theoretical test, apply to the District Office responsible for your place of residence to enclose proof of payment of the fee and the registration fee for issuing your driver’s licence. Failure to pay the fee will result in your application being left unprocessed.
  9. Collect your new driver’s licence. You will be able to check whether the document is ready for collection at the relevant office or on the website info-car.pl. Take with you your identity document and your current driver’s licence.

Pursuant to §7 of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure and Construction of 24 February 2016 on issuing documents confirming the right to drive vehicles, information on generating a driver candidate profile with a number will be provided to the person to whom the profile applies.

If you use the application attached to this information sheet, for technical reasons you may be required to fill in your application again. The printout must be identical to the application available at the Office.

Follow this link to find out about your rights under the provisions of the GDPR in relation to the processing of your personal data in this case.

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1 If you consent to the processing of contact details. 

The required documents

  1. Application.
  2. Consent to the processing of personal data.
  3. Colour photograph, 35 x 45 mm, taken against a uniform bright background, with a good level of sharpness and reflecting the natural colour of the skin, covering the area from the top of the head to the upper part of the shoulders, so that the face takes up 70-80% of the photograph, showing clearly the eyes, especially the pupils, and presenting the person in the frontal position, without headgear or dark glasses, looking straight ahead with open eyes not covered by hair, with a natural facial expression and closed mouth; the photograph should not be taken earlier than 6 months before the application submission date; a person with congenital or acquired visual impairment may enclose a photograph showing them wearing glasses with dark lenses; in such a case, the person concerned should also enclose to the application a certificate of disability of a person below the age of 16 or a disability degree certificate of a person above the age of 16 due to congenital or acquired visual impairment, issued pursuant to the provisions of the Act of 27 August 1997 on occupational and social rehabilitation and employment of disabled persons (consolidated text of the Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1172, as amended); a person wearing headgear in accordance with the rules of their religion can enclose a photograph showing them wearing headgear, provided that the face is fully visible – in such a case, the person concerned should enclose to the application a certificate of their affiliation to a religious community registered in the Republic of Poland; it is acceptable to enclose a photograph taken with the use of digital technology and recorded on an external data carrier. Check: obywatel.gov.pl.
  4. Photocopy of the current driver’s licence
  5. Translation of the driver’s licence into Polish drawn up or certified by a sworn translator or by the competent consul of the Republic of Poland.
  6. Photocopy of the residence card, visa or other document confirming the right to stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland or a certificate confirming that the person concerned has been studying for at least six months (in the case of foreigners).
  7. Proof of payment of the fee for issuing the driver’s licence and of the vehicle registration fee.
  8. Declaration that the person concerned is familiar with Article 233 of the Penal Code.
  9. Statement made pursuant to Article 11 (1)( 5) of the Act on Vehicle Drivers.

Fees

  1. PLN 100 – fee for issuing the driver’s licence.
  2. The payment of transport-related fees can be made by bank transfer or money order to the bank account of the City of Warsaw for the relevant district, or directly at the cash desk of the district office in charge of the matter.

Where to submit and collect documents

The responsible entity

Reply waiting times

  1. Up to 1 month – in cases which require an investigation procedure
  2. Up to two months – in cases with a high degree of complexity.
  3. The waiting times do not include the date of the event (e.g. filing an application, submitting the proof of payment, etc.)

Appeals procedure

You can appeal against the decision with the Local-Government Appeals Court in Warsaw within 14 days of receiving the decision via the issuing body.

Notes

  1. If you use the application attached to this information sheet, for technical reasons you may be required to fill in your application again. The printout must be identical to the application available at the Office.
  2. Only a person holding a valid foreign national driver’s licence can apply for its exchange.
  3. In the case of exchange of a driver’s licence not provided for in Conventions on Road Traffic, the competent authority issuing the driver’s licence will request the confirmation of the data and information contained in the driver’s licence.
  4. It is not obligatory to verify in the state of issue the driver’s licence a person who has obtained the refugee status, asylum, subsidiary protection, consent for stay for humanitarian reasons or for tolerated stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland, within the meaning of Articles 348 and 351 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 2094, as amended).
  5. A Polish driver’s licence will be issued after the return of the foreign document. The foreign driver’s licence will be sent to the issuing authority.
  6. In accordance with §7 (1) of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure and Construction of 24 February 2016 on issuing documents confirming the right to drive vehicles (Journal of Laws of 2012, item 1005), information on generating a driver candidate profile with a number is provided to the person concerned.
  7. In accordance with §30 (2) of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure and Construction of 24 February 2016 on issuing documents confirming the right to drive vehicles, the existing forms of driver’s licence applications may be used for as long as they are still available, provided that the application is accompanied by statements in the wording specified in this Regulation.

The above information is general, and arises from the applicable legal regulations.
In individual cases, you might be required to provide additional documents or clarifications.

Legal basis