Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Poland

Q: What it costs and how long it takes

The fee for issuing a Polish driving licence is PLN 100. The office issues the document within 9 working days — but counted from when it receives confirmation of your foreign licence data. That confirmation from the issuing country alone can take several weeks. The foreign document must be handed over to the licensing authority — you will not receive the Polish one until you do (Art. 14(1)).

Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Polish one: when a translation is needed

Before ordering a translation of your driving licence, check one thing: quite possibly you do not need one at all. Whether a translation and theory test are required depends on whether the issuing state is party to a road traffic convention. Below: exactly what the rules say — and what that means for drivers from Ukraine.

Key facts

A translation and theory test are required only for licences outside the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna conventions. [19]
Licences from the EU, Switzerland and EFTA/EEA are exchanged without translation or test. [19]
The rules require no apostille or legalisation of the licence for the exchange. [20]
The Polish licence costs PLN 100. [22]

First check whether a translation is needed at all

The Act requires a theory test and a translation ONLY if the foreign licence is NOT specified in the road traffic conventions: Geneva of 19 September 1949 or Vienna of 8 November 1968 (Art. 14(1) of the Act on vehicle drivers). [19]
Ukraine is party to the 1968 Vienna Convention — it ratified it on 12 July 1974. Other parties include Kazakhstan, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. [21]
In practice this means a Ukrainian licence matching the convention model is exchanged WITHOUT a theory test and WITHOUT the translation under Art. 14(1). The condition concerns the document model — if your licence does not match it, the general rules apply again. [19]
Separately, a licence issued on the model in Annex 1 to Directive 2006/126/EC or Annexes 1 and 1a to Directive 91/439/EEC — the standard “EU” document — is exempt from translation. [20]
The test and translation requirement does not apply to licences issued in an EU state, Switzerland or an EFTA state party to the EEA Agreement (Art. 14(1), last sentence). [19]

Who may certify a driving licence translation

If a translation is required, it must be made or certified by a sworn translator OR the competent Polish consul (§ 6(6) of the regulation). [20]
Mind the form: a copy of the translated document is an integral part of the translation submitted and is permanently attached to it. A translation without a permanently attached copy does not meet the requirement. [20]
For persons served through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the translation may also be certified by a duly authorised official of a diplomatic mission, consular office or special mission (§ 6(7)). [20]
The Act uses the term “authenticated translation”, not “sworn” — the circle of authorised persons is set only by the regulation. In practice the office expects a sworn translator or a consul. [19]
You can check a Polish translator’s credentials on the Minister of Justice list — by language, city, voivodeship or seal number. [9]

What it costs and how long it takes

The fee for issuing a Polish driving licence is PLN 100. [22]
The office issues the document within 9 working days — but counted from when it receives confirmation of your foreign licence data. That confirmation from the issuing country alone can take several weeks. [22]
The foreign document must be handed over to the licensing authority — you will not receive the Polish one until you do (Art. 14(1)). [19]

What an apostille does NOT do here

Neither the Act nor the regulation requires an apostille or legalisation of the licence for the exchange. What is required is a copy of the document and — where applicable — a translation. [20]
This is an important difference from diplomas and civil-status records, where an apostille is often mandatory. Do not order an apostille “just in case” — the rules do not provide for one for driving licences. [20]
The document’s authenticity is checked another way anyway: the office issues the Polish licence only after receiving confirmation of your foreign licence data. [22]

Based on the official sources listed below (as of August 2026). The exchange is decided by the vehicle licensing department for your place of residence — confirm the documents there before ordering a translation. We do not accept documents for translation.

Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Polish one: when a translation is needed

Key facts

First check whether a translation is needed at all

Who may certify a driving licence translation

What it costs and how long it takes

What an apostille does NOT do here

Request to sworn translators

Are you a sworn translator?

Sources