Most drivers from Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS countries assume that to work long-haul or on a bus in Poland it is enough to exchange the licence. In reality there are three documents, and each covers its own task: a prawo jazdy (driving licence) of the right category, Kod 95 (certificate of professional competence) and a karta kierowcy (tachograph driver card). Without any one of them an employer cannot send you on a run, and ITD will fine you on the road. This article is an overview of the whole route: what you need, in what order, and how much it costs. For the detail of each step we link to separate breakdowns.
In short: what to know in 30 seconds
- Three documents you cannot work as a truck or bus driver without: a Polish licence of category C/CE or D/DE, Kod 95 and karta kierowcy. These are three DIFFERENT things, not one and the same.
- Sequence for a CIS foreigner: legal stay (karta pobytu / PESEL) → exchange the foreign licence for a Polish one → Kod 95 → karta kierowcy → work.
- Total cost of licence exchange, Kod 95 and karta kierowcy for category C/D is roughly 1,600 to 4,050 PLN, excluding legal support fees.
- Timeline from scratch: 2 to 5 months, mainly because of the wait for the licence exchange and the state exam for Kwalifikacja Wstępna.
- For category B (cars, courier delivery up to 3.5 tonnes) Kod 95 and karta kierowcy are not required - only the licence exchange.
The three documents you cannot work as a driver without
These three documents are often confused with one another. The licence lets you drive the vehicle, Kod 95 gives you the right to do it for money as a profession, and the karta kierowcy records your working time in the tachograph. One does not replace another.
| Document | What it confirms | Who issues it | Cost | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prawo jazdy cat. C/CE, D/DE | Right to drive a truck/bus | Wydział Komunikacji | fee 100 PLN; cat. C/D exchange with translation ~180 PLN | up to 5 years (on exchange the expiry date is carried over from the foreign licence) |
| Kod 95 | Right to work as a professional driver in the EU | Wydział Komunikacji (after course) | ~800-3,200 PLN depending on the path | 5 years |
| Karta kierowcy | Recording of working time in the tachograph | PWPW via info-car.pl | 172.20 PLN | 5 years |
Now each step in order.
Step 1. Legal stay and PESEL
Before arranging anything, you need legal stay in Poland and a Polish PESEL (identification number). Without them you will not be issued a PKZ (Profil Kierowcy Zawodowego - professional driver profile), without which you cannot enrol on the Kod 95 course, and your licence-exchange application will not be accepted.
The basic document is a karta pobytu (residence card) or another proof of legalny pobyt (legal stay): a D visa, or PESEL UKR with a meldunek (address registration). Ukrainians under temporary protection use PESEL UKR; others need a karta pobytu or the relevant visa.
If you have only just arrived and legalisation is not yet complete, start with it - we handle the temporary residence permit in Poland end to end. Without this step the other documents cannot be arranged.
Step 2. Exchanging the licence for a Polish one
Under Polish law (Ustawa o kierujących pojazdami, art. 5), a licence issued outside the EU lets you drive in Poland for 6 months from the start of your permanent or temporary stay; after that you may not drive on it. The exchange for a Polish one involves no course and no practical exam. If the licence is defined by the Vienna Convention and matches its model, all categories entered in it, including C and D, are carried over without an exam.
Key figures:
- Fee - 100 PLN (opłata za wydanie prawa jazdy).
- Exchanging categories C/D costs the same as B: about 180 PLN with the sworn translation. A medical and a psychological assessment are not needed for the exchange; you will need them later for Kod 95.
- Timelines: for a Ukrainian licence - 30-60 days, for a Belarusian one - 60-90 days (depending on the reply from the issuing country's interior ministry).
- Ukraine and Belarus are part of the Vienna Convention, so the exchange is done without exams.
We covered the process country by country in three pieces: the general exchange guide, exchanging a Ukrainian licence and exchanging a Belarusian licence. Support is in the wymiana prawa jazdy service.
An important nuance for Ukrainians: with PESEL UKR your valid Ukrainian licence is recognised without exchange or translation until the end of temporary protection (the current term is 4 March 2028), and not only for personal driving. But to work on categories C and D, Kod 95 and karta kierowcy are still required, and for taxi and private-hire passenger transport a Polish licence is mandatory. How the 6 months differ from the 185 days is in our 185-day rule and ITD fines breakdown.
Step 3. Kod 95 - which path is yours
Kod 95 is the entry "95" on the licence (or a separate karta kwalifikacji) confirming you hold professional competence under Directive (EU) 2022/2561. The legal basis in Poland is Ustawa o transporcie drogowym, art. 39a. It is required only for categories C/CE and D/DE; for category B - not.
The path depends solely on the date your category C was first issued (for D the cut-off is 10 September 2008):
- Category C issued before 10 September 2009 → a short Szkolenie Okresowe course is enough: 35 hours, no exam, ~800-950 PLN.
- Category C issued after 10 September 2009 → you need the long Kwalifikacja Wstępna Przyspieszona (accelerated) path: 140 hours plus a state exam at WORD, ~2,500-3,200 PLN.
Kod 95 is valid for 5 years; renewal is via Szkolenie Okresowe (35 hours). Before the course you must set up a PKZ at the Wydział Komunikacji - this requires a Polish PESEL and legal stay. Issuing the licence with the "95" entry costs 100 PLN; a karta kwalifikacji kierowcy costs 150 PLN.
How to pin down your path and complete it is in our breakdown of Code 95: who needs it and how to get it. Support is in the Kod 95 service.
Step 4. Karta kierowcy for the tachograph
The karta kierowcy (driver card) is a personal smart card you insert into the tachograph. It records your time at the wheel, your rest and your breaks. Without it you have no right to start a run in a vehicle with a tachograph, even if the licence and Kod 95 are in order.
Key figures:
- Issued by PWPW (the Polish state security printing works) via the info-car.pl portal.
- Cost - 172.20 PLN, validity - 5 years.
- Timing: for a fully electronic application the card is made within a month at most, plus postal delivery; electronic applications are handled faster than paper ones.
- Since 19 May 2023 a foreigner may apply with a foreign licence (plus proof of its authenticity), without waiting for the exchange to finish.
The application process is covered in detail in karta kierowcy for the tachograph.
How much the whole route costs and how long it takes
Below is a summary of the official fees and courses. Legal support fees are not included here.
| Stage | Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Licence exchange cat. C/D | ~180 PLN (fee 100 PLN included) | UA 30-60 days, BY 60-90 days |
| Kod 95 - Szkolenie Okresowe (short) | ~800-950 PLN + medicals ~350 PLN + licence with "95" entry 100 PLN | 2-3 weeks |
| Kod 95 - Kwalifikacja Wstępna (long) | ~2,500-3,200 PLN + medicals ~350 PLN + test 50 PLN + licence with "95" entry 100 PLN | 7-9 weeks with exam |
| Karta kierowcy | 172.20 PLN | up to a month + delivery |
| Total (short Kod 95 path) | ~1,600-1,750 PLN | ~1.5-2 months |
| Total (long Kod 95 path) | ~3,350-4,050 PLN | ~3-5 months |
The longest part is the licence exchange (waiting for the reply from the issuing country's interior ministry) and the state exam for Kwalifikacja Wstępna. If you arrange things in parallel - for example, apply for the karta kierowcy on the foreign licence while the exchange runs - the total time shortens.
Common mistakes
Thinking Kod 95 = karta kierowcy. These are different documents. Kod 95 gives you the right to work as a driver as a profession; the karta kierowcy records working time in the tachograph. You need both.
Forgetting to exchange the licence. People obtain Kod 95 or a karta kierowcy on a foreign licence and assume they are ready. But a non-EU licence lets you drive in Poland for only 6 months from the start of your stay, and for those living in Poland the "95" entry goes into a Polish licence.
Assuming PESEL UKR = the right to work as a driver. PESEL UKR and a valid Ukrainian licence let you drive without an exchange, but on their own they do not give the right to work on a truck or bus. To work on C and D you need Kod 95 and a karta kierowcy; for taxi and private-hire passenger transport - a Polish licence.
Choosing the wrong Kod 95 path. Paying for the short course even though category C was issued after 10 September 2009. The office enters the required course in your PKZ based on the category date, so pay for training only once the course type is shown there.
Ignoring ITD checks. Since August 2025 ITD has been running mass roadside Kod 95 checks. Fines: the carrier pays 1,500 PLN for a driver without the qualification, the transport manager the same, and the driver 150 PLN for not presenting the document with the entry. The 12,000 PLN figure is the cap on a carrier's total fines from one roadside check. More is in our ITD and BAG fines up to 12,000 PLN breakdown.
When to involve a lawyer
Going through the route yourself is realistic, especially if your Polish is at B1+ and you have time to read Polish instructions. A lawyer or support service makes sense if:
- You are arranging karta pobytu, the licence exchange and Kod 95 at once - as a package it is faster and often cheaper than three separate processes.
- There is a category mismatch between countries or an unclear first issue date for category C.
- A haulage employer wants Kod 95 "yesterday" and the timeline has to be compressed.
- You need remote handling via pełnomocnictwo (power of attorney) - for example, you are currently working in another EU country.
LegalWin is a licensed Warsaw law firm working with CIS drivers since 2019. We run the whole route end to end: legalisation, licence exchange, Kod 95 and karta kierowcy - and we coordinate the steps so they run in parallel rather than one after another. That saves weeks of waiting.
Request help with Kod 95 and driver formalities →
This article is for general guidance. Specific timelines and decisions depend on your situation. For individual cases, consult a lawyer for an assessment.
Related materials:
- Exchanging a licence for a Polish one in 2026 - the first step for a driver
- Exchanging a Ukrainian licence for a Polish one
- Exchanging a Belarusian licence for a Polish one
- Kod 95: step-by-step guide
- Karta kierowcy for the tachograph
- The 185-day rule and ITD fines
- ITD and BAG fines up to 12,000 PLN
- Service: Kod 95 for professional drivers
- Service: wymiana prawa jazdy
- Service: karta pobytu and legalisation