Without an orzeczenie lekarskie (medical certificate) the wydział komunikacji (vehicle registration department) will not even accept your exchange application. It is the first document they ask for, and the first place people get stuck: they go to an ordinary GP, get a slip of paper, and it is refused. Or they sit the exam only for category B, then discover their old C or D has simply lapsed.
Let's take the medical side of the exchange in plain terms. Where and how to sit badania lekarskie (the medical examination) so the certificate is accepted first time, which categories carry over from a foreign licence automatically, and which need extra tests and psychotesty (psychological tests). Plus how long the certificate lasts, what it costs, and what most often gets people turned away. If your licence covers a truck or a bus, read closely - that is a separate story.
Do you need a medical certificate to exchange a foreign licence
Yes, an orzeczenie lekarskie confirming no medical bar to driving is mandatory when exchanging any foreign licence for a Polish one. It is issued by an uprawniony lekarz (authorised doctor) on the strength of a badania lekarskiego. A slip from an ordinary GP or a workplace medical is not enough - you need a doctor on the register with the right to issue certificates for drivers.
This is not a box-ticking formality. On exchange, Poland effectively re-confirms your fitness to drive, because it does not know the medical standards of your country of issue. So even a driver with 20 years behind the wheel sits the exam like everyone else.
The key phrase is uprawniony lekarz. Such a doctor is entered in the voivodeship's register (ewidencja uprawnionych lekarzy) and is authorised to issue certificates specifically for licensing purposes. The certificate comes on an official form with a number and a stamp, and the doctor records it in their own documentation. Bring a certificate from a doctor who is not on the register, and the wydział komunikacji refuses it - one of the most common reasons for a rejection at the outset.
Where and how to sit badania lekarskie
You can have the exam at any ośrodek medycyny pracy (occupational medicine centre) or at a private practice where an uprawniony lekarz sees patients. No referral is needed, and you pay on site. A category B exam is usually one visit of half an hour to an hour. No special preparation is required, but bring your glasses or lenses if you use them - eyesight gets checked.
What gets checked
The doctor assesses everything that bears on safe driving:
- Eyesight - acuity, field of vision, colour recognition. If you wear glasses, the certificate carries a note that correction is required, which is normal.
- Hearing - within the range the category needs.
- Neurological status - epilepsy and certain conditions can be a bar.
- Cardiovascular system - if you report symptoms, the doctor may refer you for further tests.
- Diabetes, mental health - where needed, they request documents from your treating doctor.
How the visit goes
You fill in a health questionnaire - honestly. Lie about epilepsy or serious diabetes and have it surface after a crash, and the consequences will be far worse than a note on a certificate. The doctor examines you, refers you to a specialist (ophthalmologist, neurologist, cardiologist) if needed, and only then issues the orzeczenie. In most cases, category B is wrapped up in a single appointment.
Which categories transfer on exchange
On exchange, categories carry over on a matching principle: whatever is open on the foreign licence is entered on the Polish one, provided the medical covers it (and, for the "heavy" ones, the extra tests too). Nothing is added on top - what was open transfers, but every category has to be medically confirmed.
A table makes it clearer. A guide to what transfers and how in 2026:
| Category | What it is | Transfer notes |
|---|---|---|
| A / A1 / A2 | Motorcycles | Transfers on the medical, usually no extra tests |
| B | Cars up to 3.5 t | Basic exam, the simplest case |
| BE | B with trailer | Transfers together with B |
| C / C1 | Trucks | Needs an extended exam + psychotesty |
| CE / C1E | Truck with trailer | As C, with psychotesty |
| D / D1 | Buses | Extended exam + psychotesty, the strictest requirements |
| T | Tractor | Transfers on the medical |
One thing to note: if your foreign licence has C or D open but you only want to exchange B, that is allowed - but you then lose the "heavy" categories and would have to rebuild them through Polish training and exams. So if a truck or a bus is your living, carry them over straight away; do not drop them.
Extra tests and psychotesty for C and D
For categories C, C1, CE, D, D1, and for professional drivers, one medical is not enough. On top of the extended badania lekarskiego you need badania psychologiczne (psychological tests) - the psychotesty. They are run by an uprawniony psycholog (authorised psychologist) at a pracownia psychologiczna (psychological practice).
What psychotesty are
This is not about "talking through your childhood". The psycholog checks what is critical for a heavy-vehicle driver:
- Reaction speed and accuracy - on apparatus, where you respond to stimuli.
- Concentration and divided attention - several tasks at once.
- Coordination - visual-motor.
- Personality traits - risk-taking, emotional stability - through questionnaires.
It usually takes one to two hours. At the end the psycholog issues an orzeczenie psychologiczne (psychological certificate) confirming no contraindications. Without it, C and D are not entered on the Polish licence.
The medical certificate for C and D
The medical for a truck and a bus is stricter. It more often calls for lab results, an ECG, sometimes specialist consultations. The vision and general-health thresholds are higher than for category B. Plan for more than one visit, and do not count on finishing in half a day.
Validity of the medical certificate and cost
A standard orzeczenie lekarskie for category B is most often issued without an expiry, unless the doctor found grounds to limit it. But where a condition is found (diabetes, eyesight problems, age), the certificate is issued for a limited period - say five or two years, or less - with a date for the next exam. For C and D the validity is almost always limited and tied to periodic exams.
For the exchange, one thing matters more: the certificate has to be fresh at the moment you apply. If you sat the exam a year ago "just in case" and only apply now, it may be refused. Have the badania done shortly before you lodge the wniosek (application).
A cost guide for 2026, in PLN:
| Service | Approx, PLN |
|---|---|
| Badania lekarskie, category B | 200 |
| Badania lekarskie, categories C / D | 200-350 |
| Badania psychologiczne (psychotesty) | 150-250 |
| Extra specialist consultations | per practice price list |
All told, for an ordinary category B driver the medical side of the exchange is around 200 PLN. For a truck or bus driver with psychotesty it is closer to 400-600 PLN.
Common rejections and how to avoid them
Most trip-ups at the medical stage are not about health but about paperwork. Here is what we see regularly in Mazowieckie:
- Certificate from a non-authorised doctor. You sat the exam, but the doctor is not on the register, so the certificate is refused. Check the doctor's status in advance.
- Stale certificate. You sat the exam long before applying, and the urząd asks for a fresh one.
- Exam not for the right categories. You sat it for B, but C is still on the licence - the heavy categories are lost.
- No psychotesty for C/D. The medical is there but the psychological one is not, so the category does not transfer.
- A hidden contraindication surfaced later. A condition left off the questionnaire raises questions on re-check.
None of these is about your health - it is pure document logistics. And that is exactly what we take off your plate.
The medical side of the exchange looks like a minor detail until you spend a day on an exam that then gets rejected. We line up an uprawnionego lekarza in advance, add a psychologa for C and D where needed, and make sure the certificate is drawn up correctly and for the right categories. That way you lose neither the truck on your licence nor time on reworks. If you want the exchange done without slip-ups at the medical stage, book a licence exchange with LegalWin.
This is general information, not individual advice. For related topics see exchanging a foreign licence for a Polish one in 2026 and how to become a driver in Poland, and for the legal-driving deadlines, the 185-day rule and fines.