Not every foreign driving licence swaps into a Polish one on a simple exchange. Plenty of drivers only find this out at the counter of the wydział komunikacji (vehicle registration department): the clerk looks at the card, checks it against the list of countries, and says you first have to pass an egzamin teoretyczny (theory exam). From there it gets murky - some kind of PKK, a booking at WORD, tests in Polish.
Let's walk through it in order. Who actually has to sit the theory exam, what a PKK (Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę, the candidate driver profile) is and how to get one, how to book at WORD, which languages are on offer in 2026, and how much the whole thing costs. By the end you'll see the full chain, from lodging your documents to the moment your result lands back in the urząd (office) automatically and your Polish licence is issued.
Who needs the theory exam when exchanging a licence
The theory exam at WORD is only for drivers whose country of issue is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, or whose licence does not match the Geneva or Vienna format. If the issuing country signed the Vienna Convention, the exchange goes through with no theory and no driving test. What matters is the country that issued your licence, not your passport.
So the clerk does not look at your citizenship or where you live now. They look at who printed the piece of plastic in your pocket. Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan are Vienna Convention parties, and their licences are exchanged with no exams. The United States, the UK, India, Canada and a run of countries across Asia and Africa fall outside the 1968 Convention, so a licence from there goes through the egzamin teoretyczny route.
There is one wrinkle. Even if your licence was issued by a Vienna Convention country, an old-format card that does not match the convention's annex can still send you to the theory exam. This is rare, but the clerk is within their rights to require it. That is why we always check the specific document before filing, rather than trusting a blanket "your country is on the list".
Deadlines that matter
You are required to exchange a foreign licence once you have lived in Poland for 185 days. For holders of a karta pobytu (residence card) and long-term residence permits the rule is stricter: the foreign licence stops being valid six months after you receive that status. Drive on it after that and, on paper, you are driving without a licence. So if your country calls for an exam, start early - preparing documents, booking WORD and sitting the test all take time.
What a PKK is and why you need it
A PKK is a Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę, an electronic candidate driver profile. It is not a slip of paper but a record in a state system that pulls together your data: documents, the medical certificate, and later the exam result. Without an active PKK, WORD simply will not book you in - bookings run off the profile number, not your passport.
The logic is this. You lodge a wniosek (application) to exchange at the wydział komunikacji. The clerk opens a PKK for you and hands over its number, usually a long string of digits. With that number you go online to WORD and reserve an exam date. Once you pass, WORD sends the result straight back into the same profile, the urząd sees "zdał" (passed) and issues the licence. There is no need to carry a paper certificate from WORD to the office - it all moves electronically.
How to get your PKK number
The profile is opened by the wydział komunikacji for your registered address (meldunek, address registration), not by WORD. To get it you submit the full exchange package. Here is what to bring:
- Passport - original and copy.
- Karta pobytu or other proof of legal stay.
- Meldunek - confirmation of your Polish address.
- Photo 3.5 x 4.5 cm - recent, light background, in the Polish document style.
- Badania lekarskie - an orzeczenie lekarskie (medical certificate) from an uprawniony lekarz (authorised doctor) confirming no medical bar to driving.
- Sworn translation of the foreign licence - a tłumaczenie przysięgłe (sworn translation) from a tłumacz przysięgły (sworn translator).
- The original foreign licence - it is surrendered to the urząd and you do not get it back.
- Wniosek - the office's application form, filled in.
Once the package is accepted, the clerk generates the PKK. Sometimes the number is issued on the spot, sometimes you are asked to come back or it arrives a few days later. In practice in Mazowieckie it is usually a single visit if the paperwork is clean. The most common cause of a hold-up here is a botched or incomplete translation of the licence and an expired medical certificate. The translation has to be sworn - a plain "agency translation" is refused. If you need a correct tłumaczenie przysięgłe of your documents, we prepare it to the wydział komunikacji's requirements so the profile opens on the first try.
How to book the exam at WORD
WORD stands for Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional road traffic centre. That is where the egzamin teoretyczny takes place. In Warsaw, WORD sits at ul. Odlewnicza 8. For 2026 you book through info-car.pl (the booking portal) or directly on the WORD site, using your PKK number and personal details.
The steps are short:
- Open info-car.pl or your WORD's site, pick "egzamin teoretyczny" and the category (usually B).
- Enter your PKK number and details - the system pulls up your profile.
- Choose the date, time and language from the free slots.
- Pay - online by card or transfer. No payment, no reserved slot.
- Turn up with your passport at the appointed time. You are seated at a computer on arrival.
Slots in Warsaw go fast, especially evenings and weekends. If your country requires the exam, do not sit on the booking - the nearest free date can be two to three weeks out.
Exam language and how to prepare
The egzamin teoretyczny at WORD is officially offered in several languages. The core set is Polish, English and German. Russian and Ukrainian are not always available on a standing basis and depend on the specific WORD and its technical setup, so check the language when you book - you pick it at the moment of reservation and the available options appear in the list. Do not count on your "native language by default"; many people sit in English or prepare in Polish.
How the exam works
The theory test is computer-based. There are 32 questions: 20 from the general part (podstawowej) and 12 from the category-specific part. Some have one correct answer out of three, and some come with video clips of road situations where you answer "tak/nie" (yes/no). Each question carries a points weight. The maximum is 74 points and you need at least 68 to pass. The whole test is timed, and individual questions appear with their own countdown.
Preparation
Prepare from the official question bank - it is the same across Poland and openly available. The web is full of free and paid trainers that drill you on exactly this bank. A tip from practice: even if you sit in English, run the bank in Polish too. In real life the road signs and terminology are Polish, and some of the translated questions are worded awkwardly enough to throw you. Pay special attention to right-of-way at junctions and to signs - that is where people trip up most often.
What it costs
Here is the full cost of an exchange with the exam, so nothing surprises you. Figures are for 2026, in PLN.
| Cost item | Approx, PLN |
|---|---|
| Egzamin teoretyczny at WORD | 50 |
| Polish licence issue (opłata za wydanie) | 100 + 0.50 opłata ewidencyjna |
| Badania lekarskie (medical exam) | 200 |
| Tłumaczenie przysięgłe of the licence | 60-120 |
| Photo 3.5 x 4.5 | 20-40 |
Excluding our fees, that comes to roughly 430-560 PLN, and the exam itself is the cheapest part. A retake costs the same 50 PLN each time. There is no cap on attempts, but every one means a fresh booking and a fresh payment, so it is cheaper to prepare properly and pass first time.
What happens after you pass
Once you pass the theory, almost nothing else is on you. The "zdał" result travels from WORD into your PKK automatically, and the wydział komunikacji sees it in the system. There is no need to fetch a certificate from WORD and carry it to the urząd - that is a common myth.
The urząd then issues the Polish licence. Producing the card usually takes up to nine working days; in practice in Warsaw it is more often one to two weeks. You can track progress online at info-car.pl under the prawa jazdy (driving licence) status. Collection is in person at the wydział komunikacji where you applied. The foreign original stays in the file and is not returned.
If you fail the theory, nothing bad happens to your PKK - it stays active. You just book a new date and retake. The profile lives on until you finish the procedure.
An exchange with an exam is a chain across several urzędy, and at every step it is easy to get stuck on a bad translation, an expired medical certificate or the wrong language chosen at booking. We run this route with clients regularly: we check whether you even need the exam, assemble the package, get the PKK and book WORD for a date that suits you. If you want the exchange done without extra visits and reworks, request a licence exchange with LegalWin.
This is general information and not a substitute for individual legal advice. For your specific case, exchanging a foreign licence for a Polish one in 2026, how to become a driver in Poland and exchanging US, UK and Indian licences via the WORD exam will help you get your bearings, but the decision is best made after we review your documents.