If you have temporary protection in Poland (UKR status), your valid Ukrainian driving licence is recognised without exchange, translation or an international permit for as long as the protection lasts, currently until 4 March 2028. If you do not have it, for example because you have moved to a CUKR card or another residence permit, the general rule applies: a Ukrainian licence is valid for 6 months from the start of your residence, and after that you need a Polish one. The exchange costs 100 PLN at your district office, and because Ukraine is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention, there is normally no theory exam.
Below: which rule covers you, what changed in the exchange procedure on 17 December 2025, the shortcut for professional drivers, and how long it takes in Warsaw. The general exchange rules for all countries are in our licence exchange guide.
Which rule applies to you
| Your status in Poland | Can you drive on the Ukrainian licence? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary protection (UKR status in the PESEL register) | Yes, until the protection ends (now 4 March 2028), without a translation or international permit | Exchange is optional. Carry the plastic licence, not only Diia |
| CUKR card | Temporary protection lapses once you are granted a temporary residence permit, and the CUKR card is one. In our reading, the EU recognition rule no longer covers you and the 6-month rule applies | Exchange soon. The law does not say from which date the 6 months run in this situation, so do not count on the full period |
| Other temporary residence permit (work, studies, family) or a visa | For 6 months from the start of your residence (art. 5 ust. 4 of the Act on Vehicle Drivers) | Exchange within those 6 months |
| Refugee status, subsidiary protection, humanitarian or tolerated stay | 6 months, as above | Exchange without confirmation from Ukraine; your licence stays in the Polish file instead of being sent back |
The temporary protection rule comes from EU Regulation 2022/1280, art. 3: valid Ukrainian licences are recognised while their holders enjoy temporary protection, and no translation or international driving permit may be required. The current end date of protection, 4 March 2028, was set by Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912. The Polish special act on assistance to Ukrainians, and the 2026 act winding it down (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203), contain no driving licence rules of their own.
The CUKR point comes from art. 109b of the Act on granting protection to foreigners, added by that 2026 act: temporary protection expires when the foreigner is granted a temporary residence permit. We have found no official guidance on how this interacts with the EU regulation, so if you already hold a CUKR card, treat the exchange as urgent.
The 185-day condition
To be issued a Polish licence you must live in Poland at least 185 days in each calendar year (art. 11 ust. 1 pkt 5). You confirm it with a written statement under criminal liability; since 3 September 2026 you can sign it as late as the day you collect the Polish licence. You also show a document confirming your right to stay: a residence card, a visa or another document, or a certificate that you have been studying in Poland for at least six months. The 185 days are a condition for the exchange, not a deadline; the deadline is the end of your right to drive on the Ukrainian licence. More on this in our article on the 185-day rule.
Exam or no exam
Since 17 December 2025, art. 14 ust. 1 of the Act on Vehicle Drivers requires a theory exam and a sworn translation only when the foreign licence "nie jest zgodne ze wzorem i zakresem danych wymaganych w konwencji" (does not match the model and data required by the 1968 Vienna Convention). Ukraine ratified that convention in 1974. A Ukrainian licence that matches the model is exchanged without any exam, with the categories it carries; the practical exam is never required for an exchange.
If the office does decide that your document does not match the model:
- the theory exam at WORD Warszawa costs 56.98 PLN for category B in 2026;
- it can be taken in Ukrainian for categories B and C, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure's reply to a parliamentary question of 17 December 2025;
- since 18 February 2026 you do not need a medical certificate to sit the exam when you are exchanging a valid foreign licence.
Professional drivers: exchange without confirmation from Ukraine
Normally the Polish office asks the Ukrainian authority that issued the licence, or Ukraine's embassy, to confirm its data (§ 15 ust. 8 of the 2025 regulation on driving licence documents). There is an exception that matters for many Ukrainians. A licence issued in a country where an armed conflict is under way is exempt from that confirmation, and from being sent back, if the driver proves current or past work as a driver for a company running road transport in Poland, for example with an employer's statement or an employment contract as a driver (§ 14 ust. 12 pkt 2).
The exchange does not give you the right to work as a professional driver by itself. For lorries and buses you also need the Kod 95 qualification; see our Kod 95 guide. Taxi and ride-hailing work has its own requirements, covered in our taxi licence article.
Documents for the exchange in Warsaw
The City of Warsaw's procedure page lists:
- the application for a driving licence (wniosek o wydanie prawa jazdy);
- a colour photo, 35 x 45 mm;
- a residence card, visa or other document confirming your right to stay, or a certificate of at least six months of studies;
- a copy of the Ukrainian licence, with the original shown;
- a sworn translation into Polish, where required;
- the statement on living in Poland (185 days) and the statement on criminal liability;
- proof of the 100 PLN fee;
- a power of attorney, if someone files for you (17 PLN stamp duty unless it is a close relative).
Copies certified by the clerk cost 5 PLN per page. A Diia screen is not a document for the exchange: the law speaks of handing in the foreign document, and EU Regulation 2022/1280 (art. 7) does not cover Ukrainian electronic licences whose authenticity cannot be checked. Keep the plastic card.
How long it takes in Warsaw
You file at the delegatura of the Biuro Administracji i Spraw Obywatelskich for the district where you live, with a visit booked in the city's reservation system. Then:
- The office asks Ukraine to confirm your licence data. gov.pl warns that confirmation can take "even several weeks". You can shorten this by bringing the confirmation yourself: the regulation accepts one presented by the applicant, including a document issued by Ukraine's diplomatic mission (§ 15 ust. 9-10).
- Once the file is complete, the city's stated times are up to 9 working days to prepare the licence, up to 1 month if the case needs clarification, and up to 2 months for particularly complex cases.
- You check readiness in the Info-Kierowca service on the government e-services portal or at the office.
- At collection you hand in the Ukrainian licence. It is sent to the Ukrainian authority through Ukraine's embassy (§ 15 ust. 9), unless you are in one of the exempt groups above.
A refusal can be appealed within 14 days to the Samorządowe Kolegium Odwoławcze in Warsaw, through the district office that handled the case. The appeal is free.
Driving while the exchange is pending
The Ukrainian original stays with you until you collect the Polish licence, so you can keep driving, but only while your right to drive on it lasts. Filing the application does not extend the 6 months. Driving after your right has ended counts as driving without a licence: under art. 94 of the Code of Petty Offences the fine is at least 1,500 PLN, and a driving ban is mandatory.
Expired Ukrainian licence
Since 17 December 2025 an expired foreign licence can also be exchanged (art. 14 ust. 1a). The issuing authority must confirm the data, and you add the documents needed to extend the licence: a medical certificate and, for categories C and D, a psychological one. You do not have to renew the licence in Ukraine first. If the original is lost, see our article on lost and expired licences.
Mistakes we see
- Getting a CUKR card and assuming the licence is still covered by the temporary protection rule.
- Showing only Diia at a police check.
- Filing in the last week of the 6 months and waiting several weeks for Ukraine's answer while the right to drive runs out.
- Professional drivers not bringing the employer's statement, and waiting for a confirmation they did not need.
- Taking a Kod 95 course before checking that the licence itself will be exchanged without problems.
How we help
We prepare the application and statements, arrange the sworn translation, obtain the confirmation of your licence to bring to the office where that speeds things up, and file the application for you under a power of attorney; you collect the licence in person. Licence exchange is from 1,800 PLN; the final price depends on whether a WORD theory exam is needed. The 100 PLN state fee and the translation are paid separately. A consultation costs 300 PLN and is credited if you order the service.
Arrange your Ukrainian licence exchange →
This article is informational and reflects the rules as of October 2026. The interaction between the CUKR card and EU Regulation 2022/1280 has not been clarified officially; check your situation before relying on the Ukrainian licence.
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