Swap your UK, Irish, Ukrainian or other licence at Wydział Komunikacji - or sit the WORD exam if your country isn't on the treaty list
Once you've held a TRC or PR card for 185 days, Poland stops recognising your home-country driving licence. After that, getting caught at the wheel on it costs you 500 PLN plus 6 penalty points, and your insurer will deny any claim. The rules around the swap are not consistent: post-Brexit UK licences exchange straight across with no exam, Irish ones swap automatically, Ukrainian and Belarusian licences swap under bilateral treaty, but every US state licence and every Australian or New Zealand licence forces you through the full WORD theory and practical. We sort the wniosek at Wydział Komunikacji on Aleje Jerozolimskie 28, book the medical, line up the sworn translation and, if your country isn't on the easy list, walk you through the English-language exam at WORD on Odlewnicza 8.
Poland recognises some countries under bilateral treaty (no exam), some under the 1968 Vienna Convention (theory at minimum), and many under nothing at all (full theory plus practical). Here's where each one lands.
Direct swap. Since the 2021 reciprocal DVLA arrangement, UK photocard licences in cat. B exchange for a Polish one with no theory and no practical. The exchange must happen within your first 5 years of Polish residency - after that the deal lapses and you sit the full WORD exam.
Full EU recognition under the Third Driving Licence Directive. You can keep driving on the Irish card as long as it's valid; when you swap for cosmetic reasons or because you're settling in Poland, it's a desk-level transaction at Wydział Komunikacji. No exam in any category.
Bilateral treaty cover. Category B exchanges directly with no exam. C, CE, D and DE need the WORD theory test - available in Polish, Ukrainian or English depending on the WORD location and slot.
No treaty with the federal government and none with any individual state. Full WORD process: theory then practical, both in English if you book at the right WORD. About 140 PLN per attempt. Most American drivers we work with pass theory first try and practical on the second.
No reciprocal agreement. Full theory and practical at WORD, same as the US route. Australian drivers tend to find the Polish urban driving test harder than expected - narrow streets and tram priority catch people out.
Depends on the province. Ontario and Quebec have the strongest provincial-level recognition through informal practice at some Wydziały Komunikacji; expect theory only. Other provinces - full theory plus practical. We check the latest position at the Warsaw office before we file.
Mixed. Vienna Convention or bilateral cover for cat. B - usually direct swap. C and D always require theory at WORD.
No swap at all. You sit the full OSK course from zero, then theory and practical at WORD. We pair you with an OSK that teaches in Arabic or English when one's available in Warsaw.
Treaty countries: 30 to 45 days end to end. WORD exam route: 8 to 12 weeks because of slot availability in Warsaw.
We check your country, category, stay status (TRC and PR cards qualify; tourist or short-stay visas don't), and what's already in your hand. By the end we know whether you're on the direct-swap track or the WORD-exam track.
A tłumacz przysięgły translates both sides of your licence into Polish. Around 80 PLN per side. Wydział Komunikacji rejects DIY translations and accepts only sworn ones registered with the Ministry of Justice.
Cat. 1 (B) or cat. 2 (C/D) orzeczenie lekarskie from a doctor authorised under the Drivers Act. Around 150 to 200 PLN, takes 30 minutes. We book at clinics near Aleje Jerozolimskie so you can file the same morning.
Required for C, CE, D, DE or when the medical doctor flags it. 150 PLN, one hour. Reaction tests, attention split, visual processing. We book this back-to-back with the medical when both are needed.
Aleje Jerozolimskie 28 in Śródmieście - the office most foreigners use. Bring originals, the translation, medical, photo. State fee 100.50 PLN paid on the spot or by transfer. We meet you outside and walk in together.
WORD Warsaw is on Odlewnicza 8 in Targówek. Theory: 32 questions in English, 68/74 to pass, 140 PLN. Practical (if your country doesn't have theory-only recognition): another 200 PLN. English slots book out 4 to 6 weeks ahead - we lock yours in the day after filing.
Wydział Komunikacji texts you when the card is ready. You collect in person; they keep your foreign original and send it back to the issuing authority (DVLA, Ukrainian Service for Transport Safety, etc.). You don't get the old one back.
Starting list. Once we know your country and category, we trim or add to it on the call.
Fixed retainer per stage. State fees, the medical and the WORD exam pass through at cost.
* Above is what LegalWin charges. State fee 100.50 PLN, medical 150-200 PLN, psychotechnika 150 PLN, sworn translation around 80 PLN, WORD exam 140 PLN per attempt (theory) plus 200 PLN per attempt (practical). OSK courses run 1,800 to 4,500 PLN at the school's rate.
Correct, and most British drivers don't believe it the first time. The DVLA and Wydział Komunikacji signed a reciprocal arrangement in 2021 that lets UK photocard licences swap straight across in cat. B. No theory, no practical, no interview. The catch: you must exchange within your first 5 years of Polish residency. After that the door closes and you sit the full WORD test like an American.
Free 20-minute call. We check your country, category and stay status, tell you whether you're on the direct-swap track or the WORD-exam track, and quote you a flat retainer. Treaty countries: 30 to 45 days. WORD route: 8 to 12 weeks.
