Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence?

Can anyone from any country visit poland with their existing driving license, take the polish written test and obtain a polish driving license. I am hoping someone on this forum knows the answer. They are not a resident of poland (they have a U.A.E. passport & driving license) but if they need a polish address they could use mine.

Thanks very much.

PS I have searched through the forum and this topic has been mentioned before
but I am just double checking.....

No they can't. You need a Karta Pobytu (resident's card) before you can get a Polish driving license.

Thanks for the info. That scuppers that plan. The whole problem stems from the fact that they keep moving around - six months in one country and then six months in another. I understand you need to be resident in the UK for three years before applying for a driving licence and was hoping Poland did not have this type of requirement.

Thanks anyway

Poland will accept an international drivers permit along with their native license. We've travelled to Poland many times, renting a car and drivig all over. They'll need to get the international permit before arriving in Poland.

They have a International drivers licence as well as a UAE licence but have to return to the UAE to renew the international licence. It's not a problem in itself but of couse you have to return on a certain date each year so a europe wide licence would be better.

Not true - as long as you're living in the UK, you can obtain a driving licence. There's no systematic register of who lives where in the UK (at least for the moment!) - so a driving licence is easily obtainable by anyone who lives legally in the UK.

Hi all

Some info I have found on eures.praca.gov.pl says something a bit different.
If you will permit me to quote:

Driving Licence

A driving licence issued in an EU member state is valid in the territory of Poland.
To obtain a Polish driving licence an EU citizen should:

1. Reach the age required a given category (16,18, or 21)
2. Obtain a medical certificate stating the absence of health considerations prohibiting driving and a psychologist's certificate on the absence of mental considerations prohibiting driving, if required.

3. Undergo the training required for a given category
4. Pass the national examination required for a given category.
5. Remain in the territory of Poland for at least 185 days in each calendar year in consideration of his/her personal or professional ties, or present a certificate evidencing that he/she has been studying in Poland for at least the past 6 months.

A B category driving license entitles the holder among other things, to drive passenger vehicles. A detailed description of the driving license categories may be found on prawojazdy.com.p and krbrd.gov.pl.

Good Luck and please look into this. From my understanding this, if I were to get a job teaching ESL and can proof that I will be there for more than 185 days and am an EU citizen then I can apply for a licence.

If you have a licence from another country outside of the EU, then an international permit and that country's issued licence, that will permit you to drive in Poland.

The defining factor is that you have to have a PESEL to get a driving licence in Poland - if you don't have this, then you won't get a licence.

I just checked the 1st website and unfortunately I do not read Polish. Unless you do. Maybe someone who does, can provide us a report of the site and give us their opinion as well.

There's not much opinion needed - unless you have a PESEL and valid residence documents, you can't sit any form of driving test in Poland.

The 185 day rule isn't really relevant - it's the ability to give a PESEL that matters.

I got min e without a Pesel. In fact they were happy just to see my passport and evidenc that I lived in POland. Its very difficult to get a PESEL here, one has to live here for some period of time.

How did you manage that? The Poznan WORD won't accept an application without a valid PESEL...

(as for getting one, it's easy!)

I have a PESEL now but thats cos the rules changed. When I first came here it was very diff.

The Pesel problem in poland lies in the fact that the computer systems in this country can't yes process anything without the entering of the PESEL. As soon as it comes to this screen then the computer cannot move forward to the next screen. THis can be remedied by just writing any combination of 11 numbers as the computer cannot recognise whether this is a valid pesel or not, all it sees is 11 digits. The obstacle here is convincing the computer operator to do this for you.

Now the programs are being changed to accept passports so things are becoming easier.

As for the PESEL, the information I have says nothing about it, it just mentions valid address and proof of work. Unless you have an inside source. I have provided info Delphiandomine. Please back up yours, so we all can understand where you are coming from.

It will be greatly appreciated if someone would check the websites I have mentioned and get back to this posting with a report on what is actually needed in documentation. Sorry Delphiandomine, unless you can prove the information I have as wrong, I am going to assume it is correct. That is, until it is proven wrong and it would be nice to have an English translation.

After checking with a test centre in Poland I am still unsure what is acceptable as staying in Poland for 185 days and having a personal contact is. This was the requirement for obtaining a Polish driving licence after passing the written exam for a non european citizen.

Can you just rent a flat for six months for instance and thus qualify as staying for six months and then take the test...

From what I've heard in Warsaw, the lack of a PESEL number isn't a problem but they do want to see proof that you have been in Poland for at least six months (which means either a Karta Pobytu or an EU passport and that pointless registration form).

However, from what I know about driving tests in the Arab world, I'd be surprised if the holder of a UAE license would be able to take only the written part of the Polish test. I'd be expecting them to also have to take the practical test too.

It's straight from Poznan WORD, so it can't really be more authoritative than that. They simply won't accept an application to sit the test if you don't have the number. But of course, other places may interpret it differently.


I wonder if Poland has an agreement with the UAE to allow a year on the UAE licence?


What you've said here actually backs up the PESEL point - to be legally in Poland for 185 days/year, you'll have to prove that you have legal residency. So while you might not actually *need* the number, one will probably be generated for you regardless once you legalise your stay.


Basically, you have to have either the residence card for non-EU citizens or the 5 year EU residency stamp. Renting a flat/etc won't be enough - you'll have to have legal residence in Poland for that period of time.

I'm not sure if they'll be so strict as to enforce the 'you must be here for at least 185 days' rule in terms of sitting the test before 185 days, but you must be here legally and for more than 185 days.

Is it difficult to get a residence card.........and thanks for the info.

Delphiandomine

You still have not offered any evidence to back up your claims. So far you just repeated what I have posted. It in no way, shape or form confirm that a PESEL is needed or referenced to.

The information I have provided in an earlier posting states 'reamining in Poland for at least 185 days in each calender year in consideration of work or personal ties. Nowhere does it state that I will need a PESEL. It just mentions 'To obtain a Polish driving licence an EU citizen should'...

Since I am an EU citizen with an opportunity to work in Poland, enough said. The work opportunity will have me meet the requirements of the 185 days fairly easily. Since I will meet those requirements, then I can go for a driver's licence in Poland.

So please provide evidence to back up your claims insteading of trying to twist other postings to suit your own ends. Until such time, I will take the information I have printed out from the website I have mentioned as truth. And you are able to read that website in regards to what I have mentioned. Nowhere does it state anything about a PESEl.

Why don't you call Poznan WORD and ask them for yourself? The information I have came straight from the horses mouth there.

But other people are suggesting that the relevant residency documents are enough - although anyone with them should have a PESEL generated for them automatically anyway (though I'm not certain if non-EU citizens will have it done?) . The exception may be Polish non-residents - but they'll be obliged to gain an ID card when they move to Poland anyway, thus a PESEL will be generated there too.

Oh, and there's the simple fact that the application form *asks* for it. While individual offices may be doing things differently, it's still asked for officially.


Groan...

You'll have to obtain the relevant residency documents to fufil the 185 days criteria. It's not enough to have a EU passport and a contract for 9 months work - you need to be legally resident in Poland under the 5 year stamp for EU citizens. Once you fufil all the criteria, you'll have a PESEL automatically generated, which will be requested on the application form.


You really don't understand the residency situation, do you?

Poland has a system where you must legalise your stay within 4 days of arrival on the territory of the RP. For EU citizens, this process can be abused because no-one cares less - BUT - certain things depend on having legal residency. You can live and work here happily without having a registered address, but certain things are barred to you, and one of those things is obtaining a driving licence.

You have to be in possession of the EU 5 year residency permit in Poland in order to sit a driving test. You'll only get this once you've been here for 3 months already, and the process can take quite a while as it involves police checks and so on. Once you've done all this, a PESEL will be automatically registered for you - and the driving licence application form explictly asks for it. They may be able to override it - but I stress may, and it'll be up to the discretion of each driving centre. They also won't override the requirement to have valid residency documents - because these are the proof that you've been here for 185 days.


I suggest that instead of relying on websites that may be incorrect, you rely on what they're actually *practicing* in Poland. You certainly won't get very far in Poland by waving English-language information around.

You do also know that Poland has mandatory 30 hours of theory learning and 30 hours of driving practice before you can take a test? Even if you only need the theory part, you'll still have to do the 30 hours before you can take the test.

I quite understand and get it. You are the one that has failed to get. If you check the 2 websites I have provided in a previous posting you will find the information. So far you have not provided the rest of us or me a way of checking into what you have said. So, either provide us a way of verifying your information or just let this go.

Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego w Poznaniu
ul. Wilczak 53
61-623 Poznań
61 829 01 80

Call them and ask them if you need a PESEL to sit a driving test. They'll say 'yes'. End of story.

De facto, someone with the required residency papers will have a PESEL. Why do you keep trying to insist on proof of this? It may very well be that other driving centres (particularly in Warsaw) are being more flexible, but if you can't put a PESEL on the form, then they won't accept it in Poznan.

It used to be like this cos the offices here used to get scared when someone didnt have a PESEL, they simply didnt know what to do. Now people are finally realising that stuff can be done without this pesel and most places will accept just a passpoet or id card number. If you called the office they would indeed say you need a PESEL cos its protocol but if it was pushed they would have to accept the application without the PESEL - thats the beauty of the EU

Procedure for obtaining polish driving license.

(1) Get your your home country national driving license translated to polish.its will cost you between 30-40 zloty its depends on the city where u live.its must be stamp by a sworn translator.

(2) Go to hospital to get a medical certificate from a doctor,i think private hospital is the best place to go.Just talk to of the ladies on the counter that you need for ''WORD" this is the short form (Wojewódzkie Ośrodki Ruchu Drogowego ).They already know what kind of medical examination you need,you should get this document the same day.its will cost you between 60-75 zloty.

(3)Then Go to this office i mention early called "WORD" (Wojewódzkie Ośrodki Ruchu Drogowego ) with someone who can speak polish in other to help you fill the form the application form for the exam,the theory exam will cost you 22 zloty.You need you to ask them from this office if you can take the exam in english,bcos not all of them have the question in English version.if there answer is yes then you should look the English material lesson yourself.They will give you the date for your exam,its usually about 2-3 weeks.This exam is only theory exam.

documents you need to summit at "WORD"

1)Your polish resident card
2)One photo passport
3)Your home country national driving license translated to polish with the original.They want to see the original and return its back to you immediately.

4)Your medical test
5)receipt payment of 22 zloty to bank.

This are the things you need as a foreigner to obtain your polish driving license.You don't need to go to driving school for practical test if you have your country national driving license with you.

Note: its very difficult to get the English version of this driving lesson,even in big cities because the demand is very low.There is paper form you can read,but i prefer the cd material.

If you need the English cd learning material for polish driving test, email me (omodansite@yahoo),i will send it to you to download it through internet ,but it will cost you some money. i have made file in .ISO format.So when u finish download, u just need to open it with your NERO or any other burning software to burn ISO files to cd,very easy or Your can mount with POWERISO,if you are very good in computer its become virtual drive like you have on cd drive.

So total cost for Polish driving license should not be more than 200 zloty,that is around 50 euro,which is not possible in any other European Union country.Its means you can have your European driving license with 50 euro.You need to act fast because the law can change anytime from now,and this procedure might not be possible in next few months 2 come,then more stricter.

does anyone know how to get a polish driving licence without going through the test? please email me on : oldbabu@hotmail, i am willing to pay for it if it is a ligit one. thanks

you have to take 2 tests... sorry...

If you cannot speak,read and write in Polish you will need to provide a sworn translator at the time of your exam.

I can confirm that you need the sworn translator for both parts of the exam unless you can demonstrate to the confidence of the examiners that you know the language.

Incidentally, choosing the English option for the theory test automatically means that you need the translator for the theory.