Your driving licence in Poland: nothing to exchange, until it expires

Your Dutch driving licence simply stays valid in Poland. The Polish government says it in one sentence: whoever has a valid driving licence from an EU country doesn't have to exchange it. Exchanging is allowed, for 100 złoty, once you have lived in Poland for at least 185 days. The pitfall is in the expiry date. Once you live in Poland, the RDW no longer renews your Dutch licence, and whoever only starts the Polish exchange after that date needs a medical examination they could have skipped.

Do you have to exchange your licence?

No. Within the EU you generally don't have to exchange your licence when you move, and Poland doesn't require it either. You may only hold one EU driving licence at a time, so a second, Polish licence alongside the Dutch one doesn't exist: exchanging means handing it in.

Your Europe lists the cases in which you do have to exchange: if your licence is lost, stolen or damaged, if you commit a traffic offence in your country of residence, and in countries that require it after two years of residence with a licence without an end date. A Dutch licence has an end date, so that last case doesn't apply to you.

What happens when it expires?

Then there is no way around it. The RDW only renews a Dutch licence from abroad for those living outside the EU and EFTA. If you live in Poland, you exchange it in Poland. Your Europe says the same from the other side: if your licence expires, you renew it in the country where you have your normal residence.

Situation	What you do	Cost	What you bring extra
Valid Dutch licence	nothing, you keep driving on it	none	nothing
Exchanging while it is still valid	application at the starostwo, after 185 days of residence	100 zł	photo, passport, proof of address registration, copy of the licence
Exchanging after it has expired	same	100 zł	also a medical certificate, and for lorry or bus a psychological one
Lost, stolen or damaged	must apply for a Polish licence	ask the starostwo	ask the starostwo

Exchange before the expiry date, not after. As long as your Dutch licence is valid, the starostwo asks for no medical certificate. If it has expired, you first need a medical examiner to certify that your health permits driving, and for categories C and D a psychologist too, unless you have a valid code 95. So put the date on your Dutch card in your diary, especially if your first year in Poland runs into it.

How does the exchange work?

You apply at the starostwo of your district, at the city hall if you live in a city with district status, or in Warsaw at the office of your borough. That can be done at the counter or by post.

You bring: the application form, a recent photo, your passport or identity card, proof of your address registration and a copy of your Dutch licence. The proof of address is the reason the address registration comes first here too; if you aren't registered, the government page refers you to the municipality.

After applying you get a PKK number, the number of your Polish driver profile (Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę): immediately if your application is complete, otherwise within two days, and if something needs to be clarified within one to two months. In the steps after that, the government page also mentions a theory exam at the regional traffic centre (WORD). Ask your starostwo whether that applies to a valid EU licence before you book a date.

The Polish licence is ready within nine working days after the starostwo has confirmation of your Dutch details and your payment. According to the government, checking those can take several weeks, because Poland first asks the Netherlands whether your licence has not been withdrawn or restricted. You only get the Polish licence once you hand in the Dutch one. If the exchange is refused, you have fourteen days to appeal.

What changes with a Polish licence?

From that moment the Polish rules apply, for example on validity periods and medical checks, and no longer the Dutch ones. If you later return to the Netherlands, you exchange the Polish licence there again.

The car itself is another story, with its own clocks: see car and driving licence in Poland. Where the licence falls in your order is in the step-by-step plan for Poland.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Poland or go straight to step 5.1 in the open plan.