Poland Driving Theory Test Study Guide 2026

How to get a car licence in Poland

In Poland the car licence is called prawo jazdy kategorii B. You can get a Polish licence if you have lived in Poland for at least 185 days and are old enough. The minimum age for category B is 17.

Licences are issued by your county office (starostwo powiatowe), or by the city office if you live in a city with county rights. In Warsaw you go to your district office. The state tests are held at a regional road traffic centre (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, WORD).

1. See a doctor who is authorised to examine drivers and get a medical certificate (orzeczenie lekarskie).
2. Hand in your application at the county or city office with the medical certificate, a current photo, your ID or passport and proof of address.
3. Receive your PKK number (Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę). This is your personal candidate profile.
4. Prepare for the theory test with a driving school course or on your own, then pass it at the WORD.
5. Do your practical training at a driving school.
6. Pass the practical test at the WORD. The WORD tells your office the result.
7. Pay the licence fee and collect your licence.

If your application is complete, the PKK is usually created straight away. If the office must check your data, it can take longer. Candidates under 18 need written consent from a parent or legal guardian.

The gov.pl service page lists a fee of 100 zł for issuing the licence. Test fees are paid separately to the WORD. After payment, the office normally makes your licence within 9 working days.

The theory test (egzamin teoretyczny)

The theory test is taken on a computer at the WORD. It has 32 questions and lasts 25 minutes for one licence category. The questions are drawn from an official bank supervised by the Ministry of Infrastructure and are based on real traffic situations.

Questions are worth 3, 2 or 1 point depending on how important the topic is for road safety. Because the pass mark is 68 of 74, you can lose at most 6 points. Two wrong 3-point answers already use up the whole margin.

• Questions appear one after another in random order.
• If you skip a question, you cannot go back to it.
• If you take the test for more than one category on the same day, you sit a full test for each category.
• You must pass the theory test before you can book the practical test.

Young and new drivers

Since 3 March 2026, young people can get a category B licence at 17. They need written consent from a parent or guardian and must pass the same course and tests as adults.

• Until age 18, a holder may drive only in Poland.
• For a period after getting the licence, a young driver must have an experienced adult companion in the car. The companion must meet conditions set by law, including having held a licence for several years and being sober.
• New drivers start with a probation period (okres próbny). The basic period is 2 years from the day you get your licence.

Speed limits

These are the general speed limits for cars in Poland. Signs can set lower or, on some roads, different limits.

Until 2021 the limit in built-up areas rose to 60 km/h at night. Since 1 June 2021 it is 50 km/h at all times.

Keeping your distance on motorways and expressways

On motorways and expressways the minimum gap to the vehicle in front, in metres, is half your speed in km/h. At 100 km/h you need at least 50 m; at 120 km/h at least 60 m. The rule does not apply while you are overtaking.

Alcohol, lights, phones and equipment

Poland has one of the strictest alcohol limits in Europe. From 0.2 per mille of alcohol in the blood you are breaking the law and can face a fine and a driving ban. Above 0.5 per mille the offence is far more serious and a prison sentence is likely. The safest choice is not to drink at all before driving.

• Lights: drive with dipped headlights or daytime running lights at all times, day and night, all year.
• Seat belts: everyone must wear one, in the front and the back.
• Phones: you may use a phone only with a hands-free kit. Holding a phone while driving is forbidden.
• Children: a child shorter than 1.5 m must travel in a suitable child restraint.
• Equipment: every car must carry a fire extinguisher (gaśnica) and a warning triangle. You can be fined if they are missing.

Emergency corridor and zipper merge

Since 6 December 2019 two rules help traffic flow and save lives.

Emergency corridor (korytarz życia)

When traffic slows down or stops on a road with two or more lanes in your direction, make space at once so rescue vehicles can get through. Drivers in the leftmost lane move left. Drivers in all other lanes move right. On a three-lane road the corridor opens between the left lane and the middle lane.

Zipper merge (jazda na suwak)

Where a lane ends and traffic is queuing at the narrowing, vehicles must take turns, one from each lane. Neither lane has the right to block the other: let one car in, then go yourself.

Pedestrians and parking

Since 1 June 2021 you must give way to a pedestrian who is entering a pedestrian crossing, not only to one already on it. This does not apply to trams. When you approach a crossing, slow down and watch the crossing and the area around it.

• Pedestrians may not use a phone or other device in a way that limits their awareness while stepping onto or crossing the road or tram tracks.
• Where there is no pavement, pedestrians walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Outside built-up areas after dusk, pedestrians on the road must wear reflective elements.
• In paid parking zones, display your ticket behind the front windscreen.
• Do not stop in a disabled parking bay unless you have the right to use it, or in front of gates and garage entrances.

Road signs and priority

Poland uses the same sign shapes as most of continental Europe: red-bordered triangles warn, red circles forbid, blue circles give orders and blue squares or rectangles give information. You drive on the right, and at junctions without signs you give way to traffic coming from your right.