Before you start

A valid foreign driving licence
PESEL and a registered Łódź address
A sworn translation by a tłumacz przysięgły
A PKK candidate profile, if a theory exam is required

Step-by-step

1
Check whether the exchange applies to you at all
EU and EEA licences are mutually recognised and need no action ever. Non-EU licences stop being valid in Poland six months after you take up residence, whether or not you have driven.
OnlineWho: You
2
Commission a sworn translation
Only a court-registered sworn translator produces an accepted document. An ordinary professional translation, however good, is refused at the counter — the most common cause of a failed application.
In personWho: YouTypically PLN 60–150
3
Apply at the city driver records department
The Urząd Miasta Łodzi handles licence exchange with your licence, the sworn translation, a photograph, PESEL and proof of address.
In personWho: YouPLN 100 for the Polish licence
4
Take the theory exam if your country is outside the conventions
The city first generates a PKK candidate profile; only then can you book at WORD Łódź. The theory test is available in English and the Polish highway code differs enough from most countries that studying it is not a formality.
In personWho: You
5
Hand in the original licence
The foreign document is surrendered and returned to the issuing authority. You cannot hold both, which matters if you expect to move on again.
In personWho: You
6
Price the tram pass against the car honestly
PLN 140 a month for the MPK network, less with a Karta Łodzianina, against fuel, insurance and paid parking across most of the centre. In a flat city with a dense tram grid this is a closer contest than it looks.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence
Sworn Polish translation
PESEL confirmation and proof of Łódź address
Photograph to Polish specification
Medical certificate, where required by category or age

Things most newcomers don’t know

No clean transport zone here — Warsaw and Kraków are the only Polish cities with one in 2026.

Warsaw's zone moved to its second, stricter stage on 1 January 2026 and Kraków's took effect the same day. Łódź has not introduced one and has not scheduled one. If you already own an older car, that is a concrete difference from Kraków — but the legal power to create a zone exists and city positions change, so treat it as the current state rather than a guarantee.

Source: Polish clean transport zone status, 2026

Łódź is flat, gridded and built for a bigger population, which makes it the easiest big Polish city to drive in.

The city was laid out as an industrial grid in the nineteenth century and then given wide arterial roads in the twentieth, and it now has a fifth fewer people than at its peak. There is no medieval core to squeeze through and no river valley to funnel traffic. If you are moving from Kraków or Warsaw the difference in daily driving stress is immediately obvious.

Source: community-reported

The sworn translator requirement is the single most common rejection.

A tłumacz przysięgły is a court-registered profession with a ministry number and a physical stamp. HR departments and translation agencies produce excellent documents that are nonetheless not accepted, because the requirement is about the translator's legal status rather than the quality of the translation. It costs under PLN 150 to do correctly.

Source: gov.pl — exchange of a foreign licence

The six-month clock runs from residence, and insurance is the real exposure.

Once your foreign licence has lapsed for Polish purposes, you are driving without a valid licence in the eyes of an insurer as much as a traffic officer. A claim on a policy where the driver was not validly licensed is where this becomes expensive, and it happens long before anyone stops you at the roadside.

Source: Polish road traffic law

Common mistakes to avoid

Submitting a translation that is not from a sworn translator.
Letting the six-month window close and exposing yourself on insurance.
Booking a WORD exam before the city has issued your PKK profile.
Assuming the theory exam is a formality — the Polish highway code differs substantially.
Buying a car before checking whether your building has any parking at all; most central tenements have none.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.