Before you start

A valid foreign driving licence
PESEL and a registered Poznań 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 Poznania 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 Poznań. 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
Get the Bilet Metropolitalny before you decide you need a car
If your income tax is settled in Poznań or a partner commune, the 30-day zone A pass costs PLN 119 rather than PLN 199, and the annual PLN 949 rather than PLN 1,589. Against city parking and the fair-week gridlock, that changes the arithmetic.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

In Poznań a heavy-goods licence is an economic asset, not a hobby.

The city sits on the A2 midway between Berlin and Warsaw and is ringed by distribution centres. Category C and C+E holders are in genuine demand, and Polish carriers recruit internationally for them. If you already hold a heavy category abroad, the exchange process and the additional professional competence requirements are worth understanding properly rather than letting the licence lapse with the six-month clock.

Source: community-reported, consistent with the regional logistics labour market

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. Poznań has consulted on the idea without adopting one. If you already own an older diesel that is a concrete difference from Kraków, but it is a current position rather than a settled one.

Source: Polish clean transport zone status, 2026

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