Getting a driving licence in Poland as a Ukrainian resident: the procedure since 3 September

Are you applying for your first driving licence in Poland and finding PKK, OSK and WORD confusing? Each abbreviation belongs to a separate part of the process. Put them in the right order and the route becomes much easier to manage.

1. Start with a map of the process

The local authority creates your Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę, the Driver Candidate Profile known as PKK, and issues the final document after the process is complete. An OSK, or driver training centre, provides training. WORD, the regional road traffic centre, runs the state theory and practical examinations.

You do not handle everything at one counter. The normal sequence is the authority and PKK, learning and training, the WORD examinations, and finally the administrative stage for issuing the licence.

2. Check normal residence and file the declaration

A Polish driving licence is not issued on citizenship, a PESEL identification number or PESEL UKR status alone. The authority also checks whether you meet Poland’s normal-residence condition. This generally means living in Poland for at least 185 days in each calendar year because of personal and professional ties, or intending to remain permanently because of personal ties.

Since 3 September, an applicant must declare, under criminal liability for a false statement, that they have the normal residence in Poland required by the Act. For categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B, B+E and T, you must meet the condition and file the declaration no later than the day of the state examination, personal collection of the document or its planned dispatch by post. The declaration does not replace the 185-day condition, and it does not turn PESEL UKR into automatic proof that the condition is met.

The authority records a paper declaration in the PKK on the day it is filed. An electronic declaration reaches the profile automatically if it carries a signature confirmed by a trusted ePUAP profile, a qualified electronic signature or a personal signature from a Polish electronic ID card. Without one of these signatures, the application has a formal defect and the authority will request that it be corrected.

For proceedings started but not completed before 3 September, the previous statutory rules still govern how normal residence is confirmed. Applications and attachments filed before the change and still pending are treated as meeting the new regulation’s requirements. Old printed forms may be used until 31 December 2026, but the declaration in the new wording must be attached.

You usually apply to the county office, a city office in a city with county rights, or a Warsaw district office responsible for where you live. PESEL UKR may be relevant to your residence situation, but it does not replace every document needed for a driving licence.

3. Arrange the medical check, photo and PKK papers

Before visiting the authority, you will normally need the current application form, a medical certificate from an authorised doctor, a current photograph, an identity document, and evidence concerning your right to stay and normal residence. The exact package may depend on the licence category, your age and your circumstances.

Our PKK document checklist for foreign residents explains the difference between a registered address, legal stay and the 185-day condition. Compare it with the authority’s current service page before you go.

4. Receive the PKK number and choose an OSK

Once the authority accepts the application, it creates the profile and gives you a PKK number. This is not another plastic card. It is the reference used by the authority, your driving school and WORD, so store it safely.

Use the number to enrol with an OSK. Ask about the timetable, teaching language, rules for missed lessons and exactly what the price covers. A school offering support in Ukrainian does not automatically mean that the state examination is available in Ukrainian.

5. Learn the theory and confirm the test language

You can complete theory classes as part of a course or, where your category and chosen route allow it, prepare independently. Learn the current rules, but avoid unofficial translations presented as official state questions. This guide does not translate or recreate examination questions.

Before booking, ask your chosen WORD which theory-test languages are available for your category and date. A particular language may not be offered for every category or at every centre. Our guide to theory-test language options explains what to verify.

6. Complete driving lessons and take the WORD exams

Before the practical test, complete the required practical training at your OSK. Once the necessary information appears in your profile, book the theory and practical examinations with WORD in the order that applies to your route. The booking process is covered in how to register for the theory test.

Bring an identity document accepted by WORD. Its details must match your PKK. Even a different spelling or order of names can cause an avoidable problem at check-in, so ask the authority to correct discrepancies before your examination day.

7. After passing, confirm your entitlement

After a positive result, WORD sends the information through the system. The authority then completes the licence procedure, while you handle any remaining requirement, including the fee requested by the authority.

The common mistake is assuming that a pass result always lets you drive immediately. Do not drive solely because the screen showed that you passed. First confirm through an official service or with the authority that you have a valid entitlement and a document that legally allows you to drive in your circumstances.

Your practical next step is simple: download the current form from the responsible authority and make a separate checklist of your PKK documents.