May persons who have submitted applications for international protection during the procedure take their driving licence examinations in Poland?
Pursuant to Article 12(1) of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of June 28, 2019, on the examination of persons applying for driving licences, training, examination and qualifications of examiners and specimen documents used in these matters:
“The examined person may participate in the state examination if he/she presents one of his/her identification documents valid on the day of the examination:
- identity card;
- residence card;
- passport;
- temporary identification certificate of the foreigner;
- the foreigner’s Polish identity document;
- permission for tolerated stay.”
Accordingly, it is necessary to present one of the listed documents in order to take the state driving test.
Persons who do not speak Polish are entitled to have a sworn interpreter present in the examination room (theoretical part of the examination) no longer than until the start of the test. At the theoretical part of the examination, it is the task of the interpreter to translate the rules of the examination to the examinee. Once the test has started, the examinee is left alone without the support of an interpreter. The test itself can be prepared and completed in English or German. However, it is advisable to contact the traffic centre where the test is to be held and verify the possibility of taking the theoretical part of the test in a language other than Polish. In the practical part, both on the manoeuvring area and in traffic, a sworn interpreter (provided by the examinee himself) may participate in the examination if the candidate is not proficient in Polish to such an extent that the examination can be conducted.
Persons of citizenship other than UA:
These principles are the same regardless of nationality.
In each case, the necessary document will be one from the list:
– identity card;
– residence card;
– passport;
– temporary foreigner’s identity certificate;
– foreigner’s Polish identity document;
– a permit for a tolerated stay.
In the case of a person in the procedure for international protection, it will be a passport or a Temporary Foreigner’s Identity Certificate. In the case of a person without Ukrainian citizenship who is under temporary protection and has obtained a certificate from the Office for Foreigners, it may be a passport or this certificate (it is not mentioned explicitly but acts as a residence card).
Exchange of driving licence
A person holding a driving licence issued by an EU Member State, the Swiss Confederation or an EFTA country does not have to exchange it for a Polish document.
In other cases, the procedure for exchanging the driving licence for a Polish one varies depending on the country which issued the licence.
If the issuing country is not a party to the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic or the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, the exchange of a foreign driving licence for a Polish one is possible only after passing the theoretical part of the Polish state driving test.
When the country issuing the driving licence is a party to the Geneva Convention or the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, the foreign driving licence shall be exchanged without having to pass a national driving test.