Driving in Poland

To make your trip to central Europe as safe and effortless as possible, we’ve put together a guide to everything you need to know before you go, from required documents to rules of the road.  

Driving a rented vehicle? Jump to the advice for driving a hire car in Poland section.

In Poland, RAC European Breakdown Cover (Basic and Comprehensive) provides a wide range of benefits to ensure you stay safe. 

To supplement this, RAC also offers travel insurance. Cover will include medical expenses, baggage, personal money and belongings, among many other benefits.

• Need single trip European Breakdown Cover? Get a quote from just £6

Need short-term car insurance for your vehicle? Our temporary cover is perfect if you're looking for flexible insurance for between 1 hour and 30 days.

In an emergency

112 - Here's a really important bit of knowledge; you can dial 112 from anywhere in Europe and an operator will connect you to an emergency service in the country you're visiting. 

Operators can answer your call in their native language, English or French. 

Visitors must be aged 18 or over and hold a full, valid driving licence to legally drive in Poland. Riders of motorcycles up to 125cc must be aged 16 or over. 

Driving licences issued in EU and EEA countries are accepted. International driving permits are recognised, but not required.

Vehicles from the UK can be temporarily imported into Poland for up to six months in any period of 12 months. In order to stay on the right side of the law, the following documents should always be carried:

• Full, valid UK driving licence
• Proof of ID (passport)
• Motor insurance certificate
• V5 registration document

Do I need a GB or UK sticker for driving in Poland?

Since 28th September 2021, the distinguishing mark (or national identifier) displayed on vehicles registered in the United Kingdom that are driven abroad has changed from GB to UK.  

This means that vehicles registered in the UK must display the letters “UK” when driven in Poland.   

The identifier can be incorporated in vehicle number plates (along with the Union Flag) or as a separate sticker. Note that vehicles featuring the letters GB together with the Council of Europe golden stars are no longer valid for driving abroad.

If your vehicle does not have the UK identifier within the number plate, you will require a UK sticker when driving in Poland. GB stickers will no longer be valid from the end of September.

Do I need an insurance green card?

From 2nd August 2021, drivers will no longer require an insurance green card for taking their vehicles to Poland.

ETIAS – 2025

ETIAS stands for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It is a visa program for visitors who don’t need a Schengen visa, who want to travel to the European Union and a few other European countries.

Visitors who purchase an ETIAS will be able to enter the 26 member states of the Schengen Zone as well as Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Romania.

This will be launching in 2025. Learn more about ETIAS here.

In addition to essential documents, motorists are also required by law to carry the following items to avoid hefty on-the-spot fines:

• Warning triangle (compulsory in every vehicle with four wheels or more)
• Headlamp beam deflectors (depending on your car, you will either need deflector stickers or have to adjust the beam manually)
• Crash helmet for motorcyclists or moped riders and their passengers (a child up to the age of seven may ride a motorcycle or moped as a passenger without a helmet if the speed does not exceed 40km/h)
• Reflective jacket (although not mandatory to carry, you could be fined for walking on the side of a road outside a built-up area at night or in reduced visibility if not wearing one)
• Fire extinguisher 

Our European driving kit has all the essentials you need for driving in Poland. If you’re camping, a Camping Card International could also be useful as it gives you additional proof of identity, third party liability insurance, plus discounts at a wide range of campsites and tourist attractions.

Is there anything that I shouldn’t take with me?

Be aware that you cannot take the following with you into Poland:

• meat or products containing meat
• milk or dairy products

You cannot take the following unless you pay to have them inspected before you leave and get a ‘phytosanitary certificate’:

• fresh fruit (apart from bananas, coconuts, dates, pineapples and durians)
• vegetables
• plants
• plant products

Overtaking and passing

In Poland, motorists drive on the right and overtake on the left. If you intend to overtake or change lanes, you should indicate.

Overtaking is forbidden in several situations including:

• In the face of oncoming traffic
• At intersections
• At bus stops, tram stops and railway crossings
• At uncontrolled pedestrian and cycle crossings
• Where overtaking is not possible without risk
• Drivers must overtake trams on the right and can use any part of the road provided for trams. However, they should ensure it is free as soon as any vehicle on rails approaches. 

If motorists are approaching a tram stop without pedestrian islands, they should stop to ensure passengers can move safely between the tram and pavement.

Who has priority?

In general, traffic from the right has priority in Poland. One exception to this rule are vehicles on rails, which take precedence over all other traffic.

Vehicles already in roundabout traffic also have right of way over those approaching, while drivers should give way to any emergency vehicle with blue flashing lights and a two-tone siren.

Warning of approach

Use of the horn is forbidden in towns, except in cases of immediate danger.

Towing in Poland

Caravans, camper vans and luggage trailers can be temporarily imported without customs documents. However, to assist customs officers, you must have a list in duplicate of the contents.

The following dimensions for vehicles with trailers must not be exceeded:

Height: 4m
Width: 2.55m
Overall length: 18.75m

Polish seat belt law

If seat belts are fitted to your car, they must be worn by both drivers and passengers.

The fine for failing to wear a seat belt is set at 100 PLN (£20*). 

Traffic lights

The international three-colour traffic light system is used in Poland.

At a red light accompanied by a green light, drivers can turn in the direction of the arrow but must give way to pedestrians and other road users.

Poland uses the metric system for all road signs, meaning speed limits and other road signs including distance are indicated using kilometres and metres.

Speed restrictions apply to certain classes of vehicle, including coaches and vehicles with trailers, so check before travel. 

Motorways have a minimum speed limit of 40km/h.

Speeding fines in Poland depend on the speed at which offenders are caught and the road on which they’re driving. 

They range from 57 PLN (£11*) for breaking the limit by less than 10km/h in a built-up area to 1,520 PLN (£300*) for exceeding it by more than 51km/h on a motorway. 

Speed camera detectors

If you have a GPS navigation system that shows you where any fixed speed cameras are, you must deactivate this function. It's illegal to carry or use any radar detection equipment when driving through Poland.

The driver of the vehicle is responsible for ensuring that all children are wearing a seat belt or appropriate restraint.

Car seats

Children under the age of 12 and less than 150cm in height must be restrained by a seat belt adapted to their size or seated in a special seat. If the car is equipped with airbags at the front, it is prohibited to place a child in a rear-facing seat on the front passenger seat.

Bike helmet law

Cycle helmets are not compulsory in Poland. 

Camper vans and cars with caravans are not allowed to exceed 18.75 metres in length, 4 metres in height and 2.55 metres in width.

Loads mustn’t exceed 11.5 tonnes at the driving axle and 10 tonnes at a single axle.

Please note: The Department for Transport advises that A-frames are not legal for use by UK campers and caravanners abroad. In practice, this could mean towing your car while it’s fixed to a trailer.*

On-the-spot fines

Polish police are able to hand out on-the-spot fines to motorists who have violated traffic regulations. 

Minimum and maximum fines

Fines depend on the offence committed, ranging from 57 PLN (£11*) for a minor speeding offence to 1,460 PLN (£285*) for driving through a red light.

For certain, more dangerous offences such as driving under the influence of alcohol, the fine could be fixed at a higher amount and your licence suspended. 

Regulations

Parking regulations in Poland follow the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic.

Drivers should not park or wait up to one minute in locations where they could cause an obstruction or endanger other road users.

Parking meters are used in many towns across the country and a fee should be paid in Warsaw between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00 on Monday to Friday. Many supervised car parks are also available and charges vary.

Enforcement of parking regulations

Any cars causing an obstruction may be towed away and impounded, while wheel clamps are also used in the country.

Disabled parking access 

Motorists with a disabled driver’s badge are entitled to special parking concessions. They can park their vehicle in areas where parking is normally restricted or prohibited.

The disabled badge must be displayed behind the windscreen of the vehicle.

Legal limit

The maximum level of alcohol in the blood allowed is 0.02%. Every driver over the limit is considered incapable of driving any vehicle. 

Drink-driving test

The police may carry out random breath tests. A test is compulsory in the case of a serious motoring offence or after an accident that has resulted in injury.

All motorways in Poland have tolls imposed. The cost varies according to the type of road, distance travelled and the emissions category of the vehicle.

An electronic toll system is in place for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Lorries, coaches and cars towing caravans must be equipped with an electronic device known as the viaBOX.

Availability of fuel

Unleaded petrol, diesel and LPG are readily available throughout Poland.

There are filling stations in all towns and large villages. Most are open from 08:00 to 19:00. In large towns and along international routes, petrol stations are open 24 hours a day.

In larger urban centres, there is also a growing network of electric charging points.

Fuel prices in Poland can be found in our up-to-date European fuel prices page.

Not all of the information in the guide above will be relevant to those looking to rent a hire car in Poland. Though it might be a good idea to read through everything anyway, here are the most important things to know for drivers of rental vehicles:

Rental information

• The minimum age to hire a car is 21, although this may vary depending on the vehicle type
• You need a full, valid UK driving licence and usually a second proof of ID (passport)
• Car rental companies ask that you have held your licence for a minimum term of 1 year
• Some companies may require you to use a credit card for deposit
• You may not be able to drive outside of Poland unless planned in advance - check with your hire company first
• Make sure you get car hire excess insurance before your trip to protect yourself from unexpected costs. It's almost always cheaper to do this with a separate insurer and in advance

Hire car driving tips

• The Polish drive on the right - the opposite to the UK
• The national speed limit on motorways in Poland, unless otherwise indicated on local signage, is 140km/h (87mph). On a main road outside a built-up area it's 90 km/h to 120km/h (according to local signs). For built-up areas it’s 50km/h (between the hours of 05:00 and 23:00) or 60km/h (between the hours of 23:00 and 05:00).
• Dial 112 in an emergency
• If seat belts are fitted to your car, they must be worn by both drivers and passengers.
• The blood alcohol content limit for drivers of private vehicles is 0.02%. That's lower than the all nations in the UK.

UK Government travel advice

See up-to-date travel advice