Ten clear steps from your first doctor visit to collecting the plastic card, with the real costs, timings and the mistakes that slow people down.
The Polish system looks bureaucratic from the outside, but it is a fixed sequence. Do the steps in order and nothing gets stuck. Here is the whole route for Category B in Warsaw.
1. Medical examination
Visit a doctor authorised for driver candidates. Around 200 PLN, certificate issued the same day.
2. Get your PKK number
Take the certificate, a photo, your ID and proof of residence to your district office, or apply through gov.pl with a trusted profile. The PKK is usually ready within a couple of days.
3. Choose a driving school
Give the school your PKK number and they register you. Ask two questions before paying: does the instructor teach in English, and can you take the state exam in the school car? Both matter more than the headline price.
4. Complete 30 hours of theory
Traffic rules, road signs, right of way, first aid and vehicle basics. Done online in our school, so you can study in the evenings and finish at your own pace.
5. Complete 30 hours of driving
Starting on the manoeuvring yard, then quiet streets, then real Warsaw traffic — roundabouts, trams, bus lanes and the exam routes around your WORD centre.
6. Pass the internal exam
A short theory and practical check inside the school. Passing it releases your PKK for the state exams.
7. Book and pass the theory exam at WORD
Book through info-car.pl or at the centre. 32 questions, 74 of 100 points to pass, 50 PLN, available in English. The result appears on screen immediately and stays valid indefinitely.
8. Pass the practical exam
200 PLN per attempt: manoeuvring yard first, then city driving with an examiner. Failing is common and carries no penalty beyond rebooking — around half of candidates in Warsaw need more than one attempt.
9. Pay for the document
100.50 PLN to your district office. The card is usually ready in one to two weeks and you can track it on info-car.pl.
10. Two years of probation
New drivers have a probationary period: lower speed limits in the first eight months and no zero-tolerance mistakes. After two clean years the restrictions end.
Common mistakes that cost weeks
- Leaving the PKK application to the last moment — the office is the slowest step
- Booking the practical exam before you have driven the exam-area streets
- Studying theory only in Polish when the exam will be in English — learn the English wording
- Taking the exam in an unfamiliar WORD car instead of your school car
If you want the whole sequence handled in English, our Warsaw courses cover every step, including help with the district office paperwork.
Learn to drive in English
Category B courses in Warsaw with English-speaking instructors, online theory and flexible lesson times.
Enroll online