What to do after passing your driving test in Poland? Temporary licence, fee and collection step by step

Passing the exam is only half the journey. Before you collect the plastic driving licence, you need to pay for the document and take care of a few formalities — and the temporary driving licence is valid for 30 days at most. Below we describe what to do, step by step, if you live in Warsaw.

Information current as of 7 November 2026. Fees, deadlines and rules may change, so check the latest information on your district office's website before your visit.

Step 1. Check your temporary driving licence in the mObywatel app

After a passed exam, the result goes to the Central Register of Drivers and the system automatically generates a temporary electronic driving licence. Under Article 5b of the Act on Vehicle Drivers, it is a document confirming your right to drive, and the date you obtained it is the day of the passed exam. mObywatel app users get a notification and can download the document to their phone. It usually happens quickly, but sometimes takes a few hours or longer.

• The document confirms your entitlement until you collect the plastic licence, but no longer than 30 days from the exam date.
• It is valid only within Poland.
• Its validity cannot be extended.
• Minors receive it in the mObywatel Junior app.

Do you need a confirmation of the passed exam from WORD?

Not for the office. WORD forwards the result itself, so you don't need to deliver any certificate to anyone. At the office, what matters is the payment confirmation, and at collection — your ID card. Still, keep the WORD confirmation as proof of the exam date, from which the 30 days of the temporary document and the probationary period are counted.

Step 2. Pay for the licence — PLN 100

The fee for issuing a driving licence is currently PLN 100. The amount may change, so check the current figure on the office's website before paying. You can pay at the district office's cash desk, by card on site (if the office has a terminal or payment machine) or by transfer to the account of the district where you submit the application.

Each Warsaw district has its own account number. In the transfer title, state what you are paying for (e.g. fee for issuing a driving licence) and your full name. Don't put the payment off — the 30 days run from the exam date, and the plastic document is only produced after the payment confirmation is delivered.

Step 3. Deliver the payment confirmation to the district office

After passing the exam you must deliver the payment confirmation to the office — without it the application will be left unprocessed. You can bring it in person or email it to the general submissions address of your district office. From our experience, such an email is perfectly sufficient. In the message, give your full name and PKK number and attach the transfer confirmation. You'll find the address on your district office's website.

Step 4. Collect your licence — how long does it take?

The document should be ready for collection within 7 working days of delivering the payment confirmation. You can check the status at info-kierowca.pl or at the office. Once the plastic card is issued, the temporary driving licence is automatically invalidated.

• Bring your ID card to the collection.
• If you choose postal delivery in the application, the office will send the document at your expense and you will acknowledge receipt.
• An attorney can collect the document. The stamp duty for a power of attorney is PLN 17, and a spouse, parents, children and siblings are exempt.
• You can book your office visit in the city reservation system.

Can I drive after the exam without the mObywatel app?

Yes — not having the app does not in itself take away your entitlement. The temporary driving licence is generated automatically in the system, and the entitlement arises on the day of the passed exam. The mObywatel app is only a way of making this document available on your phone (Article 10a of the Act), and the police can check your entitlements in the central register of drivers.

There is one condition, though: the document must have been generated, meaning the exam result must be registered in the system. If you don't use the app, confirm at your district's transport department that your entitlement has been registered before you get behind the wheel for the first time.

Still, the app is worth having. It shows the temporary document's expiry date and informs you when it is invalidated — a user without the app gets no such information. For the document to appear on your phone, the app must be activated with a confirmed identity (basic certificate or, for students, a student certificate).

What happens after the 30 days run out?

The temporary driving licence cannot be extended, even if the delay is the office's fault. After 30 days, driving is treated as driving without a licence. The case goes to court, a fine of at least PLN 1,500 applies, and the court may impose a driving ban of 6 months to 3 years. A certificate of a submitted application does not replace a driving licence and does not entitle you to drive. That's why you should pay the fee and deliver the confirmation in the first days after the exam.

A 17-year-old after the exam — driving with a supervisor

People who pass the Category B exam at 17 also receive a temporary driving licence, but additional rules apply until they turn 18:

• For the first 6 months after obtaining the licence (no longer than until their 18th birthday) they may drive only with an experienced driver in the front passenger seat. The supervisor must be at least 25, have held a Category B licence continuously for at least 5 years, have no driving ban (nor have had one in the last 5 years) and be sober. They don't have to be a parent.
• After 6 months they may drive alone, but until 18 they may not carry underage passengers without such a supervisor (in a quadricycle up to 550 kg, carrying minors is unrestricted).
• The licence is valid only in Poland, and paid transport of goods and passengers is prohibited.

What's next? Probationary period and licence validity

The probationary period is counted from the day you obtained the entitlement — with a temporary licence, from the exam day, not from collecting the plastic. It lasts 2 years, and for those who passed at 17, 3 years (no longer than until their 20th birthday). During this time a zero-alcohol limit applies, and after exceeding 12 penalty points you must complete training at a driving technique improvement centre.

A Category B licence obtained for the first time is issued for the probationary period (Article 13(1)(1)(b) of the Act on Vehicle Drivers), so after 2 or 3 years it must be exchanged for a new one.

The most common mistakes after passing the exam

• Putting the payment off until the last days.
• Driving without making sure the temporary licence has been generated — visible in the app, or checkable at the transport department without it.
• Travelling abroad with a temporary licence, which is valid only in Poland.
• Counting the 30 days from downloading the document instead of from the exam day.
• No ID card at collection.
• A 17-year-old driving without the required supervisor.

Starting a Category B course in Warsaw?

Good preparation behind the wheel counts from the first day after the exam. At OSK Lauto we run theory online, and driving lessons on the real WORD Bemowo and WORD Odlewnicza exam routes. You can sign up online.

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