15 million drivers will have to replace their driver’s licenses. There is a deadline and a higher cost.
For many years, unlimited driving licenses were completely normal in Poland. As long as a driver had no health restrictions, the B-category license obtained once could remain valid indefinitely, with no set expiration date for the document itself.
This changed on January 19, 2013. From that day onward, new driving licenses began to have an administrative expiration date. Now, a similar change will also apply to older license forms that are still in the wallets of millions of drivers.
Unlimited driving licenses will need to be replaced starting in 2028.
The rules are already outlined in the Law on Drivers of Vehicles. Article 124 applies to driving licenses issued up to and including January 18, 2013. These documents must be replaced between January 19, 2028, and January 18, 2033. However, this does not mean that nearly 15 million drivers need to go to the authorities on the first day of 2028.
The law provides for a phased approach to the entire operation. Specific exchange deadlines for individual groups are to be set by the transport minister in a separate regulation. Note: contrary to some media reports, a detailed schedule has not yet been published. A five-year timeframe for the whole operation is confirmed, but there is still no table indicating that documents from a particular year must be exchanged in 2028, 2029, or 2030. The law also allows for the exchange of driving licenses earlier, at the request of their holder.
This does not mean loss of indefinite licenses
Exchanging a document does not mean that someone who received an indefinite category B license will suddenly have to obtain it again. These are two different concepts: the validity of the document and the validity of the license itself.
The Constitutional Tribunal confirmed as early as 2013 that the requirement to exchange an old driver’s license does not revoke the rights acquired previously on a permanent basis. Once the specified deadline passes, it is the document itself that becomes invalid, not the permanently granted right to drive.
The new driver’s license, however, will have a statutory validity period. For the most common categories, such as AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B, B+E, and T, this period is a maximum of 15 years. After that time, the document will need to be exchanged again.
There will be no re-examination or tests
Mass replacement does not mean a return to WORD. Drivers will not have to retake the theoretical or practical exam just because they are using an old unlimited driving license.
Equally important, with a standard replacement of an unlimited document, there is no automatic requirement to undergo new medical examinations. If a driver holds an unlimited driving license, such as for category B, and has no restrictions imposed by a medical report, simply replacing the document does not require another examination.
The situation is different for those whose licenses are time-limited due to health reasons, as well as drivers with professional categories. In such cases, separate rules apply regarding the validity of examinations and specific categories.
How much does it cost to replace a driving license?
A lot of confusion has arisen in recent months. As of October 11, 2026, the current fee for issuing a driver’s license is 100 zł. This rate is also listed on the gov.pl website and is based on the current regulation issued by the Minister of Infrastructure.
The ministry has, however, prepared for an increase. The proposal calls for raising the fee from 100 zł to 115.50 zł for domestic driver’s licenses, and from 35 zł to 40.50 zł for international driver’s licenses. These amounts should not be considered the final, applicable rates yet. The increase to 115.50 zł was planned, but it has not replaced the 100 zł rate as of now.
It is even less certain at this point whether drivers who renew their permanent driver’s licenses between 2028 and 2033 will pay exactly 115.50 zł. There is still over a year before such operations begin, and the fee amount could change during that time.
A photo must be added to the cost
The official fee will require an additional cost for a current photograph. For a standard renewal of an unlimited driving license, applications, a photo, the existing document, and proof of payment will be needed.
A medical examination is not an additional mandatory cost solely due to renewing an old document, provided the current license was previously issued as unlimited and there are no other reasons requiring a medical check.
The specific dates will be known later
The most important date for drivers is January 19, 2028. That is when the statutory period for mandatory renewal begins. However, this is not a new decision made recently. The timeframe from 2028 to 2033 has long been specified in the law on vehicle drivers.
The detailed schedule, which will distribute around 15 million documents across various periods, is the new development. It is intended to take into account factors such as the organizational capabilities of the agencies and the scale of the entire operation. The process should be completed by no later than January 18, 2033. After the deadline set for a particular document, the old form will become invalid, but this does not mean that rights acquired indefinitely will be automatically revoked.
Piotr Sobczyk