Both Ukrainians and Poland drive on the right hand sight of the road. A vehicle moving along city streets must have its headlights on regardless of the time of day or year.

Seat belts front and rear are obligatory everywhere. While driving a car you may use your mobile phone only with a hands-free car kit. Holding a phone while driving is forbidden.

Poland has strict drink driving laws, only allowing 0.2 milligrams of alcohol per millilitre of blond. You will be fined if the level of alcohol in the bloodstream is above 0.02 per cent. Over this level and you will incur a fine and/or suspension of driving license. Over 0.05% and a prison sentence is very likely.

The speed limits for a dual carriageway are 120 km/h on an expressway or 100 km/h on a non-expressway dual carriageway and a single carriageway expressway. Speed limits in towns at nights raised to 60 km/h between 11 pm and 6 am.

More information here .

According to the Special Law for Ukrainians, citizens who have received a PESEL UKR can travel until the end of 2022 with a Ukrainian license. For foreigners who are not subject to the Special Law, you can travel in Poland with a foreign license for up to six months.

Moreover, if a citizen of Ukraine has an expired driver's license, you can also drive with an expired document until the end of 2022 without the need to renew it.

Also, citizens of Ukraine who entered Poland after February 24 and received PESEL UKR, are exempt from the obligation to carry a technical passport or other document confirming the right to own a car until December 31, 2022 - this is done for the citizens who were fleeing the war by cars issued to relatives or other acquaintances. Accordingly, this exemption does not apply to foreigners who do not have PESEL UKR.

More information here .

At the moment, vehicles of persons from Ukraine are in practice treated as vehicles in international traffic on the basis of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968, which was signed by both Poland and Ukraine.

Currently, in practice, it is assumed that refugees from Ukraine meet all these conditions, so upon arrival in Poland there is no necessity to undertake any steps to legalise the vehicle in the country of arrival. Moreover, it seems that if someone manages to register the vehicle in Poland, they will not meet all the conditions to be covered by the Convention, so it may not be advisable to register the vehicle. As long as the vehicle meets the requirements allowing it to be driven in Ukraine, such as car registration or valid technical inspection, it is also allowed to be driven in Poland under the convention.

More information here .

If you are not the owner of the car you are driving, it is useful to carry a written authorization from the actual car owner with you including substantial details, such as the license plate and the insurance number of the car in case authorities might ask for it. Further, the owner should contact the motorist insurance to cover possible damages caused by the third party.

Every vehicle travelling on the roads in Poland must have compulsory third-party insurance. Such insurance is confirmed by a Green Insurance Card, but this can only be obtained in Ukraine, before arrival in Poland. If one has crossed the border without a Green Card, one needs a so-called border third-party insurance, issued for a period of 30 to 365 days. It can be purchased at the border, from the insurer, or via a helpline. If the Green Card has expired during one’s stay in Poland, border insurance must also be obtained. It is worth noting that some companies (e.g. Alianz, Warta, PZU, Ergo Hestia) offer free border insurance for 30 days for people entering from Ukraine.

More information here .

From June 1, drivers of cars with Ukrainian registration will again have to pay for travel on state and concession roads in Poland. After the start of the war, all tariffs for Polish roads were abolished for Ukrainians. From June 1, concessions for Ukrainian drivers will no longer apply and will have to pay for highways along with other road users.

In Poland, toll is paid for the distance traveled at special toll booths located at the entrance to the motorway (barriers) or at the entrance and exit. At the entrance to the toll road you need to buy a ticket, which must be kept throughout the journey - it will certify the payment of the road. In the absence of a ticket, the maximum cost of the road is paid, depending on the category of car. You can pay for the highway with a card or cash in euros, zlotys or dollars. The change is given only in zlotys. The average cost of travel on the highway / section of the highway is 7 euros.

More information for drivers in Poland is available on the website .

In Poland cars may be parked on marked parking areas such as car parks in residential districts and municipal attended and unattended car parks, marked with special signs.

In most cities, there are non-attended payable areas for parking on business days from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00. Parking fees can be paid in parking-meters or with season cards (tickets) or by sending an SMS (short message) from a mobile phone to a dedicated number. The parking receipt should be placed in a visible manner behind the front windscreen.

Warning: Parking wardens are not allowed to collect parking fees!

The stopping of cars is possible in restricted places according to information placed on road signs. Stopping in areas for disabled persons or marked by an “envelope” sign and close to gates to properties and garages is forbidden.

More information here .

The penalty system in Poland is based on penalty points. A pecuniary penalty is a simplified form of penalty points that are used in specific cases (when caught red-handed or immediately after breaking the rules, or when the fact of rule breaking is documented). During one inspection one can “collect” 10 points. And 24 points means deprivation of driver’s license. 20 points for drivers with up to one year of driving experience. You may check the number of penalty points online and at the police station.

One of the most common violations is obviously speeding. Everyone is well aware that the speed limit must be observed.

Speeding and fines:

• up to 10 km / h - PLN 50
• from 11 to 15 km / h - PLN 100
• from 16 to 20 km / h - PLN 200
• from 21 to 25 km / h - PLN 300
• from 26 to 30 km / h - PLN 400
• from 31 to 40 km / h - 800/1600 PLN
• from 41 to 50 km / h - 1000/2000 PLN
• from 51 to 60 km / h - 1500/3000 PLN
• from 61 to 70 km / h - 2000/4000 PLN
• 71 and more km / h - PLN 2,500 / 5,000

In addition to speeding, there are a host of other offenses on the road. Below is a table of other common offenses and penalty amounts.

• Not using seat belts while driving - 100 PLN
• Using a phone while driving - 500 PLN
• Failure to comply with the ban on overtaking - 1000 PLN
• Overtaking at a road crossing - 1500 PLN
• Driving without a driver’s license - 1500 PLN
• Avoiding a lowered barrier at a road crossing - 2000 PLN
• Carriage of a child without a child safety seat - 300 PLN
• Making a U-turn in tunnels, on bridges or one-way roads - 200 PLN

There are several ways to pay the fine:

• On the spot – in cash or by card (again, if you have a terminal).
• An online transfer is the most convenient (if applicable to the situation) form of payment. It is enough to have access to Internet banking, select tax transfer (przelew skarbowy), select Penalties (Mandaty) as the main payment identifier and select … Opole in the field of the state transfer recipient authority. Since 2016 all fines are paid to a single account. This has been done to avoid confusion when paying, but for the uninitiated it can be extremely confusing.
• Transferring ‘offline’, i.e. to a post office or bank branch, is the same as in the previous case. The only difference is that many banks charge a fee.

More information here .

A vehicle shall be registered on the basis of documents referred to in Article 72 (1) of the Road Traffic Act:

• Proof of ownership of the vehicle or a document confirming that the vehicle has been entrusted to a particular person (if the vehicle has been entrusted by a foreign natural person or a legal entity to a Polish entity) It does not apply to a vehicle that has been already registered on the territory of the Republic of Poland and there has been no change of ownership of this vehicle since its last registration, in case the vehicle is re-registered at the request of the owner of this vehicle due to a change of his/her residence (seat) – as far as the ownership is confirmed.
• EC certificate of conformity or a certificate of conformity together with a statement containing data and information necessary for the registration of the vehicle and the registry, individual vehicle approval certificate, decision on the authorization of individual vehicle approval certificate or EC individual vehicle approval certificate - if required.
• Certificate of positive result of technical inspection of the vehicle, if required, or the vehicle’s registration certificate or another document issued by a competent authority of the Member State confirming the performance of technical inspection and its validity period.
• Certificate of registration in the case of registered vehicle.
• A document confirming import clearance, if the vehicle has been imported from the territory of a non-Member State of the European Union and has been registered for the first time.
• A document confirming the payment of excise duty on the territory of the country, or a document confirming the lack of obligation to pay excise duty on the territory of the country, or a certificate of exemption from excise duty pursuant to relevant legal provisions.

More information here .

There are no restrictions on what you can buy and take with you when travelling within the EU provided that the bought products are for you own use and not for resale. Taxes on are already included in the retail price of the product. To determine if the products purchased are intended for your own use, customs authorities may verify the products, e.g. the packages or the quantity. In order to prove that goods are for your own use, authorities may ask to see the receipt or other proof of purchase. If you cannot provide sufficient evidence, you might have to pay duties or the products can be confiscated.

If you carry 10,000 euros or more in cash, alcohol drinks, tobacco products, fuel or other goods including perfume, certain restrictions may apply regarding the quantity and value of the products. For more information please check this site .