Traffic rules in Poland

Art. 25(1): at a junction give way to traffic from the right, and when turning left also to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right. Art. 17: coming onto a hard-surfaced road from a dirt road or a field, out of a property, off a road that is not a public road (droga wewnętrzna — often the exits from car parks and housing estates) or out of a residential zone (strefa zamieszkania, sign D-40) counts as joining traffic ('włączanie się do ruchu'): you give way to everyone. A road's width or number of lanes gives it no priority. The fines table has no dedicated row for failing to give way: it is punished as creating a danger (Petty Offences Code art. 86), and if someone is hurt it is 1,500 zł, 3,000 for a repeat.

Art. 25(2): the right-hand rule does not apply to rail vehicles — they have priority whichever side they come from. Art. 24(4): overtake a tram on the right only; on the left only if the track layout leaves no room on the right or the road is one-way. Art. 26(6): at a stop with no boarding island, stop to let people walk to and from the tram.

Fine: The fines table has no row for failing to give way to a tram. Not stopping for pedestrians at a tram stop — 300 zł (item 44).

Signs regulation § 36(1): sign C-12 on its own only tells you to drive round the island in the arrows' direction. § 36(2): priority for traffic on the ring comes from C-12 and A-7 together. Without A-7 the general rule of art. 25(1) applies — give way to the right. So look for both signs at every entry. Overtaking at an uncontrolled junction is banned; on a roundabout or a signal-controlled junction it is allowed (art. 24(7) item 3).

Signs regulation § 96(1): red together with the S-2 green arrow allows turning in the arrow's direction into the nearest carriageway. § 96(3): the turn is allowed 'provided the driver stops before the signal' and does not obstruct others — a full stop is mandatory even when no one is around. A left arrow also allows a U-turn from the leftmost lane unless sign B-23 forbids it (§ 96(2)).

Fine: 500 PLN. Disobeying traffic lights, including turning on the arrow without stopping — 500 zł (fines table, item 296).

Art. 26(1) (since 1 June 2021): the driver must give way to a pedestrian 'on the crossing or entering it' (wchodzący). Art. 26(2): when turning, give way to pedestrians crossing the road you turn into. Art. 26(3): no overtaking on or just before a crossing (unless it is signal-controlled), and no passing a vehicle that has stopped for a pedestrian. Art. 26(7): stop to let disabled people and people with visibly limited mobility cross. Pedestrians, in turn, may not use a phone while crossing in a way that stops them watching the road (art. 14 item 8).

Fine: 1,500 PLN. Failing to give way to a pedestrian, overtaking on or before a crossing, passing a car that stopped for a pedestrian — 1,500 zł each; a repeat within 2 years — 3,000 (fines table, items 34, 35, 41, 42; Petty Offences Code art. 38 § 2).

Art. 20(1): 50 km/h. Since 1 June 2021, when the separate night-time limit (art. 20(1a)) was repealed, 50 km/h has applied round the clock. A built-up area (obszar zabudowany) begins at sign D-42 — a white plate with a black town silhouette — and ends at D-43; a plain place-name sign (E-17a) does not start one. Art. 20(2): residential zones — 20 km/h. Art. 21: signs may raise or lower the limit.

Fine: 50–2,500 PLN. From 50 zł (up to 10 km/h over) to 2,500 zł (more than 70 km/h over); from 31 km/h over, a repeat within 2 years doubles the fine. More than 50 km/h over in a built-up area — and since 3 March 2026 also on a single-carriageway two-way road outside one — means the licence is taken for 3 months (fines table, items 72–81; Road Traffic Act art. 135, for foreign licences art. 135a).

Art. 20(3) item 1: motorway — 140; dual-carriageway expressway — 120; single-carriageway expressway, and dual carriageway with at least two lanes each way — 100; all other roads — 90. So a road with a central reservation but one lane each way is 90. Art. 20(3) item 2: cars with a trailer and vehicles over 3.5 t — 80 on motorways, expressways and 2+2 roads, 70 elsewhere. The law sets no separate speed limits for novices.

Fine: 50–2,500 PLN. From 50 to 2,500 zł depending on the excess; from 31 km/h over, a repeat within 2 years doubles the fine (fines table, items 72–81). Since 3 March 2026, more than 50 km/h over on a single-carriageway two-way road outside a built-up area means the licence is taken for 3 months.

Art. 20(3): 140 km/h on a motorway (sign D-9); with a trailer or over 3.5 t — 80; buses that meet extra technical conditions — 100 on motorways and expressways (art. 20(4)). A minimum speed is set only by sign C-14; only vehicles able to do at least 40 km/h may use a motorway (art. 2 item 3). Art. 19(3a) (since 1 June 2021): on motorways and expressways the gap to the car ahead, in metres, must be at least half your speed in km/h (70 m at 140), except while overtaking. Apart from trams and vehicles turning left (art. 24(4)–(5)), passing on the right is allowed only on a one-way carriageway marked into lanes, or on a two-way road with at least two lanes each way in built-up areas or three outside them (art. 24(10)).

Fine: 50–2,500 PLN. Speeding — 50 to 2,500 zł; too short a gap on a motorway or expressway — 300–500 zł (fines table, items 72–81, 153).

Sobriety Act art. 46: 0.2–0.5 ‰ in the blood (0.1–0.25 mg/l in breath) is 'after drinking', above 0.5 ‰ (0.25 mg/l) is intoxication. Petty Offences Code art. 87: 'after drinking' means detention or a fine of 2,500–30,000 zł and a mandatory ban of 6 months to 3 years; no on-the-spot fine is possible, only a court. Criminal Code art. 178a: intoxication means up to 3 years in prison, a ban of at least 3 years and a payment of at least 5,000 zł. At 1.5 ‰ or more the court must confiscate the car (Criminal Code art. 44b § 1a); since 29 January 2026, if it isn't yours (borrowed, rented, leased), it orders a payment of 5,000 to 500,000 zł instead.

Fine: 2,500–30,000 PLN, driving ban 6–36 months. 0.2–0.5 ‰: a fine of at least 2,500 zł (up to 30,000) and a 6-month to 3-year driving ban — through a court only (Petty Offences Code art. 87). Above 0.5 ‰ — criminal liability (Criminal Code art. 178a).

Drivers Act art. 91(4) (as amended by Dz.U. 2025 item 1676): during the probation period a driver may not drive with more than 0.0 ‰ in the blood. Probation is 2 years from a first Polish category B licence; the probation chapter does not apply until the driver-data go-live date, which Notice Dz.U. 2026 item 743 set at 4 September 2026 (footnote 33 to the act). Probation does not cover foreign licences, except when a foreign licence held for under 2 years is exchanged for a Polish one.

Art. 45(2) item 1: no use while driving of a phone that requires holding the handset or microphone. The law has no separate rule on touching a mounted screen, but the general duty to pay attention applies.

Fine: 500 PLN. Handheld phone while driving — 500 zł (fines table, item 67).

Art. 51(1): dipped headlights while driving in normal visibility. Art. 51(2): from dawn to dusk they may be replaced by daytime running lights. Art. 51(7): lights must also be on when stopped in a traffic jam; you may switch them off if you stand for more than a minute with cars ahead of and behind you.

Fine: 100–300 PLN. No lights by day — 100 zł; from dusk to dawn — 300 zł (fines table, items 183, 182).

Art. 9(2): in heavy traffic on a road with two lanes in one direction, the left lane moves as far left and the right lane as far right as possible; with more lanes, the leftmost moves left and the rest move right. It applies on any road with such lanes, not only motorways. The law ties the duty to heavy traffic that hampers emergency vehicles, not to the lights and sirens that art. 9(1) is about. Art. 9(3): using the corridor is banned. Art. 9(1): give way to an emergency vehicle with its signals on, stopping if necessary.

Fine: Driving in the emergency corridor — 500 to 2,500 zł (fines table, item 55). Failing to clear it has no row in the fines table: up to 3,000 zł (Petty Offences Code art. 97), on the spot or by a court.

Art. 24(2): lateral gap when overtaking — at least 1 m. Art. 27(1)–(3): give way to cyclists on a cycle crossing, and when turning to those going straight along the road, cycle lane or cycle path you are turning off. Art. 27(4): no overtaking on or just before a cycle crossing unless it is signal-controlled. Polish law has no 'cycle streets' with rules of their own.

Fine: 300 PLN. A gap under 1 m — 300 zł; overtaking on or before a cycle crossing — 1,000 zł, 2,000 for a repeat (fines table, items 91, 98).

Neither the Road Traffic Act nor the vehicle technical regulation requires winter tyres. Technical regulation § 11(7) item 6: a vehicle may not have tyres with permanently fitted protruding anti-skid elements — that is, studs — with no seasonal exception. A foreign vehicle may be driven if it meets the required technical conditions (Road Traffic Act art. 71(5)), so better not to bring studded tyres.

Technical regulation § 11(1) items 13–14: triangle and extinguisher. Art. 50(2): on motorways and expressways place the triangle 100 m behind the car, on other roads outside built-up areas 30–50 m, while in built-up areas you switch on the hazard lights and use the triangle (behind or on the car, at most 1 m high) only if the car has none.

Art. 39(3): children under 150 cm — in a seat suited to their height and weight. Art. 39(3b): from 135 cm — on the rear seat with the belt if, because of the child's height and weight, no suitable seat can be used. Art. 39(3c): in a car, a third child aged 3 or more may ride in the back with the belt when two children already sit in seats there and a third seat does not fit. Art. 45(2) items 4 and 6: no rear-facing seat in front with an active airbag, and no child under 150 cm in front without a seat.

Fine: 300 PLN. Breaking child transport rules — 300 zł (fines table, items 58–62).

Road Traffic Act art. 66(4) item 4 bans both detectors and jammers. The fines table has no row for it: the fine is up to 3,000 zł (Petty Offences Code art. 97).

Warsaw: from 2026, petrol cars that meet Euro 3 or were built in 2000 or later, and diesels that meet Euro 5 or were built in 2009 or later, may enter (either condition is enough); the rules are the same for regular commuters and tourists, and the police and municipal guard enforce them. According to the city's FAQ, a sticker is needed only by non-compliant cars that qualify for an exemption. Yet the city also says that where the central vehicle register lacks data on a car, the driver must display a city-issued sticker — and foreign cars are not in that register. The city does not say outright how this applies to them, so check with the city's 19115 helpline before you go. Kraków: the zone lies roughly within the 4th ring road; for vehicles up to 3.5 t — petrol from Euro 4 (2005), diesel from Euro 6 (2014); registration at sct.zdmk.krakow.pl before the first entry is required for every foreign-registered car. A non-compliant non-resident car may enter for a fee in 2026–2028 (in 2026: 2.50 zł/hour or 5 zł/day). Zone limits are marked with signs D-54 and D-55.

Fine: Entering a zone in breach of the ban — up to 500 zł (Petty Offences Code art. 96c).

Since 21 September 2026 a car of up to 3.5 t towing a trailer no longer pays e-TOLL (Dz.U. 2026 item 982); on concession sections a car with a trailer pays the operator's tariff. The A4 Katowice–Kraków concession expires in 2027 — check whether the section is still tolled. Not paying e-TOLL for a vehicle over 3.5 t — 1,500 zł.

Regulation (EU) 2022/1280, art. 3: valid licences issued by Ukraine are recognised throughout the EU for people with temporary protection until it ends; no translation or international permit is needed. Temporary protection was extended to 4 March 2028 (Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912). Drivers Act art. 4(1) item 2 and art. 5(4): a national licence from a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention entitles its holder to drive for 6 months from the start of permanent or temporary residence; after that it must be exchanged for a Polish one (art. 14). EU, EEA and Swiss licences are valid for their whole term (art. 5(6)).

Compulsory Insurance Act art. 29(1) item 3: the keeper of a car registered outside the Multilateral Agreement states who has no valid Green Card must buy frontier insurance before crossing the border; art. 89: without it the car is not let across. Road Traffic Act art. 38(2): the driver of a foreign car must carry the registration document and proof of insurance; art. 130a(1) item 2: if the car is registered outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland and the document is not shown, it is removed. Within the EU/EEA, insurance checks at the border are banned by Directive 2009/103/EC (art. 4). The full list of Multilateral Agreement states is kept by the Council of Bureaux; Poland's bureau is PBUK.

Petty Offences Procedure Code art. 98 § 2: a cash fine is imposed on a person staying in Poland temporarily or without permanent residence there. § 3: residents of other EU countries may get a fine payable within 7 days. Art. 99: refusing it sends the case to court. The maximum on-the-spot fine is 5,000 zł, 6,000 for several offences at once (art. 96 § 1ad). A repeat within 2 years of an offence listed in Petty Offences Code art. 38 § 2 carries at least double the minimum fine.