- Every foreigner who has not yet exchanged his driving license for a Polish one and who provides paid passenger transport or taxi services in Poland must complete the document exchange procedure.
- Those foreign drivers who failed to obtain documents (Polish driving license) entitling them to such paid passenger transport by June 17, 2024, will be prevented from continuing to practice as taxi drivers.
The amendment to the Road Traffic Law of May 26, 2023, introduced the principle from June 17, 2024, that foreigners – of all nationalities – who intend to carry out paid passenger transport (taxi drivers and other drivers involved in the transport of people on the application) they must have a Polish (i.e. issued in Poland) driving license.
New provisions regarding paid passenger transport. Who will the office refuse to exchange a driving license?
Therefore, when applying for an exchange of documents, you must firstly take into account the imposed EU requirement – to be able to apply for an exchange of a driving license, you must meet the residence criterion. Only a driver who has been legally staying in Poland for at least 185 days can change a foreign driving license to a Polish one. If this period is shorter, the office will refuse to exchange the document. And without an exchange he can't be a taxi driver.
Secondly, some drivers may have an additional requirement to pass a theoretical examination – and here it all depends on whether a given foreign driving license complies with the model international driving license specified in the Geneva Convention or the Vienna Convention relating to road traffic – if it is not compliant, then you should additionally pass the theoretical part of the state exam.
Generally speaking, since, among others, Ukraine, Georgia, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Moldova are signatories of the Vienna Convention, it can be assumed that replacing a driving license issued in these countries will not require passing the state theoretical examination in Poland.
– We have information that already in the first week of operation of the new regulations, ¼ of foreign drivers, i.e. Uber and Bolt drivers, did not show up for work, which means that up to 30,000 may lose their jobs. people – says Tomas Bogdevic, CEO of Gremi Personal.
Usually, Uber drivers etc. are citizens from distant countries and they have practically no chance to learn Polish and pass the theoretical driving test in a short time.
Gremi Personal: "With us you will find a job without a driving license"
– As Gremi Personal, we intend to offer them a job, we even have a working slogan: "You can find a job with us without a driving license." We can offer them a job, but for this we will have to legalize their stay, and it will take at least a month to obtain such a permit. When it comes to industries that can absorb them, I would especially mention logistics, processing and production, as well as seasonal workers. The labor market would be happy to absorb these workers, but it may be difficult to legalize their stay, and certainly to do so in a short time, i.e., in general, with legal work. – comments Tomas Bogdevic, CEO of Gremi Personal.
– People who are unemployed as drivers and without a valid driving license can obtain work as an unskilled worker. A given person may, for example, complete a UDT course and become a qualified employee. Professionals such as welders, fitters or carpenters do not need to have a driving license to perform this profession. There is a shortage of men on the labor market, so we hope that transport workers, deprived of daily wages, will look for other jobs. – adds Anna Dzhobolda, director of the international recruitment department at Gremi Personal.
