Motorcycle – built-up areas: 50 km/h (round the clock)
Motorcycle – outside built-up areas: 90 km/h (100 km/h on 2+2 dual carriageways)
Motorcycle – expressways: 120 km/h (100 km/h on single carriageways)
Motorcycle – motorways: 140 km/h
Car – built-up areas: 50 km/h (round the clock)
Car – outside built-up areas: 90 km/h (100 km/h on 2+2 dual carriageways)
Car – expressways: 120 km/h (100 km/h on single carriageways)
Car – motorways: 140 km/h
Car with trailer – built-up areas: 50 km/h
Car with trailer – outside built-up areas: 70 km/h (80 km/h on 2+2 dual carriageways)
Car with trailer – expressways: 80 km/h
Car with trailer – motorways: 80 km/h
Lorry over 3.5 t – built-up areas: 50 km/h
Lorry over 3.5 t – outside built-up areas: 70 km/h (80 km/h on 2+2 dual carriageways)
Lorry over 3.5 t – expressways: 80 km/h
Lorry over 3.5 t – motorways: 80 km/h
Bus – built-up areas: 50 km/h
Bus – outside built-up areas: 70 km/h (80 km/h on 2+2 dual carriageways)
Bus – expressways: 80 km/h (100 km/h – buses meeting additional conditions)
Bus – motorways: 80 km/h (100 km/h – buses meeting additional conditions)
Country identification code: PL
Alcohol – experienced drivers: 0.2 ‰ (0.2–0.5 ‰ a petty offence, over 0.5 ‰ a criminal offence)
Alcohol – young and novice drivers: 0.2 ‰ (0.0 ‰ only with a Polish licence in its probation period, since 4 September 2026)
Alcohol – professional drivers: 0.2 ‰
Lights during the day: compulsory round the clock (daytime running lights allowed during the day)
Mobile phone while driving: hands-free kit only (holding the phone is banned)
Winter tyres: not compulsory
Road charges: tolls only on A2 Konin–Świecko and A4 Katowice–Kraków; other motorways free for vehicles up to 3.5 t
Driving side: right-hand traffic
Key points for young drivers:
- Motorway 140 km/h, expressway 120 km/h, in towns 50 km/h round the clock.
- Alcohol: 0.2 ‰ – 0.0 ‰ applies (since 4 September 2026) only to drivers with a Polish licence in their probation period.
- Lights on round the clock, phone only with a hands-free kit.
- Compulsory in the car: fire extinguisher and warning triangle.
- You only pay tolls on the A2 Konin–Świecko and the A4 Katowice–Kraków.
- Helmets on bicycles and e-scooters are compulsory up to age 16.
Seat belts and child seats
Everyone wears a seat belt – front and back. A child shorter than 150 cm travels in a child seat suited to their height and weight.
Exception: a child at least 135 cm tall may travel in the back with just the seat belt if a third child seat won’t fit. Don’t fit a rear-facing child seat in the front if the passenger airbag is switched on.
Traffic lights
A green arrow next to a red light lets you turn right, but first you must stop at the signal and give way to pedestrians and vehicles coming from other directions.
Without a green arrow you don’t turn on red. A flashing amber light means: caution, drive carefully, priority according to the signs.
Helmet not compulsory
Cyclists and e-scooter riders aged 16 and over – a helmet is recommended but not compulsory.
Helmet compulsory
- motorcycle (also with a sidecar)
- moped
- quadricycles and tricycles (without factory-fitted seat belts and a rigid roof)
- bicycle and e-scooter – helmet compulsory up to age 16 (since 3 June 2026)
Compulsory equipment in the car
- fire extinguisher
- warning triangle
A first-aid kit and a high-visibility vest are not compulsory, but they are worth having – they are often required in other countries.
Compulsory equipment on a bike
- at the front: a white or amber position light (switched on after dark and in poor visibility)
- at the back: a red reflector (not triangular) and a red position light (may flash)
- at least one working brake
- a bell or another non-piercing audible signal
Winter tyres and snow chains
Winter tyres are not compulsory in Poland – but in winter they are common sense, and in many other countries on your route they are required.
You may only fit snow chains on roads covered with snow or ice. Sign C-18 means snow chains are mandatory.
Phone, drugs and other bans
- Phone only with a hands-free kit – you must not hold it in your hand.
- Drugs: driving after using substances with effects similar to alcohol is a petty offence, and driving under their influence is a criminal offence.
- Radar detectors (devices that detect speed cameras and speed guns) are banned.
- Bus lanes are for public transport buses – the signs show who else may use them.
- In a traffic jam on a motorway or expressway you form an emergency corridor, and where lanes merge you zip merge.
Vignettes, tolls and low-emission zones
Most motorways are free for cars and motorcycles: since 1 July 2023 the state-run sections A2 Konin–Stryków and A4 Wrocław–Sośnica (vehicles up to 3.5 t), and since 4 September 2023 the whole A1, including the Gdańsk–Toruń section.
You pay on the concession sections: A2 Konin–Świecko (excluding the Poznań Zachód – Poznań Wschód section) and A4 Katowice–Kraków – at toll plazas or through the operators’ systems (autostrada-a2.pl, autostrada-a4.pl). Lorries over 3.5 t and buses pay via the e-TOLL system.
Documents and insurance
- Carry your driving licence, vehicle registration certificate and proof of insurance.
- Third-party motor insurance is compulsory – driving without a valid policy means a heavy penalty.
- Probation period: the first 2 years after getting a licence are a probation period – but this only applies to Polish licences. With a licence from another country, the general alcohol limit applies to you.
What to watch out for
- Probation period = 0.0 ‰ – but only with a Polish licence. Since 4 September 2026, drivers with a Polish licence in their probation period (2 years) must not have any alcohol at all; with a licence from another country, the general limit applies to you.
- Pedestrians have priority as soon as they step onto the crossing – slow down before every zebra crossing.
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