Poland fines 2026: speed PLN 50-5,000 (recydywa doubles from 30 km/h over), alcohol 0.2 promille strict (above 0.5 = crime, prison up to 3 years), car confiscation mandatory from 1.5 promille. Points max 24, cleared after 1 year. Warsaw SCT etap 2 from 1.1.2026.
On this page
- Polish traffic fines: 2022 taryfikator plus 2024 amendments
- Speed fine schedule 2026 (taryfikator mandatów)
- Speed enforcement: CANARD radar network
- Alcohol: 0.2 g/L strict, criminal above 0.5
- Common non-speed fines
- Motorway tolls: A2 and A4 state sections now free
- Warsaw SCT (Strefa Czystego Transportu)
- Cross-border enforcement: EU 2015/413 via CANARD
- Practical tips for foreign drivers
- Key sources
Polish traffic fines: 2022 taryfikator plus 2024 amendments
Poland enforces traffic rules under the Ustawa Prawo o ruchu drogowym (Traffic Law Act, in force since 1997) and the Kodeks wykroczeń (Offences Code) plus the Kodeks karny (Criminal Code) for the most serious behaviours. Amounts follow the taryfikator mandatów (national fine tariff) that was substantially rewritten on 1 January 2022 and further adjusted through nowelizacje in 2023 and 2024. Enforcement is by Policja and Straż Graniczna at the roadside, plus the national CANARD (Centrum Automatycznego Nadzoru nad Ruchem Drogowym) automated-camera network run by GITD.
Poland is an EU member since 1 May 2004 but keeps the PLN (Polski złoty) as national currency. Fine amounts below are quoted in PLN with EUR equivalents at the approximate reference rate of 4.30 PLN per EUR (early 2026). Actual EUR value fluctuates with the daily NBP fixing.
Recent amendments to remember:
- 17 September 2023 nowelizacja: penalty points now clear 1 year after ruling (was 2 years), WORD-course reduction restored.
- 14 March 2024: mandatory vehicle confiscation for drivers above 1.5 promille alcohol or on recidivism.
- 3 March 2026 (upcoming): 3-month licence suspension for over 50 km/h in a built-up area extended to single-carriageway roads outside built-up areas; zero-tolerance alcohol during the 2-year probation period (okres próbny).
Speed fine schedule 2026 (taryfikator mandatów)
Amounts are per single-offence value. Recydywa (repeat offence within 2 years, applies from 31 km/h over) doubles the amount and applies a higher points value.
| Excess over posted limit | Single fine | Recydywa (repeat within 2 years) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 km/h | 50 PLN | 50 PLN | 1 |
| 11-15 km/h | 100 PLN | 100 PLN | 2 |
| 16-20 km/h | 200 PLN | 200 PLN | 3 |
| 21-25 km/h | 300 PLN | 300 PLN | 5 |
| 26-30 km/h | 400 PLN | 400 PLN | 7 |
| 31-40 km/h | 800 PLN | 1,600 PLN | 9 |
| 41-50 km/h | 1,000 PLN | 2,000 PLN | 11 |
| 51-60 km/h | 1,500 PLN | 3,000 PLN | 13 |
| 61-70 km/h | 2,000 PLN | 4,000 PLN | 14 |
| Above 70 km/h | 2,500 PLN | 5,000 PLN | 15 |
Above 50 km/h over in a built-up area: automatic 3-month licence suspension on top of the fine. From 3 March 2026 the same rule extends to single-carriageway rural roads (drogi jednojezdniowe dwukierunkowe poza obszarem zabudowanym).
Novice drivers (okres próbny, first 2 years of licence): maximum 20 points. From 3 March 2026, zero-tolerance alcohol during the entire okres próbny.
Speed enforcement: CANARD radar network
Automated speed enforcement is centralised in CANARD (Centrum Automatycznego Nadzoru nad Ruchem Drogowym), a unit of GITD.
Fixed cameras: about 500 units nationwide, primarily on A-motorways, S-expressways, and major DK-national roads. Signs warn 100-200 m before each camera.
Section control (odcinkowy pomiar prędkości): over 40 sites, expanding. Measures average speed between two ANPR gantries; slowing just before the exit does not help. Warning signs at entry.
Mobile radar: Policja Ruchu Drogowego (Traffic Police) uses hand-held laser and unmarked patrol cars. No prior warning.
ANPR for other purposes: uninsured vehicles, stolen cars, wanted persons, SCT enforcement in Warsaw.
Alcohol: 0.2 g/L strict, criminal above 0.5
Poland is among the strictest EU jurisdictions on alcohol. The limit is 0.2 g/L blood alcohol (0.1 mg/L breath) for all drivers with no exception. Split into two legal categories:
| BAC level | Category | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| 0.2-0.5 promille | Wykroczenie (offence, art. 87 Kw) | Fine PLN 2,500-30,000, driving ban 6 months to 3 years, 15 points, possible arrest 5-30 days |
| Above 0.5 promille | Przestępstwo (crime, art. 178a Kk) | Fine or restriction of liberty or prison up to 3 years, driving ban minimum 3 years up to 15 years, monetary contribution 5,000-60,000 PLN |
| From 1.5 promille or recidivism | Idem plus | Mandatory vehicle confiscation since 14 March 2024 |
| Refusing test | Treated as criminal offence | Assumed above 0.5 |
Roadside consequences: police can hold your licence on the spot from the first offence. Rental car agencies are notified quickly, and rentals for repeat offenders are typically blocked in Poland and neighbouring countries via industry lists.
Weekend and holiday intensification: campaigns like “Alkohol i narkotyki” (police + drug-testing) run on Friday and Saturday nights around major towns and along popular tourist routes: Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Tri-City corridor, and the Zakopane/Tatra approach.
Common non-speed fines
| Violation | Fine | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Hand-held phone while driving | PLN 500 | 12 |
| Running red light | PLN 500 (PLN 1,500 if collision) | 15 |
| Seatbelt not worn | PLN 100 | 5 |
| Child not properly restrained | PLN 300 | 6 |
| Illegal overtaking on solid line | PLN 1,000-2,000 | 10-15 |
| Not giving way at zebra crossing | PLN 1,500 | 15 |
| Overtaking at a zebra crossing | PLN 1,500 | 15 |
| Warsaw SCT unauthorised entry | PLN 500 | 0 |
| Motorway hard-shoulder driving | PLN 1,000 | 8 |
| Fleeing a checkpoint | PLN 5,000 + criminal | 15 |
Motorway tolls: A2 and A4 state sections now free
Poland has undergone significant changes to light-vehicle tolls. As of 1 July 2023, passenger cars and motorbikes pay no toll on the GDDKiA state-managed A2 Konin-Stryków and A4 Wrocław-Sośnica. These stretches are free.
Concession-operated sections remain paid for cars:
- A2 Świecko-Konin (AWSA concession): payment at bramka, or via AutoPay, SkyCash, mPay
- A4 Katowice-Kraków (Stalexport concession): payment at bramka, or via A4GO videotolling contactless
- A1 Toruń-Gdańsk (GTC concession): payment at bramka, or via videotolling
Heavy vehicles above 3.5 tonnes and buses: pay per kilometre via the e-TOLL app across a 5,000+ km extended state network since 1 November 2024. Registration at etoll.gov.pl. Foreign hauliers can use the OBU (on-board unit) from other EETS providers.
Failing to pay at a bramka is recorded by ANPR and generates a demand for payment plus administrative fee, delivered to the registered keeper.
Warsaw SCT (Strefa Czystego Transportu)
Poland’s first true low-emission zone opened in Warsaw on 1 July 2024, covering Śródmieście plus adjoining parts of surrounding districts, roughly 37 km² (about 7% of the city area).
Etap 1 (1 July 2024 to 31 December 2025):
- Petrol / LPG: Euro 2 minimum or vehicle registered from 1997
- Diesel: Euro 4 minimum or vehicle registered from 2005
Etap 2 (from 1 January 2026):
- Petrol / LPG: Euro 3 minimum or vehicle registered from 2000
- Diesel: Euro 5 minimum or vehicle registered from 2009
Further tightening is planned in 2028, 2030 and 2032.
Warsaw residents whose vehicle was last registered before 1 January 2024 keep an exemption until end of 2027. Enforcement is by Straż Miejska and Policja via CEPiK-linked cameras. Fine for unauthorised entry: PLN 500 under Kodeks wykroczeń art. 96c Kw. Enforcement capacity in the first year was modest; the number of fines has been climbing since late 2024.
Kraków SCT: partial administrative-court ruling on 14 January 2026 struck down parts of the uchwała (definition of “resident”, exceptions for private medical facilities). The zone continues to operate pending appeal.
Cross-border enforcement: EU 2015/413 via CANARD
Poland implements EU Directive 2015/413 (revised as 2024/3237, expanding to at least 11 offence categories including hit-and-run, dangerous overtaking, and lane violations).
- CANARD (part of GITD) is Poland’s Krajowy Punkt Kontaktowy
- CEPiK-linked exchange queries your home-country vehicle-registration database
- Notice arrives as list polecony (registered letter) via Poczta Polska partnership with your national post
- Payment deadline: typically 30 days from receipt
- Payment method: online at gov.pl, bank transfer, or Poczta Polska counter
UK plates: post-Brexit the UK is out of the CBE Directive. Direct enforcement to UK addresses is not automatic; rental cars remain the practical exposure via credit-card charge from the rental agency plus admin fee.
Non-EU third countries (US, Canada, Australia): no formal cross-border mechanism. Rental exposure remains identical.
Practical tips for foreign drivers
- Mandatory kit in a passenger car: fire extinguisher (homologated) and warning triangle. Poland does not legally require a reflective vest or first-aid kit for private cars (differs from AT, IT, HU).
- Daytime running lights (DRL) mandatory year-round since 17 April 2007. Foreign drivers relying on manual on-off need to activate lights any time the engine runs.
- Winter tyres: no legal requirement in Poland (differs from CZ, DE-situational). Common sense advises them from mid-November on mountain routes toward Zakopane, Bieszczady, Sudety.
- Speed cameras concentrated on A-motorways, S-expressways, DK-national roads: cruise control at the posted limit avoids marginal excess.
- Recydywa doubling starts at 31 km/h over within 2 years: even foreign plates recorded twice in that window face the doubled amount.
- Warsaw SCT: check your car’s Euro class in field V.9 of the registration document before driving into Śródmieście from 2026.
- Emergency: 112 for police, ambulance and fire; 601 100 100 for WOPR water rescue near coastal or lake routes.
Key sources
- Policja taryfikator mandatów (fine schedule)
- Ustawa Prawo o ruchu drogowym (ISAP)
- e-TOLL Poland (etoll.gov.pl)
- Warsaw SCT (Strefa Czystego Transportu)
- CANARD / GITD cross-border enforcement portal
- EU Directive 2015/413 (revised 2024/3237)
Related topics: Poland
- Driving rules · Speed, alcohol
- LEZ zones · City restrictions
- Road signs · Visual guide
- Toll roads · Per-country prices
- EV charging · Charger map