This is the response our team received from the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure to a request we prepared based on appeals from Belarusian diaspora activists.
Many Belarusians, fleeing the repression of Lukashenko's regime, have found themselves in a difficult situation – some have expired driver's licenses, while others would like to legalize their vehicles with Belarusian license plates. What is the Polish Ministry's stance on this?
Vehicle registration for Polish citizens and foreigners is the same and is regulated by the Road Traffic Act. To register a car, it is not necessary to remove it from Belarusian registration. Polish authorities do not create obstacles for Belarusians to register vehicles previously registered in Belarus – on the contrary, they are ready to resolve these issues in favor of applicants.
As for driver's licenses, their replacement is allowed throughout the validity period. Additionally, Belarusians' licenses will not be sent back to Belarus if the person has refugee status, asylum, international protection, or a residence permit based on humanitarian reasons in Poland.
Our team has sent additional proposals to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure aimed at excluding the confirmation of driver's license authenticity from the list of mandatory documents. Belarusians are currently forced to contact the regime embassies to obtain such a confirmation, which we believe is unacceptable.
If you have encountered problems with changing driver's licenses or registering a car abroad, or have suggestions, write to our chatbot. We will continue working to solve problems and simplify bureaucratic procedures for Belarusians, so please reach out to us in case of any difficult situations.
The complete response from the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, which we recommend using when implementing the relevant procedures, is attached below.