Setting up a road haulage company in Poland from outside the EU
You run trucks outside the EU and want a Polish carrier that can work across Europe. In Poland, the General Inspectorate of Road Transport (GITD) issues both the authorisation and the community licence, charges its fees in zloty by licence length, and converts the euro thresholds for financial standing at 4.2583 zł per euro. It also wants an original annex on your operating base and proof of your legal title to the registered office.
What a Polish haulage company needs
Eight obligations, who carries them and when they apply.
| Obligation | Rule | Who | When or how long | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorisation (zezwolenie) | Issued by the GITD, fee PLN 1,000 | The company applying in Poland | No processing time stated by the GITD | GITD |
| Community licence | PLN 4,000 up to 5 years, PLN 8,000 for more than 5 and up to 10 years, plus a fee per copy | The same company, for international haulage for hire | Valid for up to 10 years, renewable | GITD, Reg. 1072/2009 art. 4 |
| Financial standing | EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle, EUR 5,000 per extra vehicle over 3.5 t, converted at 4.2583 zł per euro | The company | Shown in the application | Ustawa o transporcie drogowym art. 11 |
| Operating base and seat | Annex OB on the operating base (baza eksploatacyjna) in original, legal title to the registered office | The company | With the application | GITD |
| Transport manager | Annex OC declaration and certificate of professional competence; must reside in the EU | A natural person who runs the transport activity | With the application | GITD, Reg. 1071/2009 art. 4 |
| Drivers from outside the EU | Driver attestation issued by the State of establishment, here Poland | The Polish carrier | For each such driver | Reg. 1072/2009 art. 5 |
| Drivers posted to Poland | Polish minimum wage, EUR 1,119 a month on 1 July 2026, and an IMI posting declaration | Foreign carriers on cabotage or cross-trade in Poland | Declaration at the latest when the posting starts | Eurostat, Dir. 2020/1057 |
| Road tolls | e-TOLL; official rates not readable when we checked | To confirm on the e-TOLL site | Before the first trip | e-TOLL |
The rest of this page takes each line in turn. Fees and rates are those we read in the official sources on 6 November 2026.
Poland applies the EU base that every Member State shares: four conditions for access to the occupation (effective and stable establishment, good repute, appropriate financial standing and professional competence) (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 3), plus common rules on the community licence, cabotage and posted drivers. Our guide to road haulage rules across Europe compares how each country applies them. This page covers what Poland adds.
The GITD authorisation and community licence
One authority, two documents, fees set by the length of the licence.
In Poland, the GITD (Główny Inspektorat Transportu Drogowego) issues the authorisation (zezwolenie) and the community licence. Both are requested on the forms the GITD publishes on its application page, in versions dated 2025_07 (GITD, wniosek LR1).
Zezwolenie: PLN 1,000
PLN 1,000, paid to the GITD. The application carries the Polish annexes on the operating base and the transport manager (GITD).
Priced by length
Up to 5 years: PLN 4,000, plus PLN 440 per copy (wypis). More than 5 and up to 10 years: PLN 8,000, plus PLN 880 per copy (GITD). EU law caps the licence at 10 years, renewable, and requires it for international haulage for hire, including with vehicles over 2.5 t since 21 May 2022 (Regulation 1072/2009 art. 4).
Processing time
The GITD page gives no processing time. The binding ceiling is the EU one: a decision within 3 months of a complete file, which the authority can extend by 1 month (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 11(3)). An incomplete file does not start that period.
Where to file
Search results suggest the authorisation can also be obtained from the starosta, the district authority. We have not found this in an official source. Confirm it with the GITD before you choose where to file.
Financial standing, converted into zloty
The EU thresholds in euro, at the rate the GITD applies.
The GITD converts the EU thresholds into zloty at 4.2583 zł per euro (Ustawa o transporcie drogowym art. 11 ust. 2a-2b). The company must show capital and reserves of at least EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle and EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle over 3.5 t, or EUR 900 for each additional vehicle between 2.5 and 3.5 t. A company that runs only vans between 2.5 and 3.5 t needs EUR 1,800 for the first and EUR 900 for each further one (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 7).
Worked example: three trucks
A new company with three trucks over 3.5 t needs EUR 9,000 for the first truck and EUR 5,000 for each of the other two. At 4.2583 zł per euro, the minimum is PLN 80907.70 of capital and reserves. Each truck added later raises the requirement by EUR 5,000.
EU law accepts a bank guarantee as proof, and lets a new company without annual accounts prove its standing by other means (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 7(2a)). Ask the GITD which evidence it accepts from a company formed shortly before the application.
Operating base, registered office and transport manager
What the GITD file asks for on premises and people.
The GITD file includes annex OB on the operating base (baza eksploatacyjna), filed in original, and a document showing the company's legal title to its registered office (GITD). Behind them sits the EU test of effective and stable establishment: premises where the company keeps its core records (accounts, personnel files, driving time and cabotage documents), vehicles registered in the State, real activity run from those premises and a suitable operating centre (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 5). For a Polish licence, that means Polish-registered vehicles and a real base in Poland.
Operating base, in original
Filed as an original, with the title to the registered office. Both assume premises in Poland, so secure the site before you prepare the file (GITD).
Transport manager declaration
The transport manager's declaration goes in annex OC, with his or her certificate of professional competence (certyfikat kompetencji zawodowych) in the file (GITD).
The transport manager must live in the EU
EU law requires a natural person residing in the EU who effectively runs the transport activity (Regulation 1071/2009 art. 4). A founder who lives outside the EU cannot fill the role from there, even with the certificate. The alternative is an external transport manager, who may run at most 4 companies and 50 vehicles. Member States may set lower caps, so confirm the Polish figure with the GITD before you sign with one.
Drivers from outside the EU
A Polish carrier that employs a non-EU national as a driver needs a driver attestation for that driver, issued by Poland as the State of establishment (Regulation 1072/2009 art. 5). Ask the GITD which office issues it.
Cabotage, posted drivers and tolls in Poland
What applies when foreign trucks work in Poland, and when Polish trucks work abroad.
Cabotage limits and Polish rules
A carrier licensed in another Member State may carry out up to 3 cabotage operations in Poland after an international delivery into the country, with the last unloading within 7 days. It must then wait 4 days before more cabotage in Poland with the same vehicle, and show CMR or e-CMR evidence at a roadside check. Polish rules apply during those operations (Regulation 1072/2009 art. 8 and 9).
EUR 1,119 a month on 1 July 2026
Cabotage and cross-trade in Poland count as posting, so the driver is owed at least the Polish minimum wage (Directive (EU) 2020/1057). Eurostat gives it as EUR 1,139 a month on 1 January 2026 and EUR 1,119 on 1 July 2026. Poland is outside the euro area, so the euro figure moves with the exchange rate (Eurostat). We have not read the national amount in zloty; confirm it before you set pay.
Polish drivers abroad
When drivers of a Polish carrier do cabotage or cross-trade in another Member State, they are posted there: the carrier declares it through the IMI public interface at the latest when the posting starts, and provides documents on request within 8 weeks. Bilateral trips between Poland and one other country are not posting (Directive (EU) 2020/1057 art. 1).
Tolls: e-TOLL
Poland charges road tolls through e-TOLL. Its official site shows its content only with JavaScript, and we could not read the rates or the rules on which vehicles pay. Check the official e-TOLL page for trucks before the first trip (e-TOLL).
From plan to first trip in Poland
In the order a newcomer meets them. Only the deadlines set by official texts are shown.
Find a transport manager who resides in the EU
A natural person with the certificate of professional competence, who signs annex OC. An external manager is capped at 4 companies and 50 vehicles.
Secure the operating base and registered office
Annex OB goes in as an original, with the legal title to the registered office. The vehicles must be registered in Poland.
Prove financial standing
EUR 9,000 for the first truck and EUR 5,000 for each extra truck over 3.5 t, converted at 4.2583 zł per euro.
Apply to the GITD
Authorisation (PLN 1,000) and community licence (PLN 4,000 up to 5 years or PLN 8,000 up to 10 years), on the forms dated 2025_07.
Decision
This is the EU ceiling. The GITD publishes no processing time of its own.
Obtain the driver attestation
Issued by Poland as the State of establishment.
Check e-TOLL
Confirm on the official e-TOLL site what your trucks pay and how.
IMI declaration for cabotage or cross-trade
Documents requested by the host country must be provided within 8 weeks.
Renew the community licence
The length you chose at the start sets both the fee and the renewal date.
What the official sources do not settle
Four points remain open after our reading of the official sources: how long the GITD takes to decide, the national minimum wage in zloty, the e-TOLL rates, and whether the authorisation can also be obtained from the starosta (we found this only in search results). Confirm each one with the GITD, the e-TOLL site or a licensed adviser in Poland before you commit to premises, vehicles or staff.
What Balt Partners coordinates
One contact for the Polish licence file, with a licensed adviser in Poland for the filing.
Obligation map for Poland
The GITD file and its annexes, financial standing in zloty, driver attestations, posting and toll checks, with every deadline in one calendar.
GITD filing
We bring in a licensed adviser in Poland, who prepares the Polish forms and files the authorisation and licence application.
Base and manager checklist
What annexes OB and OC require, the certificate of professional competence and the title to the registered office, listed before you sign a lease or hire staff.
A Latvian SIA when it fits
If a Latvian base suits your plans better than a Polish one, we form a Latvian SIA with its bank account and accounting set-up.
To compare Poland with the other countries, start from our overview of transport company set-up in Europe. For the company side, our page on forming an EU company as a non-resident explains the Latvian route.
Questions from non-EU founders about Poland
The GITD charges PLN 1,000 for the authorisation (zezwolenie). A community licence for up to 5 years costs PLN 4,000 plus PLN 440 per copy, and one for more than 5 and up to 10 years costs PLN 8,000 plus PLN 880 per copy.
A company established in Poland with an operating base and a legal title to its registered office, financial standing of at least EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle converted at 4.2583 zł per euro, and a transport manager who resides in the EU and holds the certificate of professional competence. The GITD file covers the base and the manager in annexes OB and OC.
EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle and EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle over 3.5 t, converted at 4.2583 zł per euro. A fleet made only of vans between 2.5 and 3.5 t needs EUR 1,800, then EUR 900 per extra van. Three trucks therefore need PLN 80907.70 of capital and reserves.
The GITD does not publish a processing time. EU law requires a decision within 3 months of a complete file, which can be extended by 1 month. An incomplete file does not start that period.
No. EU law requires the transport manager to be a natural person residing in the EU who effectively runs the transport activity. A founder living outside the EU can use an external transport manager, who may run at most 4 companies and 50 vehicles under EU law.
Eurostat gives Poland's gross monthly minimum wage as EUR 1,139 on 1 January 2026 and EUR 1,119 on 1 July 2026. Poland is outside the euro area, so the euro figure moves with the exchange rate. Confirm the national amount in zloty before you set pay.