Car accident, traffic fines and tolls in Poland: what to do

Quick answer

• Minor accident, nobody hurt: you don't have to call the police. Fill in a joint accident statement (oświadczenie) with the other driver, take photos, and claim from the at-fault driver's OC insurance.
• Call 112 when: someone is injured, the other driver leaves, seems drunk, has no licence, registration or insurance, or you disagree on who is at fault.
• Payout: within 30 days of your claim, 90 days at most if the case is unclear.
• Common fines: phone in hand 500 zł and 12 points, red light 500 zł and 15 points, failing to give way to a pedestrian on a crossing 1,500 zł and 15 points.
• Tolls: no vignettes. Cars pay nothing on the state-run A2 and A4 sections since 1 July 2023. A4 Katowice–Kraków: 18 zł at each of two toll plazas.

Right after a minor accident

1. Hazard lights, warning triangle, and a hi-vis vest if you are on a fast road.
2. Photograph the cars where they stopped, both plates, the damage and the junction from several angles.
3. If nobody is hurt, the police advise moving the cars off the carriageway so they do not block traffic.
4. Check the other car's insurance by plate on ufg.pl ("Baza OC i AC"). For a foreign car, write down the Green Card number, insurer and expiry date.
5. Fill in the statement. The standard European accident report works; you can download it from the PBUK website or fill it in with UFG's "Na Wypadek" app.

The statement needs: both drivers' names, addresses, PESEL or passport numbers and licence details; make, model and plates; insurer, policy or Green Card number; place, time, a sketch; who caused it; witnesses; both signatures.

If the other driver will not admit fault in writing, call the police.

When the police must come

Dial 112 if:

• someone is injured or killed (then do not move the cars until the patrol arrives);
• the at-fault driver has left;
• a driver seems drunk;
• the at-fault driver has no licence, registration document or OC insurance;
• you cannot agree on fault.

Claiming from the other driver's insurance

Attach the statement, photos, your car's details and a bank account number. By law the undisputed part is paid within 30 days of the claim. If the facts cannot be established in 30 days, payment follows within 14 days of establishing them, and no later than 90 days. The claim itself usually has a three-year limit.

If you caused the accident, your OC pays the other driver. Your own car is covered only if you have AC (comprehensive) insurance.

Fines and penalty points in 2026

Fine amounts follow the 2022 version of the fines regulation; the only later change concerned lorries. Points follow a new Interior Ministry regulation in force since 3 June 2026.

The amount in brackets applies when you commit the same offence again within two years.

Points on a foreign licence. They are recorded in the Polish system too. At 24 points the police request a re-test of your driving qualifications; for drivers without permanent residence in Poland, the police of the region where the last offence happened file it. Points expire one year after you pay the fine, so an unpaid fine keeps them on record.

Getting a fine (mandat) as a foreigner

• Cash fine (mandat gotówkowy): for people staying in Poland temporarily or without permanent residence here. You pay the officer on the spot, in cash or by card.
• Credit fine (mandat kredytowany): for residents, payable within 7 days.
• Refusing: you may refuse any fine. The police then send the case to court, and the court sets the penalty within the legal limits, which may be higher.

Speed camera letters. Cameras run by CANARD (the road transport inspectorate, GITD) send the car's owner a form asking who was driving. Either the driver fills it in, or the owner names the driver. The form goes back to GITD, and the fine is then posted to the driver. Refusing to name the driver is a separate offence. CANARD has forms in the languages of EU countries; we found no official procedure for plates from outside the EU.

Toll roads

Poland has no vignettes. Since 21 September 2026 the Public Roads Act limits electronic tolls on national roads to vehicles over 3.5 t and buses. The A4 Katowice–Kraków prices apply since 1 April 2026. According to GDDKiA, as reported by the press, the Stalexport concession ends on 15 March 2027 and cars will then drive for free.

Inside Kraków, the clean transport zone (SCT) is a separate charge. Cars with foreign plates must be registered in the SCT system even if they meet the norms, and entering without a permit or payment can bring a fine of up to 500 zł. See our Kraków clean transport zone guide.

After the accident: dents and scratches

A car-park knock often leaves a dent with the paint intact. Such dents come out without repainting: from 200 zł, or from 3,000 zł for a whole car after hail. The factory paint stays, so a paint gauge shows factory readings when you sell. More in our paintless dent removal guide.

When we repair dents under AC insurance, we settle with the insurer directly. A claim against the other driver's OC is yours to file.

Scratches that stay in the clear coat come out with machine polishing, priced by depth of correction. A scratch down to the primer needs a paint shop, and we tell you so at the inspection. All studio services are on the services page.

Sources

As of September 2026. Fines: Prime Minister's regulation, Dz.U. 2021 item 2484 (from 1 January 2022); points: Interior Ministry regulation, Dz.U. 2026 item 724 (from 3 June 2026); police and statements: Szczecin police; fine types: Pomeranian police; payout deadlines: Financial Ombudsman; foreign cars: PBUK; speed cameras: CANARD; tolls: Dz.U. 2026 item 982, etoll.gov.pl, Stalexport.

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