Rules as of 22 September 2026. We update this page when the city changes the resolution or the Supreme Administrative Court rules.
| Engine | Free entry if it meets… | …or was built in |
|---|---|---|
| petrol, LPG, petrol hybrid | Euro 4 | 2005 or later |
| diesel up to 3.5 t | Euro 6 | 2014 or later |
| diesel over 3.5 t | Euro VI | 2012 or later |
| electric, hydrogen, CNG | always (foreign-registered cars must still be registered) | — |
One condition is enough: the Euro norm or the production year. If your car meets neither, you can still enter for a fee until the end of 2028. From 1 January 2029 it is banned.
The rule most foreigners miss: a car with foreign plates must be registered in the SCT system even if it meets the norms. The city cannot read foreign vehicle registers, so an unregistered foreign car counts as non-compliant.
We are at ul. Powstańców 20 (Prądnik Czerwony), well inside it. Some of our clients are expats on UK, German or Ukrainian plates, while most explanations online cover only Polish-registered cars. You can book and talk to us in English.
A non-compliant foreign car (say, a 2011 diesel) still has to pay the entry fee after registering.
In May a client drove in from Manchester in a 2015 right-hand-drive Golf diesel (Euro 6) for a ceramic coating. He had not registered the car and only learned about the zone when he arrived. The 14-day check was too long for his stay, so he paid 5 zł a day instead of risking a 500 zł fine.
Cars from Kraków rental companies are Polish-registered and almost always new enough, so the system clears them automatically. If you rent an older car from a private owner, check the plate at sct.krakow.pl.
| Year | Per hour | Per day | 30-day pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.50 zł | 5 zł (pay 2 hours in a row, valid until midnight) | 100 zł |
| 2027 | 2.50 zł | 15 zł (pay 6 hours in a row) | 250 zł |
| 2028 | 2.50 zł | — | 500 zł |
| from 2029 | entry banned |
Pay before you enter: at sct.zdmk.krakow.pl, in the mKraków app, or through mobile payment operators (2% cheaper there). You first add your plate to the payment register, then choose the period.
You pay for driving in the zone. According to the city's guide, the hour runs from entering the zone until you leave it or park, for example on private property. Drive off again and you pay again. A parked car needs no SCT fee, and street parking in the paid parking zone is paid separately.
Tip for our clients: if you leave your car with us for several days, pay for the day you drive in and the day you collect it, 5 zł each in 2026. A car standing on our premises needs no fee.
In March 2026 the mayor proposed freezing the fees at 5 zł per day and 100 zł per month until the end of 2028. As of 22.09.2026 this is still a proposal.
Residents can exempt a car owned before 26 June 2025 if they are registered at a Kraków address (zameldowanie, permanent or temporary) and file their income tax (PIT) in Kraków with Kraków as their place of residence. You need a PESEL number, the Polish registration certificate and the first page of last year's PIT with the UPO receipt. The exemption is renewed every year. A car bought after 26 June 2025 gets no exemption.
Roughly everything inside the A4 and S7 ring roads, about 60% of the city: the Old Town, Kazimierz, Podgórze, Krowodrza, Bronowice and Nowa Huta up to ul. Ujastek. The A4 and S7 themselves are outside the zone, as are the approaches to two Park & Ride car parks: Górka Narodowa (north) and Mydlniki Wapiennik (west). Leave the car there and take the tram. The official map is at sct.krakow.pl.
Entering without permission or payment is an offence under art. 96c of the Polish Code of Petty Offences, with a fine of up to 500 zł.
In the first month of checks (17 Feb – 17 Mar 2026), municipal police carried out 1,953 checks, found 112 violations and issued 4 fines. Number-plate cameras were still being installed at the time. Fines are rare so far, but the city plans to check permissions mostly automatically with cameras, and one fine costs 100 times more than a day pass.
On 14 January 2026 the Regional Administrative Court in Kraków (case III SA/Kr 1167/25) struck out the resolution's definition of "resident" and the omission of private clinics from the exemptions. The rest still applies. The ruling is not final because the regional governor appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court. The mayor has promised a new resolution in autumn 2026, with wider exemptions and fixed fees until 2028. Until the City Council adopts it, the rules above apply.
Kraków City Council resolution No. XXXII/619/25 of 12 June 2025; sct.krakow.pl and sct.zdmk.krakow.pl; City of Kraków notice on registering foreign vehicles (4 Feb 2026); ZDMK, mayor's proposals (6 Mar 2026); Regional Administrative Court in Kraków, 14 Jan 2026, III SA/Kr 1167/25; City of Kraków guide for non-residents (gov.pl, 10 Dec 2025); SmogLab (19 Mar 2026); Polish Code of Petty Offences, art. 96c.
Yes, register it at sct.zdmk.krakow.pl even though it meets the norm. Without that, the system treats it as non-compliant. The city has up to 14 days to verify it, and you renew the registration every year.
5 zł in 2026: pay two consecutive hours (2 × 2.50 zł) and the permit lasts until midnight. In 2027 a day costs 15 zł.
No. The airport is in Balice, outside the city limits, and the zone covers only roads managed by the City of Kraków. Coming from the A4 you do not enter the zone. Driving from the city centre to the airport, you leave it at the city boundary, so a non-compliant car needs a paid permit for that trip.
Up to 500 zł.
Yes, after paying the fee, because the studio is inside the zone. You only pay for the days you drive: arrival and collection. While the car is parked with us, no SCT fee is due.
Kraken Detailing is at ul. Powstańców 20, inside the SCT. If your car does not meet the norms, pay for the day you arrive and the day you collect it; no fee is due while it stands on our premises. We speak English.
