The penalty points system is one of the primary tools for monitoring drivers in Poland. Many people do not fully understand how points are calculated, when they lead to loss of a driving licence and what can be done to remove them. Several common beliefs on the subject are simply wrong.
How the Penalty Points System Works
Penalty points are assigned to road traffic offences. Each offence carries a set number of points determined by a regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration. Points are entered in the driver records system (CEPiK) when a fixed penalty notice becomes final or a court judgment becomes final.
Points accumulate – each subsequent offence adds to the existing balance. Reaching or exceeding the limit triggers the procedure for revoking driving entitlement.
Point Limits – Different for Different Drivers
24 points – the limit for drivers who have held their entitlement for more than one year.
20 points – the limit for drivers in the probationary period, meaning within the first year of holding a category B driving licence for the first time. The stricter limit is intended to encourage new drivers to take particular care.
How Many Points for Specific Offences
The regulation assigns between one and fifteen points per offence. The highest penalties apply to the most dangerous violations.
15 points: exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h in a built-up area, drink driving (state following use of alcohol), overtaking in prohibited places in a manner that creates a danger, failing to give way to a pedestrian at a crossing.
10 points: exceeding the speed limit by 31–50 km/h, failing to comply with traffic lights, driving on the motorway hard shoulder.
Lower point values (1–5) apply to minor formal and technical violations.
When You Lose Your Licence
Exceeding the 24-point limit (or 20 in the probationary period) requires the district authority (starosta) to issue a decision revoking the driving entitlement (Article 7(1)(2) of the Act on Drivers). The decision is issued with an order for immediate enforcement.
Revocation of entitlement is not the same as seizure of the driving licence. Revocation means the driver loses their entitlement and must obtain it again – by passing the state examination and meeting other conditions (medical and psychological examinations, a compulsory retraining course).
How to Appeal Against the District Authority’s Decision
An appeal against a revocation decision lies to the Regional Administrative Appeals Board (SKO) within 14 days of service. Since the decision carries an order for immediate enforcement, lodging an appeal does not automatically suspend it. An application for suspension of enforcement can be made to the SKO or to the administrative court.
Grounds for challenge include: whether the points were correctly calculated (whether all offences were correctly entered), any procedural errors in issuing the decision, and whether the points actually exceeded the limit on the date the decision was issued.
When Points Are Removed
Penalty points are automatically removed from the records after two years from the date on which the fixed penalty notice or court judgment became final for the relevant offence.
An important change from 3 June 2026: the possibility of having points removed early by voluntarily attending a retraining course during the two-year period has been abolished. Retraining courses are now mandatory only as a condition for restoring entitlement after it has been revoked – they no longer serve to cancel points in advance.
This means that the only way to remove points is to wait for the two-year period to expire. There are no shortcuts.
How to Recover Your Entitlement After Revocation
After revocation of entitlement for exceeding the points limit, the driver must go through the full procedure for obtaining a driving licence again: passing the theory and practical examinations, undergoing medical and psychological examinations and completing a compulsory retraining course.
Only after all conditions are met can the district authority issue a new driving licence.
Driving After Revocation
Driving after revocation of entitlement is a criminal offence under Article 180a of the Criminal Code, carrying a custodial sentence of up to two years. This is not a misdemeanour – it is a full criminal offence recorded in the National Criminal Register.
How to Check Your Points
The current penalty points balance can be checked through the gov.pl portal (after logging in with a trusted profile or e-ID) or in the mObywatel app. Every driver has access to their points balance and offence history.
Practical Points
Do not accept a fixed penalty notice hastily if you dispute the offence – refusal sends the case to court, which may acquit or impose a lower penalty without points. Where the points balance is approaching the limit, particular caution is advisable – a single repeated offence can double the number of points and determine the revocation of entitlement. Keep track of when points are due to be removed – after two years from the date the decision became final, points disappear automatically.
Contact Us
If you are at risk of having your driving entitlement revoked due to penalty points, or have received a district authority decision you wish to challenge, it is worth consulting a lawyer as soon as possible.
It pays to be properly prepared: both in knowing what you can claim and in having a clear strategy.
We handle cases for drivers in Poznań and across the Wielkopolska region, with in-person and online consultations available for clients elsewhere in Poland.
Adwokat Marta Krzyżanowicz and Adwokat Michalina Koligot Law Firm “Adwokat dla Kierowców w Poznaniu”
ul. Adama Mickiewicza 18/3, 60-834 Poznań
tel. +48 795 001 536 · +48 531 335 713
kontakt@adwokatdlakierowcy.pl · www.adwokatdlakierowcy.pl
This text is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every case requires individual analysis.
