Probationary period for new drivers — rules from September 2026

The new probationary-period rules apply to people who first obtained a category B driving licence on or after 4 September 2026. They apply regardless of age when the licence is obtained: both to a 17-year-old and to someone who obtains their first licence as an adult.

For someone who obtained their licence after turning 18, the probationary period lasts 2 years.

If the licence was obtained before turning 18, the probationary period can last up to 3 years, but no longer than until turning 20. The probationary period starts on the day the licence is issued, or — for those using the temporary electronic driving licence in the mObywatel app — on the day the right to drive is obtained.

Independent of penalty points, a separate mechanism applies based on a catalogue of offences considered a particular road-safety hazard (e.g. exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h, drink driving, causing an accident).

Two final, confirmed offences from this catalogue extend the probationary period by another 2 years if both rulings were issued during it — if at least one is issued after it ends, an additional 2-year probationary period is imposed. A third such offence, or committing a road-safety crime, results in licence revocation.

The district authority (starosta) revokes a licence after, among other things, exceeding 20 penalty points in the first year after the licence was first issued. Revocation is also based on committing a road-safety crime during the probationary period, or three of the offences listed in the act (see above).

An additional sanction is a 5-year licence revocation for driving despite a decision temporarily suspending the licence — previously, the main consequence was extending the suspension period by another three months.

Until turning 18, a young driver can't work as a taxi driver or carry out occasional passenger transport or road freight transport (e.g. driving for a ride-hailing app) — this is an age-based restriction, independent of when exactly their probationary period ends.

For more on the rules that apply to drivers under 18, see the article on the driving licence from age 17.

Once the probationary period ends, its extra rules disappear — zero alcohol tolerance and the 12-point limit with mandatory ODTJ training.

What remains is the general penalty-point threshold that applies to all drivers: a first excess of 24 points (for a driver who has held a licence for more than a year) triggers a mandatory psychological exam and a re-education course, and only a second excess of 24 points within 5 years of being notified of that obligation results in licence revocation by the district authority.