I recently got pulled over by the border guard. He asked me for my driver’s license and registration, and I duly handed over my American license and the international drivers permit I got a couple of years ago in the States.
“What is this?” the border guard asked.
“It’s an international driving permit,” I replied.
“Who issued it?” he asked.
“I got it in America.”
He thumbs through it, then asked, “Yes, but by what authority.”
“It was an agreement by the United Nations, in the late 40’s I believe. Participating countries agreed to recognize each others’ driving license.”
“Hold on.” He goes back to his truck, where another border officer is sitting. He comes back and tells me what I’d been expecting all along: “This is not valid. It doesn’t have a stamp from the United Nations or anything.”
If something in Poland does not have a stamp, it’s not valid. End of story.
The international driving permit has all this information explained…in English, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and a handful of other languages, but no Polish. And this guy speaks no foreign languages.
What to do?
Kinga was sitting with me, and he suggested that she drive home, because I’m clearly driving illegally.
Which goes to show, that if the officer is ignorant and monolingual, “legal” is a completely relative term.
Is it illegal to simply use your American license? That’s all I have ever done in Europe and at least the car rental agencies accept that without question. I thought the International License was a relic from the past. How did he react to the American license? What was he looking for? Did he give you a ticket?
According to the US Embassy’s web site, “On July 1, 1999, new regulations governing the issuance and use of drivers licenses entered into force. In order to drive in Poland, American citizens must have either an international driving permit or a Polish national driver’s license: a U.S. State driving license withhout [sic] an IDP is insufficient.”
I didn’t get a ticket because the border guard does not have the authority to issue traffic tickets. He told me I was driving illegally, though.
First advice: you shouldn’t believe that something is illegal just because a guy tells you so. My usual strategy is first ask the official (a policeman, guard etc.) for his/her name, rank and number – once they’re less anonymous they tend to be less certain about their story. Even if you get a fine, you can protest it and if you are right – you generally get better treatment with their supervisors.
Second advice: In this case, the guard is probably right. I’ve checked the law, and it says you can use your non-Polish licence for no more than 6 months. Later – you should have exchanged it for a Polish one (after passing a theoretical exam). I am not a lawyer, so I might be wrong – but it looks reasonable. You are considered a resident of Poland – and you are treated as one (Polish driving licence is more expensive and more difficult to get than an American one – it is e.g. obligatory to attend a driving school).
And Poland is no different than the US in this case: when I moved to California for my graduate studies, my Polish/international licence was technically valid for 10 days only – and I had to take the driving test as well.
You notice certain facts only if you’re a foreigner – as you and Kinga will probably soon discover in America. Good luck to you both!