When I looked into renewal, the information I found stated that only military personnel could renew their licenses by mail. I have since discovered that is not entirely accurate, but I decided that I should just get a Polish license since I am now living in Poland. I figured it would be a simple exchange of my American license for a Polish one. However, there was nothing simple about the process of getting a Polish license.
The process started about a month before my license was due to expire. We went to the local version of the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and asked about how to renew. I had to fill out a two-page form, turn in a copy of my driver's license, Polish residence card and a picture showing my right ear (no idea why they don't do biometric photos here). It seemed to be straight-forward enough and I expected my new license in two weeks.
A few days later, we received a call that an American driver's license can't be transferred so easily. The U.S. is not one of the 67 contracting parties of the U.N.'s Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which was put in place to make road traffic safer and more uniform. In layman's terms, Americans don't know how to properly drive in a country outside of their own (some would argue Americans don't know how to drive, period). What did all this mean for me? It meant I had to take a theory test here in Poland.
There are many steps involved before you can take your test here. First, I had to get a physical done. Of course there was an eye test, but they also checked my blood pressure, blood sugar and medical history. I was asked about diseases, drinking, smoking and other things that my translator struggled with. Then, I had to take the form I got from the physical to my local DMV. Two days later, I received a number. I had to take that number to Gorzow, which is about 45 minutes away, in order to book an appointment for my test. While there, we found out that I needed an official translator for my test, even though it would be in English. So I had to book a translator for the test as well. Finally, I had to order materials to study for the test.
When the materials arrived, I was honestly shocked to find a 110 page booklet +DVD-Rom that had 1290 practice questions. This is not an exaggeration. There were 1290 questions. I answered all of them. And I read the book. Twice. I did all this over the course of 10 days. I was ready for my test.
The test consist of 32 questions. Twenty questions are yes/no and twelve are multiple choice. You are given 25 minutes to complete the test and you have a set amount of time for each question. The questions range from 1-3 points and the total amount of points is 74. You are required to get 68 points. This averages to about a 92%. When I took the test, I got a 91%. I failed by ONE point.
This meant that I had to take the test for a second time. I had to pay for a second test, and I had to pay for the translator to come back. By the way, the translation I needed was basically, "This is a driving test. The rules are on your computer. Good luck." So after a weekend of moping, I went back for the second test 3 days later.
When I showed my passport, the test proctor noticed I was from Arkansas and Bill Clinton was mentioned. Many other test-takers requested a different computer number from the one they had previously failed on. In the exam just before mine, everyone failed. It is a very difficult test. So, once the test started, I read every question two or three times. One of the questions was even a repeat of a question I had missed on my first test. My result on the second test was positive. I received a 70/74.
In the coming week I should receive my Polish driving license. Between that and my marriage certificate, it seems I'm slowly becoming more Polish and less American. I must say that I am happy to receive a license which will be recognized in 67 countries. However, with hindsight I would advise other Americans to just go home for a renewal!
The process started about a month before my license was due to expire. We went to the local version of the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and asked about how to renew. I had to fill out a two-page form, turn in a copy of my driver's license, Polish residence card and a picture showing my right ear (no idea why they don't do biometric photos here). It seemed to be straight-forward enough and I expected my new license in two weeks.
A few days later, we received a call that an American driver's license can't be transferred so easily. The U.S. is not one of the 67 contracting parties of the U.N.'s Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which was put in place to make road traffic safer and more uniform. In layman's terms, Americans don't know how to properly drive in a country outside of their own (some would argue Americans don't know how to drive, period). What did all this mean for me? It meant I had to take a theory test here in Poland.
There are many steps involved before you can take your test here. First, I had to get a physical done. Of course there was an eye test, but they also checked my blood pressure, blood sugar and medical history. I was asked about diseases, drinking, smoking and other things that my translator struggled with. Then, I had to take the form I got from the physical to my local DMV. Two days later, I received a number. I had to take that number to Gorzow, which is about 45 minutes away, in order to book an appointment for my test. While there, we found out that I needed an official translator for my test, even though it would be in English. So I had to book a translator for the test as well. Finally, I had to order materials to study for the test.
When the materials arrived, I was honestly shocked to find a 110 page booklet +DVD-Rom that had 1290 practice questions. This is not an exaggeration. There were 1290 questions. I answered all of them. And I read the book. Twice. I did all this over the course of 10 days. I was ready for my test.
The test consist of 32 questions. Twenty questions are yes/no and twelve are multiple choice. You are given 25 minutes to complete the test and you have a set amount of time for each question. The questions range from 1-3 points and the total amount of points is 74. You are required to get 68 points. This averages to about a 92%. When I took the test, I got a 91%. I failed by ONE point.
This meant that I had to take the test for a second time. I had to pay for a second test, and I had to pay for the translator to come back. By the way, the translation I needed was basically, "This is a driving test. The rules are on your computer. Good luck." So after a weekend of moping, I went back for the second test 3 days later.
When I showed my passport, the test proctor noticed I was from Arkansas and Bill Clinton was mentioned. Many other test-takers requested a different computer number from the one they had previously failed on. In the exam just before mine, everyone failed. It is a very difficult test. So, once the test started, I read every question two or three times. One of the questions was even a repeat of a question I had missed on my first test. My result on the second test was positive. I received a 70/74.
In the coming week I should receive my Polish driving license. Between that and my marriage certificate, it seems I'm slowly becoming more Polish and less American. I must say that I am happy to receive a license which will be recognized in 67 countries. However, with hindsight I would advise other Americans to just go home for a renewal!
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