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Mandat karny and wezwanie from the police in Poland: what the letter means and what to do

By when7 days from acceptance or delivery

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In short

A letter from the Polish police or GITD is usually one of three things: a mandat karny (a fine for a petty offence), a wezwanie do wskazania kierującego (a request to name who was driving after a speed-camera photo) or a wezwanie to appear at a police station, and the usual deadline is 7 days, counted from the day after delivery or after you accepted the fine, with a last day that falls on a weekend or holiday moving to the next working day. Pay the fine within 7 days or refuse it and let a court decide, send the driver form back in time, and go to the summons with your ID. The analfabeta.pl service explains such a letter in plain language and counts the deadline from the delivery date for you.

What this letter is

"A letter from the police" usually means one of three different documents. First check which one you are holding.

Mandat karny is a fine for a wykroczenie (a petty offence): speeding, bad parking, an expired vehicle inspection. A police officer can issue it on the spot, and GITD (Główny Inspektorat Transportu Drogowego, the road transport inspectorate) sends it by post after a speed camera photo. You do not have to accept a mandat. If you refuse (odmowa przyjęcia mandatu), the case goes to a court (sąd), which sets the penalty itself. If you accept, the fine becomes final and must be paid.

Wezwanie do wskazania kierującego (request to name the driver) arrives when a camera recorded an offence and the office only knows whose car it is. It comes from GITD (through CANARD, its automatic traffic enforcement centre) or from the police. A form is attached: you either state that you were driving, or name the person who was.

Wezwanie do stawienia się (summons to appear) as a świadek (witness) or osoba podejrzana (suspected person) calls you to a police station on a specific day and hour. The letter gives the case number, the officer's name, the address and a phone number. Appearing is mandatory.

Why people get it

The most common reason is traffic: speed cameras, average-speed sections, running a red light, parking where you should not. The car is registered in your name, so the letter comes to your address even if someone else was driving. The second is an investigation: someone filed a report, you saw an incident, your name appeared in a file. A summons as a witness does not mean you are suspected of anything.

Typical deadlines

Deadlines are counted in calendar days, but the day of delivery does not count. If the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day. Watch out for registered mail: a letter you do not collect counts as delivered after the second awizo notice (14 days after the first), and the clock runs even though you never saw it.

  • Mandat kredytowany (a fine you sign for and pay later): pay within 7 days from acceptance, that is from the day you signed for it. The account number is printed on the form; the payee is a tax office, not the police station.
  • Mandat zaoczny (a fine left for you, for example under the wiper): the payment deadline is printed on the form.
  • Cancelling an accepted mandat: only in exceptional cases (the act was not an offence at all), by a motion to the court within 7 days of it becoming final.
  • Wezwanie do wskazania kierującego: usually 7 days from delivery to send the form back. Check the date in the letter.
  • Summons to appear: the date and hour are in the letter. If you cannot come, write before that date.

What happens if you ignore it

An unpaid fine does not go away. After 7 days it passes to the tax office (urząd skarbowy), which collects it by administrative enforcement, from your bank account or salary, and adds enforcement costs. Speeding also brings penalty points (punkty karne).

Not answering a request to name the driver is a separate offence (Kodeks wykroczeń, art. 96 § 3) punished with a fine, on top of the original case. Silence does not close the matter, it doubles it.

If you skip a summons without a valid excuse, you risk a fine (kara porządkowa, a money penalty whose size depends on the type of proceedings) or being brought in by the police. A suspected person also risks detention.

What to do now

  1. Work out which of the three letters you have and write down the delivery day. Count deadlines from it.
  2. Mandat: decide whether to accept it. Do not sign anything you do not understand; the officer must inform you of your right to refuse. If you accept, pay within 7 days and keep the proof of payment. If you refuse, expect a court case, where the fine can be higher and costs are added.
  3. Request to name the driver: fill in the attached form, sign it and send it back by registered mail (keep the receipt) or as the letter says. If someone else was driving, give that person's details.
  4. Summons: come on the day with your ID document and the letter. If your Polish is weak, you have the right to an interpreter; ask for one in advance, in writing or by phone, using the number in the letter. If you cannot come, send a letter before the date with the reason and a request for a new date.
  5. Any formal reply to the police, GITD or a court must be in Polish. Keep a copy of everything you send.
  6. Beware of scams: a real mandat has a series and number, a legal basis and the officer's details. A text message with a "pay your fine" link is not a letter from the police.

How analfabeta.pl helps

Paste the letter's text or photograph it. You get a short verdict in your language: what the document is, whether you must act and by when, with a concrete date counted from the day of delivery. If a reply is needed, you can order a ready-to-send letter in Polish with a mirror translation and a PDF.

Frequently asked questions

What is a mandat karny in Poland and do I have to accept it?

A mandat karny is a fine for a wykroczenie, a petty offence such as speeding, bad parking or an expired vehicle inspection; a police officer can issue it on the spot and GITD (the road transport inspectorate) sends it by post after a speed-camera photo. You do not have to accept it: if you refuse, the case goes to a court, which sets the penalty itself and may add costs. If you accept and sign, the fine becomes final and must be paid. Do not sign anything you do not understand, the officer must tell you about your right to refuse.

How many days do I have to pay a fine from GITD and how do I count them?

A mandat kredytowany, the kind you sign for and pay later, must be paid within 7 days from the day you accepted it. The day of acceptance or delivery does not count, and if the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day. For a mandat zaoczny, left for example under your wiper, the payment date is printed on the form. The account number is on the form too; the payee is a tax office (urząd skarbowy), not the police station.

What happens if I ignore the fine or the letter from the Polish police?

An unpaid fine does not go away: after 7 days it passes to the tax office, which collects it by administrative enforcement from your bank account or salary and adds enforcement costs; speeding also brings penalty points. Not answering a request to name the driver is a separate offence (Kodeks wykroczeń, art. 96 § 3) with its own fine, and skipping a summons risks a kara porządkowa or being brought in by the police. The fine itself is not a residence decision, but letting it grow into enforcement and extra penalties is the worst shape for any later contact with Polish offices.

I got a wezwanie do wskazania kierującego but I was not the driver, what do I do?

This letter comes from GITD (through CANARD) or the police when a camera recorded an offence and the office only knows whose car it is. Fill in the attached form, either stating that you were driving or giving the details of the person who was, sign it and send it back by registered mail, usually within 7 days from delivery (the delivery day does not count, keep the postal receipt). The reply must be in Polish. Silence does not close the case, it adds a second fine for not naming the driver.

I did not collect the registered letter from the police, does the deadline still run?

Yes. A registered letter you do not pick up counts as delivered after the second awizo notice, 14 days after the first, and the clock runs even though you never read it. If you have an awizo slip, collect the letter as soon as you can and write down the delivery date, because you count the days from the next day. Also check it is genuine: a real mandat has a series and number, a legal basis and the officer's details, while a text message with a pay-your-fine link is a scam.

Do I have to go to the police station if the summons says I am a witness, and can I speak English there?

Appearing is mandatory, but a summons as a świadek (witness) does not mean you are suspected of anything. Come on the day and hour from the letter with your ID document and the summons itself; if your Polish is weak, you have the right to an interpreter, so ask for one in advance in writing or by phone using the number in the letter. Any written reply to the police, GITD or a court must be in Polish. If you cannot come, send a letter before the date with the reason and a request for a new date, otherwise you risk a fine or being brought in by the police.