How to open a transport company in Poland in 2027: costs, licence and timeline
To open a transport company in Poland in 2027 you need a GITD licence (PLN 5,440 for 1 truck), a transport manager and EUR 9,000 financial standing.
Logifie Team
Logistics Technology Experts
To open a transport company in Poland, you register a sole trader firm or an sp. z o.o. (a Polish limited liability company), appoint a transport manager with a certificate of professional competence, prove financial standing and apply to GITD (the Polish road transport inspectorate) for the licence. Since 2026-11-01 a new sole trader can register in CEIDG (the business register) only online, according to the City of Wroclaw . Poland carried 33.8% of EU international road tonne-km in 2023, the highest share of any member state ( Eurostat , 2023 data). Logifie's guide estimates 2.5 to 4 months to the licence and PLN 119,500 to 130,200 to start with a leased tractor and trailer, and this article gives the steps, the fees and the money you need for 1 to 3 tractor units doing international haulage.
The numbers below come from GITD, Polish law, the Court of Justice and trade press, each with a date. Where a figure is Logifie's own estimate, the text says so. Logifie's Poland transport company guide walks through the same path step by step and exists in Polish, Ukrainian and English: follow the step-by-step guide next to this article if you want the forms and checklists.
How long does it take to open a transport company in Poland?
Logifie's guide (legal status 2026-10-17) estimates 2.5 to 4 months from the decision to the licence in hand. That is a Logifie estimate, not an official deadline: the GITD licence page, checked 2026-11-10, states no decision period. The estimate covers the path to the licence, including the transport manager certificate and the financial standing proof that the application requires.
The table shows the six steps of the guide and where each one happens. Only the attestation has a documented time; the other rows have no separate time estimate.
| Step | What you do | Where | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0. Before you start | Decide on 1 to 3 tractor units, check your budget and choose a transport manager | At home, with an accountant | No separate estimate |
| 1. Company | Register a sole trader firm or an sp. z o.o., set up VAT and e-invoicing with an accountant | CEIDG online, or KRS (the company register) through S24 (the online company registration system) | No separate estimate |
| 2. Licence | Submit form LR1 and attachments to GITD, pay the fees | GITD | No official deadline stated on the GITD page (as of 2026-11-10) |
| 3. Documents for the road | Driver attestation in iBTM, IMI registration, posting declarations | iBTM, GITD, IMI portal | Attestation about 10 days in Logifie's guide, legal ceiling 30 days |
| 4. Fuel and tolls | Set up fuel cards and toll accounts | Fuel and toll providers | No separate estimate |
| 5. First orders | Price loads, check customers, start driving | Freight exchanges and direct clients | After step 3 |
Sole trader or sp. z o.o.: which form fits 1 to 3 trucks?
A sole trader (JDG) is the cheaper entry: registration in CEIDG costs PLN 0 and an sp. z o.o. needs capital. Logifie's guide puts the sp. z o.o. at PLN 5,000 minimum capital plus PLN 250 for S24 online registration and about PLN 24 tax, all labelled as guide estimates. The guide uses the road freight code PKD 49.41.Z for both forms.
The CEIDG rule is new. According to the City of Wroclaw , new sole trader applications go through biznes.gov.pl, mObywatel or ceidg.gov.pl from 2026-11-01. Changes, suspension and closure stay on paper until a second stage on 2028-11-01.
The sole trader form also brings a ZUS (social insurance) schedule you can plan around. Under the ulga na start relief you pay only health contributions for the first 6 months, then 24 months of preferential social contributions, as described by Poradnik Przedsiebiorcy (2026 rules). In 2026 the preferential social contribution is PLN 456.18 with voluntary sickness insurance, and the health contribution comes on top (minimum PLN 432.54).
The 2027 values are higher. The 2027 minimum wage of PLN 4,950 was set by a Council of Ministers regulation of 2026-09-14 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1213), and podatki.biz (2026-09-10) calculates from that wage a preferential base of PLN 1,485 and social contributions of PLN 469.85 with sickness or PLN 433.47 without. Confirm the exact amounts in the ZUS announcement for 2027 before you budget.
Who can be your transport manager, and how do you prove financial standing?
You need a transport manager with a certificate of professional competence, and you must prove EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle and EUR 5,000 for each additional one. Both rules appear in Poland's road transport act: Article 5(3)(2) requires the certificate and Article 5(3)(3) sets the financial standing, as published on eli.gov.pl (checked 2026-11-10).
The manager is usually you or someone you hire. The guide lists good repute and EU residence as conditions, and one external manager can serve at most 4 companies and 50 vehicles under Article 4(2)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009. The exam costs about PLN 800 in exam and certificate fees according to Polish trade press checked on 2026-11-10, and Logifie's guide says it is held in Polish only. Compare how the transport manager CPC works in Europe .
Financial standing for 1 to 3 trucks adds up quickly:
| Trucks | Financial standing required (as of 2026-11-10) |
|---|---|
| 1 | EUR 9,000 |
| 2 | EUR 14,000 |
| 3 | EUR 19,000 |
Most small operators prove it with an insurance policy instead of tying up cash. Logifie's guide estimates that policy at about PLN 150 to 200, which is a guide estimate and not a published price.
What does the GITD licence cost, and how much per vehicle?
For one truck on a licence up to 5 years you pay PLN 5,440 in one transfer: PLN 1,000 for the authorisation to practise as a road haulier, PLN 4,000 for the Community licence and PLN 440 for one certified copy. These amounts come from the GITD LR1 page , checked 2026-11-10 (form version 2025_07). A licence of 5 to 10 years costs PLN 8,000, and each certified copy costs PLN 880.
Each truck needs its own certified copy, so the total grows by PLN 440 (or PLN 880) per vehicle. The totals below are simple arithmetic on the GITD fees.
| Trucks | Licence up to 5 years: total in PLN | Licence 5 to 10 years: total in PLN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,440 (1,000 + 4,000 + 440) | 9,880 (1,000 + 8,000 + 880) |
| 2 | 5,880 (1,000 + 4,000 + 880) | 10,760 (1,000 + 8,000 + 1,760) |
| 3 | 6,320 (1,000 + 4,000 + 1,320) | 11,640 (1,000 + 8,000 + 2,640) |
The licence is the first expense because you cannot legally run international haulage without it. Compare EU operator licence costs across Europe .
How much money do you need to start?
Logifie's guide estimates PLN 119,500 to 130,200 (about EUR 28,120 to 30,640) for a start with a leased tractor and trailer, including a reserve, and PLN 153,500 to 164,200 (about EUR 36,120 to 38,640) once you add the first month of fuel and tolls. These are guide estimates, not quotes. Fuel and tolls alone run at least EUR 8,000 a month per truck in the same estimate.
The table separates the fixed legal costs, which you can check against the sources, from the totals, which are estimates.
| Item | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| CEIDG registration (sole trader) | PLN 0 | City of Wroclaw, 2026-11-10 |
| sp. z o.o. capital, S24 fee and tax | PLN 5,000 + PLN 250 + about PLN 24 | Logifie's guide estimate |
| GITD fees, 1 truck, up to 5 years | PLN 5,440 | GITD, 2026-11-10 |
| Transport manager exam | About PLN 800 | Secondary sources, exam and certificate fees |
| Insurance policy for financial standing | About PLN 150 to 200 | Logifie's guide estimate |
| Driver attestation (non-EU driver) | PLN 10 (up to 1 year) to PLN 40 (up to 5 years) | Tachospeed, 2026-01-12 |
| Total start-up, leased tractor and trailer, with reserve | PLN 119,500 to 130,200 | Logifie's guide estimate |
| Total with the first month of fuel and tolls | PLN 153,500 to 164,200 | Logifie's guide estimate |
The budget does not tell you whether the loads will pay for the truck. Before you sign a lease, price your expected loads in Logifie's freight calculator to see a break-even price per job and per loaded kilometre. For the diesel line of your monthly cost, check current Polish diesel prices .
What do drivers and trucks need before the first order?
A non-EU driver needs a driver attestation, which you request through iBTM (the GITD driver attestation system), and the company needs an account in the EU IMI road transport portal to file posting declarations before any cabotage or cross-trade job. The attestation costs PLN 10 for up to 1 year and PLN 40 for up to 5 years, with a legal ceiling of 30 days for GITD to issue it, according to Tachospeed (2026-01-12). Logifie's guide puts a typical wait at about 10 days.
One rule in older guides no longer applies. The Court of Justice annulled the obligation to bring the vehicle back to the operating centre every 8 weeks on 2024-10-04, in Joined Cases C-541/20 to C-555/20 . As of 2026-11-10 only the 4-week return of the driver to home or base remains, according to GITD .
Cabotage, which means a foreign haulier carrying out domestic transport inside another country, is limited to 3 operations within 7 days after an international delivery, with a 4-day cooling-off period in the same member state ( GITD , 2026-11-10). Plan the return loads with that limit in mind.
Frequently asked questions
Can a sole trader apply for an international haulage licence?
Yes, as of 2026-11-10 Logifie's guide treats a sole trader (JDG) as a valid path for 1 to 3 tractor units. The licence fees are the GITD amounts listed above, and what matters is that the transport manager, the financial standing and the vehicle copies are in place.
When did CEIDG registration become online only?
For new sole traders, online registration became mandatory on 2026-11-01, via biznes.gov.pl, mObywatel or ceidg.gov.pl ( City of Wroclaw ). Paper forms for changes, suspension and closure remain until a second stage on 2028-11-01.
How much does the GITD licence cost for 3 trucks?
For 3 trucks and a licence up to 5 years the total is PLN 6,320: PLN 1,000 authorisation, PLN 4,000 Community licence and 3 certified copies at PLN 440 each. For a licence of 5 to 10 years it is PLN 11,640. Both figures follow the GITD fee list checked on 2026-11-10.
Do I still have to bring the truck back every 8 weeks?
No. The Court of Justice annulled the 8-week vehicle return on 2024-10-04. As of 2026-11-10 the driver return every 4 weeks still applies, so plan driver rotations around it.
Can a non-EU driver work for my company?
Yes, with a driver attestation. It costs PLN 10 to PLN 40 depending on validity (up to 5 years), and GITD has up to 30 days to issue it, per Tachospeed on 2026-01-12.
Are the 2027 ZUS amounts final?
Nearly. The 2027 minimum wage of PLN 4,950 is final (regulation of 2026-09-14), so the preferential base of PLN 1,485 and the social contributions of PLN 469.85 (with sickness), calculated by podatki.biz on 2026-09-10, follow from it. The health contribution is added on top, and the ZUS announcement for 2027 is the place to confirm the exact amounts.
Next step
Opening the company is a sequence of dated, checkable steps, and the licence fee of PLN 5,440 for one truck is a small share of the budget. Work through Logifie's Poland transport company guide for the forms, the document folder and the fee calculator, then price your first loads before you sign any lease.
