Setting Up a Haulage Company in Poland: The Complete Route
Operators move to Poland for straightforward reasons: access to the EU market, more manageable operating costs, and a position in the middle of the east–west corridor.
But starting a haulage company in Poland is not ordinary company formation. Road transport is a regulated activity — registering the company is not enough, you need a licence. This guide covers the order and the real obstacles.
The frame: four conditions
EU Regulation 1071/2009 sets four conditions for operating as a road haulier:
- A genuine and stable establishment — including an operating base
- Good repute — for the company and the transport manager
- Financial standing — a minimum capital per vehicle
- Professional competence — a transport manager holding the certificate
Without all four there is no licence. The whole setup process is really just building these four in sequence.
Step 1 — Incorporate
The usual vehicle is an sp. z o.o. (limited company), minimum share capital 5,000 PLN. Online registration through S24 costs 250 PLN in state fees, plus roughly 23 PLN of PCC tax on the minimum capital. S24 completes in a few days; notarial incorporation gives you a more flexible constitution but takes longer.
Shareholders do not need to live in Poland.
Step 2 — The operating base
This is where foreign operators most often fail. A virtual office address is enough to register the company but not enough for the licence. You need a physical site suitable for transport activity, with parking for at least one third of the vehicles you declare.
Detail here: Why a virtual office won’t get you a licence
Step 3 — Financial standing
For heavy vehicles: €9,000 for the first, €5,000 for each additional. For international transport with vans of 2.5–3.5 tonnes the figures drop to €1,800 and €900.
You do not have to freeze this as cash. It can be evidenced through annual accounts, or through a haulier’s professional liability insurance or bank guarantee. Standing is verified annually.
Step 4 — Transport manager
The company needs a person holding the certificate of professional competence. It can be one of the shareholders or an appointed outsider. That means passing the exam or presenting an equivalent qualification recognised in the EU.
Step 5 — Apply for the licence
Two documents are involved: the operator authorisation (zezwolenie na wykonywanie zawodu przewoźnika) and, for international work, the Community licence. The Community licence fee is 4,000 PLN for up to five years and 8,000 PLN for up to ten. Applications go to GITD.
Step 6 — Vehicles and tachographs
Only second-generation smart tachographs (G2V2) are accepted in international transport. From 1 July 2026 that obligation extends to light vehicles over 2.5 tonnes. Check this before you buy the fleet, not after.
Step 7 — Drivers
Finding drivers is the sector’s real bottleneck. Employing non-EU drivers is possible but the whole chain is required: a work permit or single permit, a driver attestation for international work, a licence with Code 95 or a driver qualification card, and a driver card.
Step 8 — Accounting and social security
Haulage accounting differs from ordinary bookkeeping: VAT on fuel and tolls, driver per diems, working time records, ZUS contributions. These are both a cost centre and an inspection topic.
How long does it take?
The company itself takes days. What sets the pace is assembling the base, the financial standing and the transport manager. The licence application is a matter of weeks once the file is complete. Plan in months, not weeks.
What Meyis does
We run the whole route: sp. z o.o. incorporation and KRS registration, registered address, arranging a compliant operating base through our partner sites with the lease made out to your company, documenting financial standing, solving the transport manager requirement, the licence applications, driver employment and ongoing accounting.
Tell us how many vehicles you plan to start with and we will set out the parking you need, the financial standing required and the official fees.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I set up a Polish haulage company without living in Poland?
- Yes. Shareholders do not need to reside in Poland and an sp. z o.o. can be incorporated remotely. The genuine establishment, operating base and transport manager conditions still have to be met in practice.
- How long does it take to start a transport company in Poland?
- The company itself is registered within days through S24. What extends the timeline is assembling the operating base, the financial standing and the professional competence. It is realistic to plan in months rather than weeks.
- Do I have to freeze the money for financial standing?
- No. It can be evidenced through annual accounts, or through a haulier's professional liability insurance or a bank guarantee. What matters is being able to demonstrate it each year.
- Can I be my own transport manager?
- Yes, if you hold the certificate of professional competence or an equivalent qualification recognised in the EU. Otherwise a certified person must be appointed to the company.
- Can I get the licence with a virtual office address?
- No. A virtual office can be used to register the company but does not satisfy the operating base requirement. The licence needs a physical site suitable for transport activity with parking.
- Do vans of 2.5–3.5 tonnes need a licence too?
- In international transport, yes. Since 21 May 2022 these vehicles require operator authorisation and a Community licence, with lower financial standing thresholds. From 1 July 2026 they also need a G2V2 smart tachograph.