Uprawnienia budowlane

Overview

Uprawnienia budowlane are Poland's construction licences. Under the Building Law (Prawo budowlane), only people holding them may carry out independent technical functions in construction, such as designing, running a building site, or supervising on the investor's behalf. They are granted by a professional self-government chamber after a qualification procedure that ends with an exam.

This page is based on the Building Law text of 2024 and the qualification rules of the Polska Izba Inżynierów Budownictwa (PIIB, the Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers). PIIB grants licences in the construction, engineering and installation specialities. The architectural speciality is outside PIIB's rules, so this page does not cover it.

Who can apply

You apply to the regional qualification commission of the regional chamber (OIIB) for your place of residence. The licence has a scope, and the entry requirements depend on it. The Building Law lists three kinds of licence: to design, to manage construction work, or both. Each can be unrestricted or restricted. In outline:

• Unrestricted design licence: a second-cycle (master-level) degree in a field suited to the speciality, one year of design practice and one year of practice on a building site.

• Restricted design licence: a first-cycle degree in a suitable field, or a master's degree in a related field, with the same one year plus one year of practice.

• Construction management licence: a degree (first or second cycle) in a suitable field, with 3 years of site practice for a first-cycle degree or 1.5 years for a second-cycle degree. The restricted version also admits related degrees and technician qualifications, with longer practice.

• Combined design and management licences: a combination of the above, set out in Article 14 of the Law.

Check the exact combination for your degree and speciality in Article 14 of the Law or with your regional chamber.

Specialities

The Law grants licences in these specialities:

• architectural;

• construction (konstrukcyjno-budowlana);

• engineering: bridges, roads, railways (railway structures, and railway traffic control), hydrotechnical and demolition;

• installations: telecommunications; heating, ventilation, gas, water and sewage; electrical and power networks.

Exam pattern

The qualification procedure has two stages. First the commission assesses whether your education and practice are suitable for the speciality. If they are, you are admitted to the exam, which tests knowledge of the building process and the practical use of technical knowledge. The exam has a written part, given as a test, and an oral part.

The written part is held on the same day and at the same time in every regional commission for a given speciality. In the oral part you must explain legal rules in your own words and cannot simply read out regulations or notes. Using other people, recording devices, study materials or communication devices during the exam ends it with a failing result. If you apply for a licence in another speciality or scope, the exam covers only what your existing licence did not.

Marking and results

If you fail the exam you can retake it after at least 3 months, by applying to the commission. If you fail only the oral part, you retake the oral part only, within 3 years of passing the written part. A commission decision grants the licence.

Important dates

The exam is held at least twice a year, on dates the National Qualification Commission sets. Each regional commission announces the exam date and the deadline for applications at least 90 days before the written exam. Admitted candidates are told the dates by registered letter at least a month ahead.

Fees

The qualification procedure fee is paid in two instalments. The first instalment must be paid with the application, and the second at least 14 days before the written exam. The amounts are set under the Building Law and are not stated in the sources used here.

How to apply

Submit an application to the regional commission by the deadline for the session. Attach:

• a copy of your diploma and its supplement or a certificate of your course of study;

• a list of the design work done during your practice, with documents confirming your practice;

• a personal data form, a CV and proof of payment of the first fee instalment;

• a copy of any construction licences you already hold.

If your application is incomplete, the commission gives you up to 30 days to fill the gaps.

FAQs