How to become a Bolt driver? A step-by-step guide
To drive for Bolt in Poland, you need four documents: a criminal record certificate on paper, a medical certificate, a psychological certificate and a Polish driving licence. The car must have a taxi licence extract and markings that comply with the city’s regulations. The extract is issued by the city office, which has 30 days to do so – we will handle the whole procedure for you.
In this guide we go through the whole process: from the TAXI roadworthiness test and medical examinations, through the application for a licence extract, to registering in the app. At the end you will find instructions for 78 cities, with the addresses of city offices, medical examination centres and National Criminal Register (KRK) offices.
How to become a Bolt driver - in brief
What is Bolt?
Bolt is a ride-hailing app in which passengers order rides and drivers receive ride requests on their phones. It has operated in Poland since November 2016: it launched in Warsaw under the name Taxify, and on 7 March 2019 it changed its name to Bolt.
A Bolt driver decides when to switch the app on. You can drive full-time, after work or only at weekends, and also for Bolt, Uber and Freenow at the same time.
Requirements for Bolt drivers
You must be at least 18 years old and have a valid Polish driving licence. It does not matter how long you have had it. To work, you also need:
- a criminal record certificate on paper,
- a medical certificate,
- a psychological certificate,
- a smartphone with Android 9.0 or iOS 16 or later – this is the minimum Bolt specifies.
You do not need to set up a registered business or have your own taxi licence. As a settlement partner, we register you with the city office as a driver under our licence.
Criminal record certificate - paper only
The certificate is issued by a National Criminal Register (KRK) office at a court. It costs 30 zł, and in most cities you will get it on the spot. It must be on paper. No app accepts a certificate from e-KRK: Bolt, Uber and Freenow will not activate an account with it.
Pay attention to the date. If you submit the extract application yourself, the certificate must not be older than 30 days on the day you submit the application. If you send us notarised copies, it can be at most 15 days old.
Medical and psychological certificate
You can have the examinations done at an occupational medicine clinic. They usually cost 350 zł, more in some clinics. When booking, say that you need a medical and psychological certificate for a TAXI driver (Bolt, Uber, Freenow). The city office and the apps will only accept the document if:
- it is an orzeczenie (official certificate) – “test results”, “attestations” (zaświadczenia) or “statements that the examinations were carried out” are not enough,
- the medical certificate was issued on the basis of Article 43(2) and Article 229 § 4 of the Labour Code,
- it has two doctor’s stamps – if either one is missing, the certificate is invalid,
- it refers to the ability to perform work as a taxi driver, not just to “take up work”.
Car requirements
If you drive your own car, it must meet several conditions:
- no older than 20 years and registered in Poland,
- valid OC (third-party liability) insurance and a valid roadworthiness test,
- a TAXI stamp in the registration certificate,
- 4 or 5 doors and at least 5 seats,
- steering wheel on the left.
A taxi licence extract must be issued for the car, and the car must be marked in line with the city’s regulations. Bolt checks both the extract and the markings.
No car? You can drive a rental car that is ready to work with Uber, Bolt and Freenow. In that case you skip steps 1 and 2 below and do not need to prepare a registration certificate. See cars for rent.
How to become a Bolt driver step by step
1. Get the TAXI roadworthiness test
At any vehicle inspection station, ask for an additional technical inspection of a car that is to be used as a taxi. The fee is 64 zł (Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) 2025, item 1223). You must have in the car:
- a TAXI roof light – an ordinary one is enough, white or yellow, with black lettering visible from at least 50 metres, without an app logo; you can buy one e.g. on Allegro for about 50 zł,
- a spare wheel or a repair kit,
- a warning triangle,
- a fire extinguisher,
- a first aid kit,
- a high-visibility vest.
2. Get the TAXI stamp in your registration certificate
After a successful test, the station will give you a certificate. Take it to the vehicle registration department in the city where the car is registered. An official will put a TAXI annotation in the registration certificate.
3. Have your medical examinations
You can get the medical and psychological certificates at an occupational medicine clinic. What to look out for is described above. We list the addresses of clinics in your city on our city pages.
4. Collect your criminal record certificate
At a National Criminal Register (KRK) office, on paper, for 30 zł. If there is no KRK office in your city, we give the nearest one on the city page.
5. Apply for the licence extract
Have the full set of documents? You can submit the application in one of two ways. Both lead to the same result: a taxi licence extract for your car and your registration on the list of drivers at the city office. The office has 30 days to issue the extract.
You submit the application yourself, with the original documents
- Register on the driver portal, then fill in and sign the contracts.
- Download the rental agreement from the portal (Contracts tab → "Umowa najmu (Licencjonowanie)", the rental agreement for licensing), fill it in with the details from the registration certificate and sign it by hand.
- Send photos of the documents and the number of your InPost parcel locker to kontakt@ramnext.pl.
- At our expense, we will send the applications, a power of attorney and a confirmation of receipt of the extract to your parcel locker.
- You take the applications, the rental agreement and the original documents to the city office and submit the application free of charge. The criminal record certificate must not be older than 30 days on the day you submit the application.
- After collecting the extract, you send us a photo of the extract and of the signed confirmation of receipt.
You send us notarised copies
- Prepare the hand-signed rental agreement from the portal and notarised copies of: the criminal record certificate (valid for max. 15 days), the medical certificate, the psychological certificate, your driving licence and the registration certificate with the TAXI stamp.
- Send photos of the documents to kontakt@ramnext.pl - we will check that they are correct.
- You will receive a code for an InPost parcel locker by text message. You send the documents to us, and the shipment is at our expense.
- We submit the extract application for you and register you on the list of drivers at the city office.
6. Mark your car and send us photos
Mark your car after you have collected the licence extract. Do it in line with Bolt’s instructions for your city and send us 3 photos of the marked car and a photo of your OC insurance policy at kontakt@ramnext.pl. The requirements (side number, emblem, price list, driver ID) differ between cities, which is why we describe them on the city pages.
7. Complete your Bolt registration from our link
You do not create a Bolt account yourself. We create it for you and send you a link to complete the registration. Only through this link will your account be connected to our fleet, so if you register with Bolt on your own, you will still have to complete the registration from our link.
Once your documents are complete, the apps verify the driver in person. Take your Polish driving licence, your ID card and the original criminal record certificate (no older than 30 days) to the verification point.
When everything is ready, you switch on the app whenever you have time.
How much does it cost and how long does it take to start working with Bolt?
With a rental car you do not need the TAXI roadworthiness test. The longest step is the issuing of the licence extract: the city office has 30 days for it.
Contract and settlements with Ramnext
Ramnext is a settlement partner for Uber, Bolt and Freenow drivers. We settle more than 2600 drivers in 89 cities in Poland, and we have offices in Lublin and Katowice.
- Without a business you drive on a mandate contract; with a registered business you settle with us on an invoice basis (B2B). You sign the contracts online.
- A fixed 45 zł per settlement, with no percentage commissions – the same whether you drive for one app or all three.
- Payouts every week on Monday, once a month or on demand. You can change the payout mode in the app.
- Expense invoices that lower your tax can be added in the app or in the panel.
- The Ramnext app for Android and iPhone: balance, payouts, invoices, contracts and live chat with the office.
You can read more about us on our About us page.
Instructions for your city
The city office, examination centres, KRK office and markings depend on the city. For each of the cities below we have a separate step-by-step guide.
Frequently asked questions
A short guide to the licence, costs, timing and documents you need to become a Bolt driver.
1. Do I need my own taxi licence to drive for Bolt?+
2. How long does it take to get a licence extract?+
3. How much does it cost to start working with Bolt?+
4. Can I drive for Bolt without my own car?+
5. Do I need a registered business?+
6. Can I drive for Bolt, Uber and Freenow at the same time?+
7. Is a criminal record certificate from e-KRK enough?+
8. How old must a Bolt driver be?+
Summary
To become a Bolt driver, you need a criminal record certificate, medical and psychological certificates, a driving licence and a car with a licence extract: your own or a rented one. The longest wait is for the extract, because the office has 30 days to issue it, so it is worth starting with the documents.
Any questions? Call our helpline on 796 100 986 (9:00 to 18:00) or register, and we will guide you through the whole process.
