Since 19 February 2026, four new road signs have applied in Poland, and more than a dozen others have a new meaning, a new name or a new colour rule. Five signs have been removed from the regulations, although the old boards may still stand by the roads. Most of the changes concern motorways and expressways, but you will meet some of them on ordinary roads too: the central multi-purpose lane sign in towns, new names for the charging point signs and new wording for line P-3.
What changed and when
The changes were introduced by two regulations of 14 January 2026, published on 4 February 2026. Both came into force on 19 February 2026:
- the amendment to the regulation on road signs and signals (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 133) - it says what the signs mean;
- the amendment to the regulation on detailed technical conditions for road signs and signals (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 132) - it says what the signs look like and where the road authority puts them up.
For a driver the first one matters more, because it determines what is allowed and what is not. The second tells you where you will see the new signs.
New signs
| Symbol | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| E-1c | advance direction sign on an expressway | gives notice of an exit from the expressway |
| E-20a | junction number on a motorway or expressway | gives the number of the junction with the exit |
| F-23 | central multi-purpose lane | starts a section with a lane in the middle of the carriageway for vehicles joining or leaving the road; overtaking is not allowed on this section |
| F-24 | wrong way | tells you that you have chosen the wrong direction of travel |
E-1c and E-20a. Until now, an ordinary E-1 advance direction sign stood before an exit from an expressway. Now there is a separate sign for it: E-1c. Together with it - and on a motorway together with sign E-1a - stands sign E-20a with the junction number. You will also see the junction number on the overhead direction signs and on the arrow at the exit itself. On a motorway the E-20a sign is blue, on an expressway it is green.
F-23. You will meet this sign in built-up areas, on sections between intersections. The central lane is only for vehicles leaving or joining the road, and overtaking is prohibited along the whole section. The lane is marked off by lines and may have a red surface.
F-24. The sign has a yellow-green, reflective background. It is put up where it is easy to take the wrong direction, above all on slip roads, i.e. the entry and exit roads at motorway and expressway junctions. It usually stands on the left, up to 50 m after sign B-2 “no entry” or C-9 “keep right of the sign”. You will not find it on the main carriageway of a motorway or expressway.
Signs that have changed
The colour of the panel tells you where the direction leads
The new § 67a of the regulation sets one colour rule for the advance direction signs E-1, E-1a and E-1c, the direction signs E-2a, E-2b, E-2d, E-3 and E-4, the road route sign E-14 and the junction signs E-20 and E-20a:
- blue panel - a direction or place on a motorway or on the approach to a motorway;
- green panel - a direction or place on a road that is neither a motorway nor an approach to one.
One sign can carry both colours. On a motorway the sign is blue, but a direction that leads from it onto another road has a green panel. On an expressway and on an ordinary road the sign is green, and only the direction to the motorway is blue. White panels are local information. Until now, the regulations provided separate signs E-1b, E-2e and E-2f before a motorway entrance. Their role is now taken over by the ordinary E-1, E-2a and E-2b with a blue panel.
Junction sign E-20 and direction sign E-2d
E-20 used to be called the “motorway junction sign”. Now it is the “junction sign”, which gives notice of an approaching exit from the road and may stand outside motorways too. Its layout has changed as well:
- before: the top number was the exit number and the bottom one the distance to the exit; instead of a number there could be the name of the junction;
- now: the number on the right is the distance to the start of the deceleration lane, and on motorways and expressways the junction symbol and number are on the left, with its name also on the right.
Old E-20 signs may still stand on motorways, so it is worth knowing both layouts. Direction sign E-2d is now the “overhead direction sign on a motorway or expressway”, not only on a motorway. The arrows under the place names show where each lane leads.
Road route sign E-14
On motorways and expressways, sign E-14 now also gives the number of the nearest junction and the distance to it. This is the first line of the list, above the distances to towns.
Filling stations and charging points: D-23b and D-23c
The names of both signs now cover hybrid vehicles too: “filling station with a charging point for electric or hybrid vehicles” and “charging point for electric or hybrid vehicles”. The pictures on the signs have not changed.
Line P-3, crossable from one side
From the side of the continuous line you may not cross P-3 or drive onto it. Until now, any return after overtaking to the lane you had been using before was an exception. From 19 February 2026 this exception applies only on a two-way carriageway. On a one-way carriageway you cannot cross P-3 from the side of the continuous line, even after overtaking.
Removed signs and old boards by the roads
Five signs have been removed from the regulations: E-1b, E-2c, E-2e, E-2f and E-14a. The old boards do not, however, lose their validity overnight. The regulations provide for three situations:
- You read the old sign as the new one. E-1b is treated as E-1, E-2e as E-2a, E-2f as E-2b, and E-14a as E-14. The provision sets no deadline here.
- The old sign applies until it is replaced, for no longer than 10 years from 19 February 2026. This covers the E-1 sign on expressways, which will be replaced by E-1c, the old E-20 sign on motorways, and the E-2a and E-2b direction signs on expressways and the old E-2c and E-2d on motorways, which will be replaced by the new E-2d.
- A sign that does not meet the new technical conditions may stand until it wears out, but also for no longer than 10 years from 19 February 2026.
In short: an old sign that is still by the road either counts as its new equivalent, with no deadline, or applies until it is replaced or worn out, for at most 10 years from 19 February 2026.
Are the new signs in the exam?
The questions for the theory exam are approved by the minister responsible for transport (Article 51(2a)(2) of the Act on Persons Driving Vehicles - ustawa o kierujących pojazdami), and the question bank is published on gov.pl (the Polish government portal). Neither this Act nor the regulation on examining people applying for a driving licence sets a deadline by which the questions have to reflect changes to the signs.
When we were writing this article, we found no question in the published bank that mentions the new signs, their names or line P-3 in its text. You usually see a sign in a photo or video, however, not in the text of the question. You do not need to know the sign symbols - what counts is what the sign means in the situation shown.
In the practical exam you drive on real roads, so the signs that stand there apply to you: the new ones and the old ones that have not yet been replaced.
What it means on the road
- Panel colour. A blue panel leads onto the motorway or further along it, a green one - onto another road.
- Leaving a motorway or expressway. You will find the junction number on sign E-20a next to the advance direction signs and direction signs. On sign E-20, check whether it has the old or the new layout.
- A section with F-23. You do not overtake, and you use the central lane only to leave or join the road.
- P-3 on a one-way carriageway. You do not cross it from the side of the continuous line, even after overtaking.
- Speed limit zone B-43. From 19 February 2026, zones marked with this sign have a limit of 20, 30 or 40 km/h, not 30, 40 or 50 km/h as before, so you may see new numbers on the sign. The meaning of the sign has not changed: the speed shown on the sign applies, also on an old sign with a 50 km/h limit that may still be standing.
Frequently asked questions
When did the new road signs come into force?
On 19 February 2026. Both regulations of 14 January 2026 came into force on that day.
Are the old direction signs still valid?
Yes. Signs E-1b, E-2e, E-2f and E-14a are treated as E-1, E-2a, E-2b and E-14, and the old boards on motorways and expressways apply until they are replaced, for no longer than 10 years from 19 February 2026.
What does sign F-24 “wrong way” mean?
It tells you that you have chosen the wrong direction of travel. It stands mainly on the slip roads of motorway and expressway junctions.
Can you overtake on a section with sign F-23?
No. Sign F-23 starts a section on which overtaking other vehicles is prohibited.
The new signs by group
In the Polish sign system, the new and changed signs belong to these groups: the E signs are direction and place signs, F-23 and F-24 are supplementary signs, D-23b and D-23c are information signs, and P-3 is a road marking. You can practise what signs mean in exam situations in the Polish driving licence theory tests.
