Paperwork
Verification and branding: what they are and what to complete before your first fare
25.08.2026 · 6 min read
Verification is the check on a driver's identity and the car's condition before you are cleared to work; it became mandatory after the 2024 legislative changes, and an app account can no longer be handed to somebody else. Branding is the visual identification of the vehicle required by the city and the platform. Both happen before your first fare, usually through the fleet, and both are worth settling in advance: who pays, and what happens when the car goes back.
Two words nobody explains
A newcomer hears them at the first meeting with a fleet: "you'll go through verification and branding". Both sound like formalities, but they take time and sometimes cost money.
Verification
A check on two things: who you are and what car you have.
It became mandatory after the 2024 legislative changes. Before then an app account could effectively be handed to somebody else — not any more: the person driving must be the person registered.
What is usually checked:
| What | How |
|---|---|
| Driver's identity | document plus photo, sometimes a selfie check |
| Right to drive | a Polish driving licence |
| Right to carry passengers | a licence — yours or the carrier's |
| Vehicle condition | photographs of bodywork, interior, vehicle documents |
Timing: usually days rather than weeks if the set is complete.
Why rejections happen
Not because of documents — those are usually clear in advance. Rejections come from small things:
- poor photographs — taken in the dark, the whole car not visible, glare on the plate;
- a dirty car in the verification photos;
- mismatched details — one thing on the documents, another on the form;
- the car's condition — visible damage that should not be there.
All fixable, and resubmission is routine. But each round is days without earning while the rent — if you have already taken the car — keeps running.
Hence the practical advice: take the car after passing verification, not before.
→ How to become a Bolt or Uber driver — step by step
Branding
The visual identification of a vehicle carrying passengers. The specific requirements are set by the city and the platform, and they differ, so general articles help little here — check for your city.
What to establish in advance:
Who pays. Usually the fleet if the car is rented. But agree it before, not after.
What happens at return. The less obvious and more painful question: removing the film also costs money, and some contracts deduct it from the deposit. Ask it alongside the first question — both take thirty seconds.
Quality of the work. Badly applied film lifts and can damage the paint on removal. Not your problem if the fleet did it — but it becomes your problem if the damage is charged to you at return.
Two questions for the fleet
Both before signing:
- Who pays for branding and for its removal?
- Is anything deducted from the deposit for the film at return?
The answer belongs in the contract, like everything else about money. If branding is not mentioned in the contract at all, that is an answer too.
→ The rental deposit: what gets deducted · Fleet partners: nine questions
How to pass first time
A practical checklist:
- Wash the car before photographing it. It sounds trivial and it is the most common cause of rejection.
- Shoot in daylight, the whole car, from every side.
- Check the details match — name, licence number, vehicle details on the form and on the documents.
- Clear out the interior. It is checked too.
- Submit the complete set at once. Sending one document afterwards means another round of waiting.
The order is the same as for the whole start: documents and checks first, the car last.
→ The full document list for ride-hailing work · The Polish licence and the 185-day rule
Sources: notesfrompoland.com (mandatory driver verification after the 2024 changes) · uber.com/pl (driver and vehicle requirements) · fleet practice, August 2026
Frequently asked
A check that the person behind the wheel is the one registered in the app, and that the car meets requirements. It became mandatory after the 2024 changes — an account can no longer be passed to somebody else.
It is the visual identification of a vehicle carrying passengers. The specific requirements are set by the city and the platform, so check them for your city rather than relying on general articles.
Usually the fleet if the car is rented — but agree it in advance. A separate question: what happens to the film when the car goes back, and whether removal is deducted.
Usually days rather than weeks if your documents are complete. Rejections most often come from poor photographs or the car's condition, not from the paperwork.
Find the specific reason and fix that. Most often it is photo quality, the car's condition or a mismatch in details — all fixable, and resubmission is routine.