A welder exam is a theory test plus a test piece welded in front of an examiner, which then goes through visual inspection and laboratory testing. The certificate covers only the range you passed and has to be confirmed at set intervals, otherwise it expires.

In Poland the exam is based on the standard PN-EN ISO 9606-1:2017-10 for steel. The following parts of the series, 9606-2 to 9606-5, cover aluminium, copper, nickel, titanium and zirconium. The 2012 edition has been withdrawn.

Who can take the welder exam

Entry requirements at the Transport Technical Inspectorate (TDT, Transportowy Dozór Techniczny):

  • you are at least 18 years old,
  • no medical contraindications to welding work,
  • knowledge of health and safety rules,
  • enough Polish to pass the exam, if the examining body requires it.

Bring an ID document with a photo. The welding procedure specification (WPS or pWPS) and the material certificates are prepared by the training centre or the organisation that nominates the candidate; what exactly they supply is set by the particular examining body.

What the exam looks like, step by step

  1. Theory part. At TDT it is a written test with randomly drawn questions, with no study materials and no phone. At UDT-CERT the test has a common and a specialist part, up to 30 minutes in total.
  2. Choice of materials. The candidate chooses the materials for the test pieces in front of the examiner.
  3. Welding the test piece. You weld the joint with the process and in the position you want to be certified for. The examiner and the candidate mark the joint so it cannot be swapped.
  4. Visual inspection. The weld is assessed by eye or with a magnifier according to EN ISO 17637. Exam test pieces must always go through it.
  5. Laboratory tests. The joint goes to the body's laboratory for non-destructive or destructive testing, in the scope the standard requires for your variant.

The criteria for a test piece to pass or fail are set by the weld quality standards and the examining body. Before the exam, ask the centre which imperfections disqualify a weld in your variant.

What range the certificate covers

The certificate does not allow you to weld in general. It lists the so-called essential variables:

VariableWhat it means
Processprocess number under EN ISO 4063, e.g. 111 (MMA), 135 (MAG), 141 (TIG)
Productplate or pipe
Filler materialgroup of filler wire or electrode
Dimensionmaterial thickness or pipe diameter
Positionposition of the weld during welding
Joint detailse.g. with a backing or with forming gas

An exam passed with process 135 does not open positions that require 141. That is why, in your welder's CV in Polish, you should write process numbers and positions exactly as they appear on the certificate.

How long a welder's certificate is valid

TDT issues a certificate for 3 years or for 10 years. The period and the way of renewal depend on the certificate and the body that issued it, as well as on the verification method chosen in the application. For aluminium, copper and nickel, verification falls every 2 years.

Regardless of the validity period, every 6 months the employer named on the certificate confirms that the welder worked within their qualifications. Without that entry the certification expires. A break in welding within a given range must not exceed 6 months.

How to renew the certificate: three methods

For steel, TDT offers three ways of verification. The applicant chooses the method:

MethodIntervalWhat you must present
Repeat practical examevery 3 yearsa new test piece
Testing of production weldsevery 2 yearsresults of tests on two welds from the last 6 months of validity, from a laboratory recognised by TDT
Work confirmationsevery 6 monthsproof of work with the same employer who has a quality system under PN-EN ISO 3834-2 or -3

The third method is not available for pressure equipment of categories II-IV and simple pressure vessels, and UDT-CERT does not allow it for exams under 9606-1. For 3-year steel certificates at TDT, the supervision methods from clause 9.3 do not apply.

You submit the supervision application together with the original certificate at least a month before the validity ends. For recertification on time, you take only the practical part.

Frequently asked questions

Can the welder exam be retaken?

At TDT you can retake the theoretical and the practical part once, within 3 months of the decision not to grant certification.

What if the certificate has already expired?

After the deadline you go through full initial certification, that is, theory and practice again. Recertification on time requires an application submitted at least a month before the end of validity.

Is a certificate obtained in Ukraine valid in Poland?

There is no automatic recognition procedure. Whether the examining body accepts the document, in which language it runs the exam and whether it allows an interpreter is up to that body. The general rules are described in the article on recognition of qualifications obtained abroad.

For how long can a certificate be suspended?

Under the UDT-CERT programme, a suspension of validity cannot last longer than 6 months.

Where does a welder's certificate come in handy?

Welding under EN ISO 9606 is one of the qualifications that open positions in steel structures and metalworking.

This text describes the general rules. What you are entitled to depends on your type of contract: an employment contract (umowa o pracę) or a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie). Your own contract and payslip are what count.