Summary: Chronic cough, defined as a symptom that lasts more than 8 weeks, is a common medical problem with a significant socioeconomic burden. This symptom can be an inseparable element of the symptomatology of over 100 different disease entities, constituting a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in everyday clinical practice. A well-collected history is crucial in determining the cause of cough, and in situations requiring extended diagnostics, it helps to reduce the number of necessary diagnostic tests. A wide spectrum of diseases that may be its cause, often overlapping simultaneously, leads to difficulties in determining the actual cause of cough and numerous therapeutic failures. The article is an analysis of the practical rules for dealing with chronic cough, developed by a multidisciplinary, international team of doctors and scientists of the European Society of Lung Diseases.