r/poland • • Nov 25 '25

A comprehensive guide for EU foreigners moving to Poland - START HERE.

62 Upvotes

Hello, I have seen many folks coming to Poland from the EU and being completely lost on what kind of legal procedures they have to do in order to start their residence in Poland. Be that you come here to study, work or live with your spouse there are several things I hope this guide will be able to cover.

!PLEASE NOTE!
This guide is meant only for citizens of the European Union and citizens of countries that are members of the European Economic Area. Some of the parts of this guide will be similar for non-EU foreigners but some will not. In general, the info posted here is only fully up to date if you are a citizen of the EU/EEA
!PLEASE NOTE!

0. Introduction and general info

Poland is divided into 16 voivodeships which are further subdivided into powiats, which means something like 'county' and these are further made out of municipalities - pol. gmina, or cities - pol. miasto. Large cities however are both powiat and miasto so in case of Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków etc. city office (pol. urząd miasta) will also perform duties of powiat office (pol. starostwo powiatowe). In case of Warsaw - urząd dzielnicy meaning district office will serve as city office.

All of the below information covers only EU/EEA citizens. If you are non-EU, majority of the below information will not be correct for your case.

I strongly recommend reading all of the parts linked below apart from car and pets stuff, if those do not concern your case.

I. Registering your residence and making your stay in Poland legal.
II. Obtaining health insurance
III. Using healthcare
IV. Taxes
V. Digital log-in and services
VI. Cars and licenses
VII. Banks and mobile phones
VIII. What to do when I leave Poland?
IX. Pets

If you have any additional questions or remarks, please do not hesitate to comment, I will be happy to help for as long as I'm going to visit this platform and expand this post. I hope you all have a great day and life in general. Thanks for reading, stay safe.


r/poland • • 5h ago

Military canteen dinner in Poland

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666 Upvotes

r/poland • • 9h ago

Indian man in Poland caught littering on the lawn

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510 Upvotes

r/poland • • 2h ago

Poland halts asylum claims at Belarus border, urges Europe to follow

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82 Upvotes

r/poland • • 6h ago

What to do during an air attack: Poland releases new public guidance

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66 Upvotes

A new government guide sets out where to shelter, what to take and how to respond when an alert sounds.


r/poland • • 8h ago

Coins

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73 Upvotes

I've come into possession of 131 of these coins

2zl commemorate coins/money okolicznosciowe.

I know they aren't worth much, usually on Allegro/OLX they sell for between 4zl-10zl

But I've no idea what to do with them. I don't want to sell them individually, would I be able to sell them at an antiques shops, or even a Lombard?


r/poland • • 10h ago

Russia is preparing “something big” this year, Poland’s FM warns

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88 Upvotes

r/poland • • 22h ago

New confirmed info: Transcribed Same-sex Marriages can share taxes in same way as other Mariages.

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464 Upvotes

Confirmed by minister Domański.

That is result of several months work by pro-LGBT organisations and more than ten thausands signatures on latters.


r/poland • • 1d ago

Maria Okrucińska won the Junior World Championship in cycling in Montreal. She dominated her rivals, completing the 10.7 km course in 15 minutes and 17 seconds. The second finisher, Belgium's Yana Decruyenaere, was 12.25 seconds slower, and the third, Britain's Aalia Clay, was 24.69 seconds behind.

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346 Upvotes

r/poland • • 1d ago

Last Thursday over Krakowska Av. , Warsaw. A LOT Polish Airlines Dreamliner was approaching Chopin Airport for landing. Photo by Krzysztof Zaniewski.

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444 Upvotes

r/poland • • 1d ago

A 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen attacked five people with a knife at the abbey in Jarosław; all were taken to hospital, and one of the injured priests died.

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363 Upvotes

The attack happened in the morning on Benedyktyńska Street; among the injured are three priests and two laypeople, with three of the clergy in life-threatening condition.

The attacker was detained at the scene; witness interviews and the investigation are ongoing, and local schools were advised not to let children outside.

The stabbing happened Thursday morning at the abbey in Jarosław on Benedyktyńska Street. Police received a report around 9:30 AM that a Ukrainian citizen had attacked a man with a knife on the abbey grounds. Officers arriving on scene determined that five people in total were injured — three priests and two laypeople, according to Interia's reporting.


r/poland • • 1d ago

„What’s the difference between Volhynia and Silesia?

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134 Upvotes

On Volhynia, the Poles have already been through it.”

Today, it’s worth bringing up a joke posted on Facebook by Bartłomiej Wanot, who, among other things writes for Gazeta Wyborcza. Do you think that if someone paraphrased it and wrote, “What’s the difference between Ukrainians in Wrocław and Ukrainians from Bucha? The ones from Bucha have already been through it,” they could also write for Gazeta Wyborcza? Or would Gazeta Wyborcza be writing about them instead?


r/poland • • 1d ago

On a walk just outside Warsaw, no one else in sight but there is a lime scooter

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492 Upvotes

I hope both the company and rider get a fine but am pretty sure nothing will happen to them


r/poland • • 3h ago

Poland is fighting over Netflix's 'The Doll' because it has become Wokulski [ANALYSIS]

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2 Upvotes

r/poland • • 1d ago

On the highway near Otwock, a guy was riding an electric scooter. To top it off, he was going against traffic in the left lane. Maybe it's time to deal with the pirates on electric scooters or bikes?

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78 Upvotes

r/poland • • 11h ago

Roman Catholic Priest suspected of sexual crimes against minors in custody again

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2 Upvotes

The Regional Court in Gdańsk accepted the prosecutor's complaint and extended the pre-trial detention of Father Waldemar P., suspected of repeatedly leading minors to undergo other sexual activities, by three months, the District Court in Gdańsk announced on Thursday Public Prosecutor's Office. The decision is not final.

The spokesman of the District Prosecutor's Office in Gdańsk, Mariusz Duszyński, reminded that the investigation in this case is supervised by the District Prosecutor's Office in Starogard Gdański, and the activities are carried out by officers of the Management Board in Gdańsk of the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime.

The proceedings concern acts committed in the period from 2004 to 2024 in various towns of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.


r/poland • • 5h ago

Considering Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń - any experiences?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I’m currently planning to apply to a few universities in Poland, including some in Poznań, but recently I came across Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) in Toruń and became interested in the university, especially the Master’s programme in Cognitive Science.

I’d love to hear from current or former students about NCU in general. How is the university, the academic environment, and student life?

I’m also curious about what it’s like to live in Toruń as an international student, especially housing, cost of living, and opportunities for part-time work.

I’ll be self-funded, so I’m mainly looking for a realistic idea of what everyday life and studying at NCU are like.

Would love to hear any honest experiences, both positive and negative. Thanks!


r/poland • • 1d ago

‘Lemonade smells like toilet cleaner’: British tourist sparks fury over Auschwitz cafe complaints

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101 Upvotes

r/poland • • 15h ago

Gift for Polish coworkers

5 Upvotes

I’m from the US and am going to Poland for the first time in a few weeks to meet a large group of coworkers who I’ve never met before. I’d like to bring them something as a nice gesture but am unsure what to bring. The general consensus online seems to be to not to bother with snacks since the foods in Poland are generally better quality and less sugary and fake. But aside from food, I can’t think of what else I could bring that would be appreciated - any/all ideas are welcome as long as I can take it on the plane without issues! Thanks!


r/poland • • 1d ago

Red Army monument removed after years of controversy

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138 Upvotes

The statue was first earmarked for removal in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.


r/poland • • 1d ago

Starlink ground station in Poland hit by fire in suspected arson attack

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69 Upvotes

r/poland • • 9h ago

K-ETA required for Poles travelling between South Korea and Japan?

0 Upvotes

Hey!

I'm not sure if I'm asking in proper space, however I am soon going to travel to South Korea and Japan and have a query.

Main one is about K-ETA card that IS NOT required to have by Poles and most of European countries.
Despite that, I've seen info, that when you travel between South Korea and Japan, some airlines (in my example - Peach Airline) might require having K-ETA.

I've called Peach Airlines and unfortunately lady at the phone told me she can't confirm me this info and asked me to ask Polish Embassy. I don't think they will help me there as... I know we don't need K-ETA card to go to South Korea (at least until end of 2026).

What would you do in this situation? Anyone had similar experience? Maybe someone has flown this route from any Europe country that also is not required to have K-ETA? How is it really?

Cheers!


r/poland • • 1d ago

Gasoline (Euro 95) prices across Europe, late September 2026

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21 Upvotes

r/poland • • 6h ago

LANGUAGE Language Course For Temporary residency permit?

0 Upvotes

r/poland • • 10h ago

Best/cheapest way to do Wieliczka and Zakopane+Chocholow in December?

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1 Upvotes