r/poland • • Nov 25 '25

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

65 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 • • 2h ago

eLoN mUsK aNd hIs cAr, uSa iS sO Ahed oF eU

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692 Upvotes

r/poland • • 2h ago

Pierogies (NSFP title)

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349 Upvotes

r/poland • • 10h ago

Trump puts new Russia sanctions he recently signed on hold

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199 Upvotes

How can some Poles, including our current president, think that Trump is our friend, and that associating with him is better for us than our relationship with the EU?


r/poland • • 3h ago

A controversial textbook on religion. "The student must justify that in vitro is evil"

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43 Upvotes

Parents raised objections to the content about in vitro in the religion textbook for seventh graders - informs TOK FM. The OliEdu Civic Education Foundation has asked the Ministry of National Education for an opinion and wants to withdraw the book from schools. Its representative Ewa Daros said that the students are to justify a negative assessment of this method of fertilization.


r/poland • • 1d ago

Poland has flying cars since 2020

2.3k Upvotes

r/poland • • 5h ago

Secretly Polish: The athlete who terrorized the Nazis and became a Greek hero

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31 Upvotes

r/poland • • 18h ago

Where can I find durable jeans in Poland that won’t rip after a few months?

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309 Upvotes

Hey guys, I was originally thinking of posting this in a fashion or advice subreddit, but I figured I’d ask here if you might have some recommendations.

I’ve been buying and wearing jeans for years, but I keep running into the same problem: after a few months, a hole starts forming around the crotch area. It’s happened with jeans from Zara, Reserved, Mango, H&M, and Pull&Bear, so at this point, I honestly don’t know what to do anymore.

Should I just bite the bullet and invest in a pair of Levi’s? They cost around 550 PLN, which feels ridiculous for a pair of jeans. For another 300 PLN, I could practically buy a decent suit!

Has anyone else experienced this? Are there any brands in Poland that sell durable jeans that actually last, or is there something I should be looking for in terms of fabric, fit, or quality?

I’m honestly tired of spending money on new jeans every few months, so any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the rant, but I’m genuinely fed up with this!


r/poland • • 1d ago

The Legend of Giants by Natalia Rak in Białystok, Poland

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453 Upvotes

r/poland • • 20h ago

Poland drops proposal to criminalise providing help to illegal migrants following outcry

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119 Upvotes

r/poland • • 2h ago

Bit of a random post, but could anyone help me with travel anxiety?

4 Upvotes

Hi all, I'm a native Brit and my father married a wonderful polish woman a few years ago. They spend half their time in Poland and the remainder of the year in Britain. His plan (I believe) was to live in Poland full time but I'm unsure what's going on with that.

Anyway, he loves the country, loves his wife, loves their house, and desperately wants to share that with me. Unfortunately he can't take me as he drives back and forth between our two countries and his van only has room for two people as he converted the back.

They live in ustron, but aside from that I know NOTHING about Poland. I was wondering if anyone could give me any travel insights that may help me get over my anxiety and visit your beautiful country.

many thanks 🙏


r/poland • • 1d ago

$30,000 for setting fire to a drone factory in Poland, $1,000 for setting fire to a Ukrainian car - rates offered by a Russian recruiter

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219 Upvotes

r/poland • • 1d ago

One killed as Russian drone strikes Polish-owned plant in Ukraine

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135 Upvotes

r/poland • • 3h ago

Do all Italian restaurants in Poland supply their cannoli from Biedronka?

2 Upvotes

I swear I've had cannoli from 3 different Italian restaurants in Dolnośląskie so far and they are always the same ones you can find in Biedronka. What's up with that? Is my theory founded or am I going insane?


r/poland • • 22h ago

If you ever wondered where your money goes when you donate to "charity" muggers in the city centres...

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66 Upvotes

“Fundacja” Ręka Wielkiej Pomocy has collected over PLN 20 million according to its financial statements.

According to its own website, only 2.1 million was spent on actual aid.

The foundation’s president promotes Bitcoin, crypto trading, fast cars, and a “billionaire mindset.”

Please, never give money on the street to foundations you don’t know!

Financial statements:
http://www.fundacja-rwp.com/wazna-informacja/

Website:
http://www.fundacja-rwp.com/

President’s profile:
https://www.facebook.com/nazar.khanas


r/poland • • 1d ago

Heads of Polish and Ukrainian national remembrance institutes hold first meeting since 2018

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139 Upvotes

r/poland • • 1d ago

Citizens of Sweden facing 20 to 30 years in Polish prison over armed robbery

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178 Upvotes

r/poland • • 1d ago

What Polish food do you think is underrated abroad?

61 Upvotes

Everybody outside Poland knows pierogi, and maybe żurek or bigos. But I think some of the best things never get mentioned.

My pick is zapiekanka. Half a baguette with mushrooms, melted cheese, and a lot of ketchup, bought from a little window at a train station or late at night after going out. It's cheap, simple, and somehow better than most fancy food I've had. The ones from Plac Nowy in Kraków are on another level.

What's yours? And for the non-Poles here: what Polish food surprised you the most when you first tried it?


r/poland • • 2h ago

Erasmus University of Wrocław

0 Upvotes

Hey! I'm coming to UWr for Erasmus in February 2027 and wanted to ask a few things.

How hard is it to get a dorm room? And how strict is the uni with Erasmus students? Are attendance and exams a big deal, or is it generally chill?

I'm kinda worried about how everything will go, so I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences


r/poland • • 3h ago

Tortoise in Poland

1 Upvotes

Is there anybody came to Poland from Ukraine with tortoise or any other animal requiring CITES? How to obtain it?


r/poland • • 1d ago

Invasive bee-eating hornets spotted in Poland for first time

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96 Upvotes

An invasive Asian hornet species that hunts and eats other insects has been detected in Poland for the first time, sparking fears that domestic honeybees are at risk. 


r/poland • • 1d ago

Ran out of bread, baked some fresh loaves for kolacja with kiełbasa domowa.

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183 Upvotes

r/poland • • 1d ago

Russia-linked plot to set fire to Polish drone factory exposed

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95 Upvotes

An undercover journalist exposed the plot after answering a Telegram job ad.


r/poland • • 1d ago

Poland set for record-breaking roller coaster

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35 Upvotes

Thrill-seekers are preparing for a record-breaking ride in Poland, where a new attraction is set to become Europe’s tallest and longest “wing” roller coaster. 

The Energylandia theme park in the southern Polish town of Zator has unveiled Rokan, a 62-meter-high giant featuring a 1,215-meter track. 

Riders will reach speeds of up to 115 km/h during the 141-second ride, which will be the centrepiece of a new four-hectare zone at the park. Energylandia said the opening date would be announced soon. 


r/poland • • 21h ago

TIL that in WW2, Poland declared war on Japan. Japan rejected there declaration of war. Quote: “We do not accept Poland’s challenge. The Poles, fighting for their freedom, only declared war on us under pressure from the United Kingdom.”

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15 Upvotes

Dont know if this is allowed here but thought you would be interested in this