Legalization of residence in Poland
Visas
A valid visa entitles the holder to stay in Poland for the number of days specified in it. Visas are issued by consuls as a matter of principle, but the mere fact of receiving a visa does not absolve the obligation to check the scope of the holder’s entitlements carefully.
Attention should be paid to the number of days allowed as it is usually different than validation period of the visa (e.g., 90 days of stay and 180 days of validity.
It is important if the visa allows only one entrance to the country or multiple (of course with valid travel document). Visa extension by governor during foreigner’s stay in Poland is possible but only in special situations, so if you want to stay longer, you should apply for extension of stay before the visa expires.
The same applies to a foreigner who has entered Poland on a visa-free basis (he/she is exempt from the visa requirement).
Residence permit
Temporary residence permit is issued to foreigner who plans to stay in Poland more than 3 months and has a specific purpose of stay.
Work, studies, graduation, volunteering, research, traineeship, business, family reunification or other compelling circumstances to be proven are all reasons for foreigner’s temporary residence permit to be issued.
Some foreigners can apply for contemporary residence permit. Those are people of Polish descent, holders of a valid Pole’s Card, spouses of Polish citizens (they have been married for at least 3 years and prior to submitting the application they had resided continuously in Poland for 2 years based on a temporary residence permit).
Moreover, the law provides for a long-term resident permit, which may be applied for by foreigners who have been living in Poland for 5 years without longer breaks, have a regular and stable source of income, health insurance and have a confirmed knowledge of Polish language.
Application for contemporary residence permit is issued to the regional office. It is necessary to appear in person at the regional office, submit the relevant documents and pay stamp duty.
The rules above concerns foreigners who are non-European citizens and non-European family members.
European citizens and their family members can stay in Poland based on other, less formalised rules.
Polish citizenship
Polish citizenship can be granted to a foreigner in several ways.
Each foreigner, no matter of their reason and length of stay in Poland, can apply to President of Poland for the citizenship through a regional governor or consul.
The decision is based on the justification of the application and the information that the foreigner will attach to it.
The President can but doesn’t have to grant Polish citizenship to a foreigner. A refusal doesn’t block further citizenship’s applications.
The decision on recognition as a Polish citizen is issued by the governor. The terms are strictly defined and generally concern a sufficiently long stay in Poland on a specific basis.
A main condition is Polish language knowledge confirmed with appropriate certificate.
Lodz Office of the Voivodship
Foreigners’ Affairs Division for the legalisation of residence and work
103 Piotrkowska Street, 90-425
Phone number: +48 42 664 12 41
Foreigners’ Affairs Division for the legalisation of residence
103 Piotrkowska Street, 90-425
Phone number: +48 42 664 17 53
Civil Affairs Division
104 Piotrkowska Street, 90-426 Lodz
E building, rooms: 15-18, 025, 025A
Phone number: +48 42 664 1713
Passport Office
25 Traugutta Street, 90-113 Lodz
TEXTILIMPEX building – 1st floor
Phone number: +48 42 664 17 28
Registration and PESEL number
Registration
Registration means the registration / determination of the address of a person’s permanent or temporary residence.
This designation indicates the specific address: town, street, house number and possibly the number of the apartment where the person is permanently or temporarily residing.
The registration does not confer any rights in relation to the premises; it is merely a confirmation that the person is staying at the address given. A foreigner has a responsibility to register if he/she is residing more than 30 days in Poland.
A foreigner should register no later than upon the 4th day of arrival at the residence in question. This does not only apply to EU citizens and their family members who have 30 days to register.
Importantly, it is not possible to register for a longer period than indicated in the document authorising residence in Poland.
To register at a given address, you must show following documents in city council (municipality):
• a passport or other identity confirmation document;
• a confirmation of legal stay in Poland (e.g., visa, residence permit);
• a completed registration form;
• a document confirming the legal title to the premises (lease agreement, deed)
Registration can be done via the Internet. Registration is free of charge.
More information:
City Council of Lodz
Department of Civil Affairs and Communications
Identity Cards and Population Register Branch
26a and 30/32 Smugowa Street, 91-433 Lodz
110 Pilsudskiego Street, base floor, service room
110 Piotrkowska Street, base floor, service room
Lodz Citizen Contact Centre
Lodz, 110 Piotrkowska Street (entrance from Shiller Avenue)
Phone number: +48 (42) 272-63-41, email: zkm@uml.lodz.pl
Call Centre – mobile information of City Council of Lodz
Phone number: +48 (42) 638-44-44
www.wizyty.uml.lodz.pl/qmaticwebbooking/#
PESEL number
The PESEL number is an eleven-digit numeric symbol that allows for easy identification of the person who has it.
PESEL number includes:
- date of birth,
- serial number,
- gender designation,
- control number.
PESEL number is stored in Universal Electronic Civil Registration System. It is conferred by the minister responsible for computerization matters or at the request of the person concerned.
PESEL number is awarded to not only polish citizens but also to foreigners residing in Poland. Obtaining a PESEL number in practice makes it much easier to do many things.
PESEL number is commonly used in dealings with the various institutions and in the legal circuit, for example:
• all office matters, e.g., wedding, change of registration address, succession, or judicial matters;
• starting work-related process: employment contracts, works contracts or commission agreements;
• identifying a client and a purchase in public services: long-term tickets for public transport;
• tax returns of non-business people;
• finance services e.g., opening a bank account, taking out a loan;
• setting up a business e.g., a sole trader or partnership;
• health care – insurance verification or PESEL number on a sick leave;
• civil and legal agreements e.g., selling or buying a car;
• and others.
More information:
City Council of Lodz
Department of Civil Affairs and Communications
Identity Cards and Population Register Branch
26a and 30/32 Smugowa Street, 91-433 Lodz
110 Pilsudskiego Street, base floor, service room
110 Piotrkowska Street, base floor, service room
Lodz Citizen Contact Centre
Lodz, 110 Piotrkowska Street (entrance from Shiller Avenue)
Phone number: +48 (42) 272-63-41, email: zkm@uml.lodz.pl
Call Centre – mobile information of City Council of Lodz
Phone number: +48 (42) 638-44-44
www.wizyty.uml.lodz.pl/qmaticwebbooking/#
Medical treatment and insurance
Poland has a public and paid health care. You must be insured in National Health Fund (NHF) if you want to benefit from free health care services. If you have a full-time job or commission agreement in Poland, you are covered by the National Health Service.
You can include your family (a spouse, children) in your insurance policy under those contracts. You must report your employer that you want to cover them with your insurance.
Foreigners (including refugees, school-going children, students, and others) can use public health care for free. You can voluntarily insure yourself in National Health Service.
You should apply in the National Health Service’s branch corresponding to your residence. You then pay the contributions yourself into the account of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). Detailed information is available from the branches of the NFZ and ZUS.
The family doctor is the so-called general practitioner the person who first treats the patients enrolled with them.
If necessary, it will make a referral to a specialist clinic or a hospital. To sign up to your family doctor chose a clinic closest to your accommodation and bring an insurance confirmation document.
More information:
www.nfz.gov.pl
Lodz Regional Branch of the National Health Fund
58 Kopcinskiego Street, 90-032 Lodz
Phone number: 800 190 590, +48 22 125 66 00,
e-mail: kancelaria@nfz-lodz.pl
www.zus.pl
Social Insurance Institution Branch in Lodz
2 Zamenhofa Street, 90-431 Lodz
Phone number: +48 42 638 27 90
Renting and buying accommodation/real estate
A major challenge in a new city, is the question of finding accommodation. There are several possibilities to find an apartment: e.g., university dormitories, private dormitories, communal housing, rooms in flats or renting out the entire flat.
Renting an apartment
You can always find an apartment for rent if you feel uncomfortable in a dormitory. You are bound to find a few or a dozen websites that will help you find a suitable flat.
The most popular portals are e.g.: OLX, Gumtree, Gratka, Otodom, Domiporta. You can live together with other students or on your own.
Remember, if you are applying for temporary residence permit you should have an accommodation provided.
A document proving residence in Poland can be, for example:
• Confirmation of registration;
• Apartment rental contract;
• Another agreement allowing for the possession of the dwelling.
Types of apartment rental contracts:
• ordinary tenancy;
• occasional lease;
• institutional lease.
Types of costs:
• the rent (payment to the landlord for registration and the fixing of a certain
amount of rent for a certain period);
• rent to the cooperative (administration fee, payment for common parts of the building);
• bills;
• heating;
• security deposit (max. 6x the rent; money to cover losses if the flat is destroyed or damaged in some way).
Driving license
The situation for drivers who have obtained their driving licence in a country other than Poland depends on the country in which it was issued. Citizens of EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland can freely use their driving licence.
However, if driving licence was issued somewhere else, it can be used in Poland only during first 6 months of stay. You then need to apply for an exchange of your foreign driving licence.
It is important to attach a copy of the residence card, visa or other document confirming the right of residence in Poland or a certificate confirming at least 6 months of study, to the driving licence application. In some cases, for the exchange of a foreign driving licence you will have to pass the theoretical part of the driving test. There is a possibility to pass an exam in English.
More information:
City Council of Lodz
Department of Civil Affairs and Communications
26a and 30/32 Smugowa Street, 91-433 Lodz
e-mail: komunikacja@uml.pl, pjr@uml.lodz.pl
phone number: +48 42 638 44 44, +48 42 638 58 13
Visit registration website: www.wizyty.uml.lodz.pl
More information about driving license exchange in Poland:
www.gov.pl/web/gov/wymien-zagraniczne-prawo-jazdy-na-polskie
Transport: local and regional
In the city of Lodz there are more than 20 tram lines and nearly 100 day bus lines and 15 night bus lines available. Trams and buses have different schedules on weekdays then on weekends and holidays. Tickets in Lodz are time-limited tickets.
Schedule of public transport:
www.uml.lodz.pl/komunikacja-i-transport/pasazer/rozklady-jazdy-komunikacji-
-miejskiej
Transport maps in Lodz:
www.uml.lodz.pl/komunikacja-i-transport/pasazer/schematy-linii-tramwajowych-iautobusowych
Tickets in public transport
According to the regulations in force in local public transport in Lodz, the first thing a passenger is obliged to do as soon as they board the vehicle is to pay the fare. A passenger punches a single-entry paper ticket(s) with a total face value at least equal to the fare for the journey of the time interval chosen by the passenger in the appropriate device (ticket dispenser) located on the vehicle to pay the fare.
The fare can be also paid via the electronic system:
www.mpk.lodz.pl/showarticleslist.action?category=1322&Kup+bilet+za+pomoc%C4%85+kom%C3%B3rki
Types of tickets in Lodz’s public transport
Lodz Agglomeration Railway
www.lka.lodzkie.pl/strona-glowna
With a single ticket in Lodz, you can travel by bus, by tram and by rail. The joint honouring of tickets brings convenience and savings to all passengers. The joint honouring of tickets is addressed to both public transport passengers and Lodz Agglomeration Railway and POLREGIO rail passengers.
If you have a time-limited and term tickets you are using in MPK, you can travel with it by LAR and POLREGIO rails in Lodz without additional fees. The border railway stations are Lodz West Radogoszcz, Lodz East Radogoszcz, Lodz Andrzejow and Lodz Lublinek. 20, 40, 60-minute tickets, day tickets and term tickets (Migawka card) available in public transport, are being honoured in trains If you have a train ticket, you can use it as a public transport ticker without additional fares. All you need is a 20, 40 or 60-minute rail zone ticket. ŁKA and POLREGIO monthly tickets and ŁKA quarterly tickets are also accepted. In the case of time tickets, as in public transport, it is the validity period of the ticket that counts.
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