Moving to Poland: the first documents you will receive

Zameldowanie is the registration of your permanent or temporary residence address with the municipal office. The applicable procedure depends on your nationality, legal status, length of stay and right to occupy the accommodation.

Registration may require an identity document, evidence of legal stay and confirmation that you are entitled to live at the address. Non-EU nationals may need to complete the procedure in person.

Address registration is not the same as receiving a residence permit. It records where you live but does not by itself create or extend the right to stay in Poland.

PESEL is an eleven-digit personal identification number used by Polish public authorities, healthcare providers, employers, banks and other organisations.

A foreigner who registers a residence in Poland for a stay of more than 30 days is generally assigned a PESEL number automatically. If you cannot register your address but an authority requires PESEL, you may be able to apply for it separately at a municipal office.

Check the personal data connected with the number carefully. Keep the number secure because it is frequently used for identity verification and access to services.

EU and EEA citizens and Swiss nationals can enter Poland under free-movement rules, but a stay longer than three months may require registration of residence.

The required evidence depends on whether you work, run a business, study or rely on sufficient resources and health-insurance coverage.

The residence-registration certificate is separate from address registration and from the PESEL number. Keep each confirmation with the documents supporting your stay.

Many third-country nationals who want to stay in Poland beyond the period allowed by their visa or visa-free stay need an appropriate temporary, permanent or long-term EU residence permit.

From 27 April 2026, applications for these residence permits are submitted electronically through the MOS case-handling portal. The applicant creates an account, completes the form, uploads the required information and follows the case through the system.

Electronic submission does not mean automatic approval. You may still receive requests for documents, instructions concerning fingerprints, fee information and a formal decision from the provincial authority.

After a positive residence decision, an eligible foreigner may receive a residence card known as a karta pobytu. The card confirms identity and the type and validity of the residence authorisation shown on it.

The decision and the physical card are separate documents. Read the decision carefully because it can contain conditions, legal reasoning and instructions about an appeal.

Check the spelling of your name, permit type, expiry date and access-to-employment information. Report an incorrect, lost or damaged card through the official procedure.

Work in Poland may be based on an employment contract, a mandate contract or another legal arrangement. These forms do not provide identical rights, social-insurance coverage or tax treatment.

An employment contract should describe the parties, type of work, workplace, remuneration, working time and starting date. Other documents may include workplace rules, health-and-safety confirmations, payroll statements and tax declarations.

Do not compare contracts only by the net amount promised. Check the legal form, gross remuneration, working time, overtime, paid leave, termination rules and social-insurance registration.

Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, usually called ZUS, administers major parts of Poland’s social-insurance system.

Employees are generally covered by pension, disability, sickness and accident insurance. Coverage under other contract types or self-employment can differ, and some contributions may be voluntary.

Your employer or other contribution payer normally reports insured work and pays contributions to ZUS. Check your insurance number, employer, reported dates and contribution basis, particularly if your work arrangement changes.

Publicly financed healthcare is connected with health-insurance entitlement and is administered through the National Health Fund, known as NFZ.

Employees covered by compulsory insurance are normally reported through the employment and ZUS system. Eligible family members may require separate registration by the insured person.

You may receive confirmations, requests to clarify insurance status, referrals, prescriptions, medical bills or decisions concerning treatment. Check whether a document confirms entitlement, asks for evidence or relates to a private service outside NFZ coverage.

Employees usually have income-tax advances withheld through payroll and later receive annual tax information such as PIT-11. The information is used when preparing or checking the annual tax return.

Polish tax residence depends on personal and economic connections and the length of time spent in Poland, not only on citizenship or possession of a PESEL number.

If you have income in more than one country, the tax return and applicable double-taxation agreement can require additional information. A tax-office letter may request evidence, explain a correction, confirm a refund or demand payment.

Profil Zaufany is a trusted electronic profile used to confirm identity and sign many submissions to Polish public authorities.

It can provide access to online government services, including electronic correspondence and selected services connected with taxes, social insurance and residence matters.

Save the official confirmation of every electronic submission. A delivery or submission receipt proves that a document was sent, but it does not necessarily mean that the application was accepted or approved.

Housing paperwork may include the rental agreement, handover report, deposit confirmation, utility agreements, housing-community charges and correspondence from the landlord or property manager.

Before signing, check the rent, administrative charges, utilities, deposit, contract duration, notice period, permitted occupants and rules for returning the property.

Record existing damage and meter readings when moving in. Keep copies of rent and deposit payments and confirm whether the agreement can be used for address registration.

Children in Poland are subject to compulsory education between the ages of 6 and 18. Parents are responsible for enrolling the child and ensuring attendance.

Children arriving from another country can be admitted to Polish public schools using foreign school documents without a general requirement to complete formal recognition for ordinary primary or secondary placement.

Schools may provide Polish-language support, preparatory classes or other assistance. Parents may receive admission documents, calendars, meal forms, consent requests, medical forms and notices containing several deadlines.

A Polish authority may send a simple information letter, request for missing documents, appointment notice, payment demand or formal administrative decision.

Look for the case number, authority, requested action, legal basis, deadline and instructions about an appeal or complaint.

Keep the envelope and record when the document was delivered. Save copies of every response and official confirmation of electronic or postal submission.