Your journey
Where are you in your move?
Pick your stage. We will show you what matters now, and how to do it - step by step, with links to our detailed guides and the official sources.
Before you arrive
Check the paperwork, the money and the insurance before you sign anything or board a plane.
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EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: no visa needed - you can enter and start work, then register your stay later (see step 03). Everyone else: entry, stay and work are three separate permissions, and what you need depends on your citizenship and status. Some passports have visa-free short visits, others need a Schengen C visa; a longer stay usually means a national D visa or a residence permit, and a visa alone does not give the right to work - most non-EU workers need a work basis tied to the employer as well. Check your exact combination before you travel.
Our guide: national D visa vs Schengen C visa · gov.pl: visas
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Polish salaries are quoted gross, and adverts now have to show the range. Check what the number means after tax and ZUS before you accept, and compare it with real living costs in your target city.
Gross vs net salary, explained · Pay transparency rules · Take-home pay calculator
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Employees enter the public NFZ system through their employer, but cover starts with the job - not the arrival. EU visitors can use an EHIC/EKUZ card for necessary care in the meantime; everyone else should line up private cover or voluntary NFZ insurance.
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Rent adverts quote the rent, then add czynsz (building fees) and utilities on top - ask for the full monthly total. Decide between an agency and a direct landlord, and be careful paying deposits from abroad before you have seen the flat.
What czynsz includes · Agency or direct landlord · Renting before you arrive
First weeks
Get the basics running: your address, your ID number, your bank account and the apps Poland runs on.
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Go to your district office (urzad dzielnicy or gminy) with your passport and rental contract and register your place of stay - it is free. Registration unlocks later steps, including some PESEL applications, so do it in the first weeks.
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PESEL is the ID number behind healthcare, taxes and official accounts. Some people get one automatically with address registration; others apply at the same office. Either way, you will be asked for it constantly.
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A passport is usually enough at the big retail banks, and accounts with BLIK phone payments make daily life much easier. EU law also gives you the right to a free basic payment account.
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Activate a Profil Zaufany (trusted profile) through your bank to handle official matters online, install IKP for healthcare bookings and e-prescriptions, and set up e-ZUS if you work. The mObywatel app carries your digital documents.
IKP patient account · e-ZUS account · The apps expats actually use
Making it legal
Register or apply for residence, match your work permit to your job, and stay legal while offices process your case.
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EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can live in Poland freely, but a stay over three months must be registered at the voivodeship office - you get a certificate, and family members register too.
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Apply online through the MOS portal before your current legal stay (visa or visa-free days) runs out. A correctly filed application keeps your stay legal while the voivode decides, even if the decision takes many months.
MOS online application guide · Temporary residence permit rules · MOS portal
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For most non-EU workers the employer drives the paperwork: a registered declaration (oswiadczenie) for some nationalities and short stints, a work permit (zezwolenie) for the rest. Changing employers usually means new documents - check before you switch.
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Residence decisions can take months - in some regions over a year. File early, keep every confirmation and stamp, and respond fast when the office asks for missing documents.
Why decisions take so long · Requirements, costs and waiting times
Settling in
Healthcare, school, driving and the language - the things that turn a posting into a home.
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Choose a clinic, sign the declaration for a GP, nurse and midwife, and book through IKP. You can change clinic twice a year free of charge.
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Foreign children can attend public schools for free and are entitled to free Polish-language support, including preparatory classes. School enrolment is local - start with the school in your catchment area. Looking for an international school or daycare instead? From British and American curricula to IB and bilingual kindergartens, we compare the options, the fees and how to apply in our Family & Schools section.
Enrolling a foreign child · Free language support · International schools & daycares: all the options
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EU licences stay valid. Licences from outside the EU generally work for the first 185 days of residence; after that you exchange at the district office - some countries need a theory exam.
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Daily life works in English in big cities, but offices, doctors and schools run on Polish. If you aim at permanent residence or citizenship, most routes require a certified B1 language exam, so start early.
Need hands-on help?
Local Help: a Polish local on your side
Calls, meetings, paperwork, translation, family help and more - online or in person, with a proposed fee agreed before anything is booked.