Shortly after arriving to Poland foreginers face a need to register their residency and obtain a personal ID number as well as tax number.
Registration and PESEL number
Foreingers arriving to Poland intending to stay longer than 3 months are required to register themselves as well as all the familiy members at a local district public office (Urzad Gminy). All diplomats are exempt from this rule. Citizens of the EU countries and members of European Free Trade Agreement as well as Swiss nationals are requested to register their usual place of residence (stale miejsce zamieszkania) within 30 days from the arrival date. All the other citizens are required to register within 4 days after arrival date, if they are staying in Poland longer than 14 days.
You need to register personally and require a passport or any other identity document stating your nationality.
All expats intending to stay in Poland longer than 3 months, are requested to obtain a PESEL number (Public Electronic System of Population Records) regardless if the residency in Poland is temporary or permanent. In that case you require also a document allowing you to stay on the Polish territory (i.e. work permit – pozwolenie na prace, residency card – karta pobytu). If you cannot present it to a public officer at this time, it is allowed you confirm by your signature you are in a possession of such a document.
PESEL is a unique 11-digit number. It contains coded date of birth, sex and a specific number of the registered person. It doesn’t change during the whole life regardless of the place of residency. You will need the PESEL number for several bureaucratic issues i.e. set up your bank account, get a mortgage etc.
Number of Tax Identification (NIP)
Numer Identyfikacji Podatkowej (NIP) is a coded ten-digit number issued to all tax payers in Poland and is required for all social security and tax payments.
NIP number needs to be requested via you local public tax office by using appropriate form.
The application may be sent via registered mail to your local tax office, handed out personally or requested through an employer.
