Living in Poland

This guide sets out essential information for British citizens about moving to or living in Poland. Read about how our embassy in Warsaw can help.

This information is provided as a guide only. You should obtain definitive information from the Polish authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.

Read general guidance on moving or retiring abroad.

To stay up to date:

• sign up for email alerts
• follow the British Embassy Warsaw on Facebook and Twitter.

If you were living in Poland before 1 January 2021

Some parts of this guide only apply if you were living in Poland since before 1 January 2021. These are indicated with sub-headings.

You should also read our Living in Europe page for detailed guidance about citizens’ rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Coronavirus

You should follow the advice of the Polish Government and your local authority. You can also read our Poland travel advice for our latest guidance.

For information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine as a UK national in Poland see our coronavirus travel advice.

Visas and residency

If you were legally resident in Poland before 1 January 2021, you should obtain a new residence document from your local Voivodeship Office. This document will evidence your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. You should check the locations of local Voivodeship Offices in Poland.

Read the information and infographic about the process for obtaining the new residency documents on the Polish government’sGovernment’s guidance for UK nationals.

You should also read the Polish Government’s residency guidance for UK nationals and their frequently asked questions.

If the authorities think you may be a Polish national, for example if you have Polish parents, grandparents or great grandparents, they might research your family history. Your application may take longer than usual to process.

Additional support

If you need additional support to complete your residency application, read the guidance on the UK Nationals Support Fund.

Support from the UK Nationals Support Fund will end on 30 September 2021. You should contact the UK Nationals Support Fund implementing partner before this date if you require additional support. If you are already being assisted by our implementing partner, they will continue to assist you until you have made your application.

Moving to Poland

Check the entry requirements for Poland and read the Polish government’s guidance on moving to Poland, including how to get a visa.

Passports and travel

You can apply for or renew your British passport in Poland.

Check the travel advice for Poland for passport validity requirements.

Always carry your passport when travelling within the Schengen area. If you have citizenship of an EU / European Free Trade Area (EFTA) country, in addition to your British citizenship, you should enter and leave Poland using your EU / EFTA passport.

If you stay in Poland with a residence permit or long stay visa, this does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit for the Schengen area.

Read the Polish government guidance for UK nationals coming to Poland from 1 January 2021

If you visit other Schengen area countries outside Poland, make sure you do not exceed the visa-free 90 days in any 180-day period. You are responsible for counting how long you stay under the Schengen visa waiver, and you must comply with its conditions.

Different rules apply to EU countries that are not part of the Schengen area.

Check each country’s travel advice page for information on entry requirements.

If you were living in Poland before 1 January 2021

When you travel, especially within the Schengen area, you should carry with you your residence document or frontier worker permit issued under the Withdrawal Agreement, in addition to your valid passport.

You must proactively show your residence document, or other evidence of residence status, if you are asked to show your passport at border control. Other evidence may be your tenancy agreement or a utility bill in your name, dating from 2020. If you have applied for, but not yet received, your residence document, carry your certificate of registration.

Read the Polish Border Guards guidance on what documents you should carry when travelling back to Poland to prove you are a resident (in Polish).

If you cannot prove that you are resident in Poland, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the Schengen area, and your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in Poland.

If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you do not need any extra months on your passport to enter or exit EU countries.

Healthcare

Read our guidance on healthcare in Poland and make sure you are correctly registered for your circumstances.

Read the Polish government guidance on maintaining your healthcare rights in Poland (in Polish).

If you’re leaving the UK with medicine that contains a controlled drug, check with the embassy about the rules for the country you’re going to before you travel and the NaTHNaC guidance on travelling with medicines.

You should also read our guidance on:

• finding an English-speaking doctor in Poland
• healthcare when travelling in Europe
• advice on foreign travel insurance
• bringing medicine containing a controlled drug into the UK

Working in Poland

If you are planning to move to Poland and work, you may need a visa. Read the Polish government’s guidance on working in Poland as a foreign national and how to get a visa.

To apply for a job you need to provide a UK police certificate.

Read the guidance on:

• working or providing services in Poland
• EU guidance on working in an EU country

If you were living in Poland before 1 January 2021

You have the right to work under the Withdrawal Agreement.

If you live in Poland and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or EFTA Poland before 1 January 2021, read our guidance for frontier workers.

Professional qualifications

You may need to get your professional qualification recognised if you want to work in a profession that is regulated in Poland.

Read guidance on:

• recognition of professional qualifications
• how to get your qualification recognised in Poland

If you were living in Poland before 1 January 2021

If the relevant regulator in Poland officially recognised your professional qualification before 1 January 2021, or you started the recognition process by this date, make sure you understand the terms of your recognition decision. Seek advice from the regulator if needed.

Studying in Poland

If you plan to study in Poland, you must meet all visa requirements before you travel.

Contact the relevant higher education provider in Poland to check what fees you may have to pay.

Read guidance on:

• continuing your studies in the EU
• studying in the European Union
• healthcare for students in Poland

If you were living in Poland before 1 January 2021

The studying in the European Union guidance includes specific information for those who were already living in Poland before 1 January 2021.

Money, tax and banking

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Poland to ensure you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries. Ask the relevant tax authority your questions about double taxation relief.

You should get professional advice on paying tax in Poland. Find an English-speaking lawyer in Poland. Read guidance on:

• tax if you leave the UK to live abroad

• tax on your UK income if you live abroad

• paying income tax in Poland

• EU guidance on tax and customs, including online shopping from the UK

• EU guidance on customs including preferential origin

• EU guidance on excise duties

National Insurance

Find out if you need to pay National Insurance in the UK or social security contributions in Poland.

UK banking

Whether UK banks can provide services to customers living in the EEA depends on local laws and regulation. Read the Money and Pension Service’s MoneyHelper guidance on banking, insurance and financial services changes for more information on cross-border banking.

Pensions

Read our guidance on entitlement to UK benefits and pensions while you are living in Poland.

If you are moving or retiring abroad, you must tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax.

Read our State Pension guidance if you have lived in Australia, Canada or New Zealand and you are claiming or waiting to claim your UK State Pension.

If you retire in Poland, you can claim:

• your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Contact the International Pension Centre to claim
• pensions if you’ve worked in other EU countries
• contact the International Pensions Centre to claim your Polish pension from the Polish Social Insurance Institution, if you have worked in Poland

Read the Money and Pension Service guidance on pension and retirement changes for more information on cross-border pensions.

Life certificates for UK State Pensions

If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service , you must respond as soon as possible - your payments may be suspended if you do not.

Benefits

Read our guidance on entitlement to UK benefits and pensions while you are living in Poland.

If you are moving or retiring abroad, you must tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax.

Check which UK benefits you can claim while abroad and how to claim them. Many income-related benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit cannot be paid if you’re abroad for more than 4 weeks. You can request proof from HMRC of the time you’ve worked in the UK and of your UK National Insurance record.

Polish benefits

You may be eligible to claim some Polish social security benefits. To find out if you are entitled to Polish benefits and how to claim, read the EU’s guidance on claiming benefits in Poland.

Accommodation and buying property

Read our guidance on buying a property abroad.

You may need to get a permit from the Minister responsible for home affairs to buy property. Read the Polish government’s guidance on purchasing property as a third country national (in Polish).

Driving in Poland

UK driving licences are valid in Poland for the first 6 months of residence only. After 6 months, you must exchange your UK licence for a Polish one. You do not need to retake a driving or theory test.

Read the Polish government’s guidance on exchanging a non-EU driving licence for a Polish licence (in Polish).

To exchange your UK licence, the Polish authorities may ask you to provide:

• a sworn translation of your UK driving licence (see our list of translators in Poland)
• proof of address in Poland

For information on driving in Poland, read the information on:

• driving licence renewal and exchange
• road travel in Poland
• what you need to drive abroad

When driving, you should always have your:

• driving licence
• ID
• car registration papers
• insurance papers

Driving in the UK with a Polish licence

You can use your Polish licence in the UK for short visits, or exchange it for a UK licence without taking a test.

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle to Poland

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK.

You should read the European Union’s guidance on car registration and taxes in Poland. You may be exempt from some of these taxes. If so, you will need certificates of exemption.

Voting

You cannot vote in local municipal elections in Poland or European Parliament elections.

The UK is working with the Polish government to explore whether any solution can be found for UK nationals to vote in future local elections. We will update this guidance when more information is available.

You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:

• check if you are able to vote
• register as an overseas voter

Births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships

If your child is born in Poland, you will need to register the birth abroad. If someone dies in Poland read our guidance on:

• what to do after someone dies abroad

• read our guidance for UK nationals on bereavement in Poland

• find a list of English-speaking funeral directors in Poland

Find out how you can get married or get a civil partnership abroad.

You may also need to:

• Findfind out about notarial and documentary services for UK nationals in Poland

• Consultconsult English-speaking lawyers in Poland

Pets

If you have a pet passport issued by Poland or another EU member state, you can use it to travel with your pet to Great Britain and elsewhere in the EU.

A GB-issued EU pet passport is not valid for travel to the EU or Northern Ireland. You should speak to your vet before you travel to get the necessary pet travel documents and ensure you’re compliant with the EU Pet Travel Regulations.

Read guidance on:

• bringing your pet to GB
• travelling with your pet in the EU
• travelling to Northern Ireland with your pet

Check the rules of the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements before you travel.

Emergencies

You can dial the European emergency number 112 in Poland for the police, ambulance or fire brigade, or dial:

• 997 for police
• 998 for fire brigade
• 999 for ambulance
• 116 000 hotline to report a missing child

If you’re the victim of a crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis abroad, contact the British embassy Warsaw.

Returning to the UK

Check the COVID-19 travel guidance for entering the UK.

Tell the Polish and UK authorities if you are returning to the UK permanently.

To move your pension to the UK, contact the International Pension Centre.

If you get healthcare in Poland through the S1 form, you must contact the Overseas Healthcare Team on +44 (0)191 218 1999 to make sure your S1 is cancelled at the right time.

Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on, amongst other things, bringing family members, tax and access to services.

If you return to the UK permanently and meet the ordinarily resident test, you’ll be able to access NHS care without charge.

Useful information

Support for British Nationals abroad: a Guide sets out how to stay safe abroad, and explains how the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can support you if you get into difficulty.