Living in Poland

This guide sets out essential information for British citizens 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 get 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 have been living in Poland since before 1 January 2021. You should read these in addition to the rest of the guidance in each section.

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

Coronavirus

Follow the advice of the Polish Government and your local authority. You should also read the Poland travel advice.

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

Visas and residency

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

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

Visas and residency if you were living in Poland before 1 January 2021

If you have lived in Poland since before 1 January 2021, you and your family members have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

From 1 January 2022 you need to re-register your residency if you want to:

• exchange your residence permit for the Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia residence card, or
• apply for a Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia residence card

You will need to prove that you have been living in Poland since before 1 January 2021.

Read the Polish government: guidance on applying for a Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia residence card.

Get your Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia from your local voivodeship office. Read the Polish government’s guidance on how to apply for the Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia.

If you need further information on how to secure your residency, you may find the International Organization for Migration’s guidance on residency in Poland useful.

If you have a health condition or mobility difficulties you can ask someone else to apply on your behalf. Contact your voivodeship office to find out how they can help you.

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.

Your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement will not be affected if you did not apply by the 31 December 2021 deadline. However, we strongly recommend that you obtain your Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia as soon as possible. This card shows your right to enter Poland, and exempts you from the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and visa requirements.

If you do not have a Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia to prove your rights, you may experience delays in, or be refused, government services. Travel within the Schengen area will also be more difficult.

Appeal process

If your request for the Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia residence card is refused, you have 14 days to appeal from when you receive your notice. Read the Polish government guidance on the appeal process (in Polish). If your appeal is rejected, you can appeal to the Administrative Court. There is no legal aid in Poland so you will have to pay for your legal costs.

If you have a child in Poland, or are married to a Polish national, you may be eligible for residence for these reasons. Read pages 17 to 19 of the Polish government’s information on residence permits for foreigners (in Polish).

Family members

Your close family members continue to be able to join you and settle in Poland at any pointtime in the future. Read more information on who this applies to in the Living in Europe guidance.

They must travel to Poland and then apply as your family member. Nationals of certain non-EU countries may need a visa before travel. The Polish authorities should issue family reunion visas free of charge.

Passports and travel

Coronavirus travel restrictions may affect travel to and from Poland.

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

Check the:

• Poland travel advice for passport validity requirements
• Polish government guidance on visa and passport requirements

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

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

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, carry your Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia residence card 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, show 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 a resident in Poland, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the EU. Your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in the country or countries where you live or work. If a passport is stamped, the stamp is considered null and void when you can show evidence of lawful residence.

If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can enter and exit Poland with a valid passport. You do not need any additional validity on the passport beyond the dates on which you are travelling.

Healthcare

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

Travel insurance is not intended to cover healthcare costs if you live overseas.

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

You should also read guidance on:

• finding an English-speaking doctor in Poland
• travelling with medicines

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. The pop up notices direct you to a website that is not yet live. These are being amended.

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If you were living in Poland before 1 January 2021

You have the right to work under the Withdrawal Agreement if you have a Dokument pobytowy dla beneficjenta umowy wystapienia residence card, or have applied for one.

If you live in Poland and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or EFTA country 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 decision. You should get advice from the relevant regulator.

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 information if you were already living in Poland before 1 January 2021.

Tax

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Poland so that 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

• tax if you get a pension and live abroad

• paying income tax in Poland

• EU factsheet on buying goods online from UK websites

National Insurance and social security contributions

National Insurance-type contributions (NIC) are called ‘social security contributions’ (SSC) in Poland. Find out if you need to pay National Insurance in the UK or social security contributions in Poland.

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Benefits

UK benefits

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

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.

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.

Pensions

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

Read 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 for further information
• 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 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.

Money and 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 for more information on cross-border banking.

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

You cannot renew or replace your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence if you live in Poland. Read the guidance on what you must do to drive legally in Poland.

Read guidance on:

• what you need to drive in the EU
• driving licence rules in Poland if you live there
• road travel in Poland

To drive in another country, in addition to your Polish licence, you may need to apply for an IDP (in Polish).

Exchanging your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence

If you are resident in Poland, your driving licence is valid for the first 6 months of residence only. After 6 months, you must exchange your licence for a Polish one. Read the Polish government’s guidance on exchanging a non-EU driving licence for a Polish licence (in Polish). You do not need to take a driving test to exchange your licence. You cannot use an International Driving Permit (IDP) instead of exchanging your licence.

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

Disabled drivers

If you have a UK Blue Badge and live in Poland, you must return it to the original UK issuing authority. You can apply for a new Polish disabled parking card (in Polish).

Read the EU guidance on the EU parking card for people with disabilities.

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle to Poland

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK. Read the Polish government’s guidelines on car registration.

Driving outside Poland with a Polish licence

You can use your Polish licence when visiting the UK. Keep up-to-date with the UK Highway Code.

If you go to live in the UK, you can exchange your Polish licence for a UK one without taking a test.

To drive in another country, in addition to your Polish licence, you may need to apply for an IDP. (in Polish)..

Read the EU guidance on:

• EU driving licences and insurance
• driving licence exchange and recognition in the EU

Voting

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

The UK is working with the Polish government to enable 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, marriage and civil partnerships

If your child is born in Poland, you can register the birth with the UK authorities in addition to registering locally. If your child has British nationality, you do not need to register the birth with the UK authorities to apply for a British passport.

If someone dies in Poland read our guidance on:

• what to do after someone dies abroad
• bereavement in Poland
• finding English-speaking funeral directors in Poland

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

You may also need to:

• notarial and documentary services for UK nationals in Poland

• English-speaking lawyers in Poland

Pets

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Before you travel, check the rules for the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements.

Emergencies

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

Dial the EU 116 000 hotline to report a missing child in the EU country where you live or in another EU country.

If you need guidance on child abduction, read the guidance on international parental child abduction; the EU guidance on child abduction and EU guidance on child abduction to another EU country.

If you’re the victim of a crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis, 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.

Useful information

Support for British nationals abroad: a guide sets out how to stay safe abroad, and explains how the FCDO can support you if you get into difficulty.