Quick answer
To settle in Poland you will usually need four things, in this order: a Polish SIM card (registered with your passport or ID), a registered address if you stay longer than three months (within 30 days for EU citizens, 4 days for others), a PESEL number (assigned automatically when you register an address for more than 30 days) and a Polish bank account. For healthcare, EU visitors use their European Health Insurance Card at public (NFZ) providers. In an emergency, call 112.
Moving to Poland means a stack of small tasks that nobody explains in one place. This practical guide to Poland walks you through the essentials in the order most newcomers need them, with links to the official pages where the rules are set out.
Your first-week checklist
- Get a Polish prepaid SIM card. Banks, delivery apps and many offices expect a Polish number.
- Sign a written lease and keep a copy; you will need it to register your address. See our guide to renting in Poland.
- Register your address at the municipal office if you will stay longer than three months.
- Note the PESEL number you receive, or apply for one separately if you cannot register an address.
- Open a bank account.
- Sort out health cover: an EU health card, work-based insurance or a private policy.
SIM cards and mobile internet
Poland has four national mobile networks: Play, Orange, Plus and T-Mobile. Each also has cheaper sub-brands, such as Heyah (T-Mobile) and Nju Mobile (Orange). Coverage in cities is good on all of them.
Every prepaid SIM must be registered to a named person; you cannot use one anonymously. Visitors from outside the EU register with a passport; EU citizens can usually use a passport or national ID card. Registration in an operator’s own shop takes about 10–15 minutes and is the easiest option, because staff do it for you.
- Where to buy: operator shops in shopping centres, airport newsagents, convenience stores such as Żabka, supermarkets, petrol stations and post offices.
- Roaming: under EU rules a Polish plan generally works in other EU and EEA countries at no extra cost, within fair-use limits. The same applies the other way round to an EU SIM used in Poland.
- Short visit? If you have an EU SIM, you probably do not need a Polish one at all.
Registering your address (meldunek)
Poland still keeps a residence register. Foreigners who live at one address for more than three months must register there, either for permanent or temporary residence. If you know your stay will last 30 days or less, you do not need to register.
| EU and EFTA citizens and their families | Other foreigners | |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Within 30 days of moving in | Within 4 days of moving in |
| Where | Municipal office (urząd gminy or urząd miasta) for your address | Municipal office for your address |
| Online | Possible with a Polish trusted profile or qualified e-signature | Not possible, in person only |
| Documents | Passport or ID card | Passport, a residence document (for example a residence card or visa-based permit), the registration form and proof of your right to the flat, such as the lease; the owner confirms on the form that you live there |
| Cost | Free | Free |
A certificate confirming temporary registration costs 17 zł if you need one, for example for a bank. EU citizens staying longer than three months must also register their stay with the voivode, at the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki), no later than the day after the three months end. This is separate from registering an address: it is done in person, needs four photos and proof of your reason for staying, such as an employment contract, and is free.
PESEL: Poland’s personal ID number
PESEL is an 11-digit number used by almost every Polish institution: tax office, social insurance (ZUS), doctors, pharmacies and many employers. You get it in one of two ways:
- Automatically, when you register your address for a stay of more than 30 days.
- By application, if you cannot register an address but an institution needs your PESEL. Apply at any municipal office with your ID document and state the legal reason you need the number; the institution asking for it, such as ZUS or the tax office, should tell you what that is. Citizens of countries outside the EU, EFTA and Switzerland must apply in person. The service is free.
Money, cards and opening a bank account
Poland is one of Europe’s most card-friendly countries: contactless payment works in shops, on public transport and in most taxis and market stalls. Many Poles pay with BLIK, a mobile payment system built into Polish banking apps that you can use online, in shops and to send money to friends by phone number. To use BLIK you need an account with a Polish bank.
What you need to open an account depends on your citizenship and the bank:
- EU and EFTA citizens: usually a passport or national ID card.
- Other foreigners: usually a passport plus proof of legal stay, such as a residence card or visa.
- PESEL: makes everything easier but is not always required.
- A Polish phone number is normally needed to activate the mobile app, so get the SIM first.
- Some banks ask for proof of address, such as your lease, or proof of income.
A few banks let you start the application online, but most foreigners still need to sign the contract in a branch. Check the bank’s page for foreigners before you go, and take your lease with you.
Healthcare
Public healthcare in Poland is run through the National Health Fund (NFZ). How you access it depends on who you are:
- Visitors from the EU, EEA and Switzerland use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for necessary treatment during their stay. Go to providers with an NFZ contract, marked with the NFZ logo, and show your card every time.
- People working in Poland on an employment contract are normally insured with NFZ through the social insurance contributions their employer pays.
- Others, for example tourists from outside the EU, should have private travel or health insurance.
What EU card holders should know:
- Family doctors’ surgeries are usually open Monday to Friday, 8:00–18:00. Evenings, weekends and holidays are covered by 24-hour out-of-hours services.
- Hospital admission normally needs a doctor’s referral, except in emergencies. Treatment, tests and medicines in hospital are free for card holders.
- At the pharmacy, most medicines are paid at full price; some are partly reimbursed.
- Dentists often offer both public and private treatment, so ask in advance what is covered.
- For urgent but non-emergency help, the NFZ helpline (+48 800 190 590 or +48 22 125 66 00) can point you to out-of-hours care, the nearest emergency department or a duty pharmacy. It works in English, Ukrainian and Russian.
Emergency numbers
| Number | What for |
|---|---|
| 112 | All emergencies: police, fire service, ambulance |
| 999 | Ambulance |
| 997 | Police (calls go to the same emergency centres as 112) |
| 998 | Fire service (calls go to the same emergency centres as 112) |
If you cannot speak, for example because you are deaf or hard of hearing, the official Alarm112 app lets you report an emergency in writing.
A few words of Polish
Many younger Poles speak good English, especially in cities, but a few words of Polish go a long way in shops, offices and smaller towns.
| English | Polish | Say it roughly like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello / good day | Dzień dobry | jen DOB-ri |
| Thank you | Dziękuję | jen-KOO-yeh |
| Please / here you are | Proszę | PRO-sheh |
| Excuse me / sorry | Przepraszam | psheh-PRA-sham |
| How much is it? | Ile kosztuje? | EE-leh kosh-TOO-yeh |
| I don’t speak Polish | Nie mówię po polsku | nyeh MOO-vyeh po POL-skoo |
| Do you speak English? | Czy mówi pan/pani po angielsku? | chi MOO-vee pan/PA-nee po an-GYEL-skoo |
FAQ
Can I get a SIM card at the airport?
Yes. Airport newsagents sell prepaid starter packs, but you still have to register the card with your passport or ID before it works. An operator’s shop in town will do the registration for you.
Do I need a PESEL to rent a flat?
No. You can sign a lease without one. You need the lease to register your address, and registering for more than 30 days is what gives you a PESEL.
Last checked: 16 October 2026. Rules for foreigners change; confirm details on the official pages below before you visit an office.
Sources
- gov.pl: registering your residence as a foreigner (in Polish)
- gov.pl: get a PESEL number, service for foreigners
- European Commission: using the European Health Insurance Card in Poland
- gov.pl: emergency number 112 (in Polish)
- Bankier.pl: opening a bank account as a foreigner (in Polish)
- gov.pl: registering the stay of an EU citizen (in Polish)
- Saily: SIM cards in Poland, August 2026