Life In Poland  

 
Frequently Asked 
Questions  

Created by:
Indian Community of Poland
Created: 07 July 2018
Last Updated: 24 July 2018

This document is continuously updated by admins and members of India

community. If you feel any information is outdated / not correct or missing
please update it or inform the admins of the group
Indian Community of Poland

Table of contents

Table of contents 2

Poland - General Questions 2

Visa 4

Jobs 6

Education 8

As you arrive in Poland 9

Most important things to do as you arrive in Poland 9

Daily Life questions 12

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 2

Indian Community of Poland

General Questions

Q1. Is Poland safe country ?

Absolutely safe! Until you are not wandering out after 12 AM in city in a
drunken state attracting the hooligans….like any other country there are some
racist scumbags...

Q2. What are living expenses / cost in Poland ?

In Warsaw: Cost of living for a single person per month is 2087 złoty without
including rent.

A 1 bhk cost about 1800 to 2500 PLN rent depending on the location. A 2
BHK in the outskirts of warsaw will cost the same. If you are single you can
share with others for 800 PLN.

Food expenses depends on eating habits. But it can be managed between 200
PLN to 800 PLN for one person if you eat only home cooked food and no
eating out.

Eating out - the cheapest will be a kebab (shawarma) for about 12 zł

Local pass is 110 PLN for 1 Month for transportation.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Warsaw

In Wrocław: cost of living for a single person per month is 1983 zł without
including rent - ​https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Wroclaw

In Toruń:

In Poznan:

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 3

Indian Community of Poland

Visa

Q1. How I can apply for Polish Visa ?

Useful links for visa application:

https://newdelhi.mfa.gov.pl/en/consular_information/visa_information/
http://www.migrant.info.pl/home.html

Additional slots for all visa types are opened in the e-konsulat system twice a
week on Tuesdays and Fridays at 3 PM (IST).

Q2. I came to Poland on tourist Visa. Can I get TRC ?

In most case not. More details about TRC you can find on website
https://udsc.gov.pl/en/cudzoziemcy/obywatele-panstw-trzecich/

Understand the basics first. TRC is issued based on a work permit. If you got a
job you apply for a work permit and based on WP you apply for TRC. The
loophole by which anyone with or without any qualifications to apply TRC in
Poland is being plugged. So think twice before falling to the agents.

Attention​: There are many fraud agents. They all come on such fake work
permits earlier and trying to bring more people to recover their costs. Recently
Polish government becoming more and more stringent in issuing TRC’s. So if
you do not have a valid work permit before coming here think twice. It can be
risky

A warning against dishonest agents and info on all official fees. In Polish but
there is also an attached file with English translation below. It's from Urząd
Wojewódzki.

https://mazowieckie.pl/pl/dla-klienta/cudzoziemcy/aktualnosci/37103,Ostrz
ezenie-przed-nieuczciwymi-posrednikami-i-tabela-oplat-Information-on-fees-
Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 4
Indian Community of Poland

a.html?search=2001476&fbclid=IwAR2cubhMtZFQAILxPdP8RJF8Wo9M5Q
5PvMPek_6lk6WfUBHiRPKYoTXF4rI

Q3. I need Polish to Hindi or Hindi to Polish translator for

document translation.

If you need sworn translator (not only hindi, any language) you can find
information on Ministry of Justice website, just choose language which you
need and search

https://bip.ms.gov.pl/pl/rejestry-i-ewidencje/tlumacze-przysiegli/lista-tluma
czy-przysieglych/search.html

Below is the list of hindi translators:

S.No Name of Language State / Contact
. translator Region

1. Madej Iwona dr English Małopolskie Batalionu "Skała" AK 8/44

nauk hum. (1996-02-09 31-273 Kraków
), hindi Tel:504-013-937
(1995-03-15) Email:
iwona.madej@vip.onet.pl

2. Sieklucka Anna hindi Mazowieckie Białych Dworków 5

(1996-05-24 05-503 Głosków
), punjabi Tel:501-163-568
(1996-05-24 Email: ​anna@sieklucka.pl
)

Q4. What to do in case of losing the temporary residence

card/Karta pobytu?

If stolen : go with your Police report and decision papers, passport, meldunek
(domicile ) to your VISA / foreigners office. Nominal payment for new Card
and it’s issued in about a months time

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 5

Indian Community of Poland

If lost : just write a letter addressing the foreigners office, attach your decision
papers, passport, meldunek ( domicile ). Hand deliver this. Nominal payment
for new card and it’s issued in about a months time.

If stolen / lost and needed urgently : 1. Write a letter defining the urgency + all
the above and hope you will get it.

2. Secondly in rarest of cases, serious urgencies you can also get a stamp from
the Foreigners office on your passport which will allow you to leave The EU
and go back home, but won’t let you return. Then you will need to reapply in
your country’s concerning consulates.

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 6

Indian Community of Poland

Getting Jobs in Poland (for graduates and for

students)

Q1. Can I get job in Poland ?

It is a very hard question to answer :) something like Can i get job in India? It
all depends on your skills set but usually it's hard if you don't speak Polish (of
course not impossible).

For IT related jobs, it is comparatively easier than other jobs. Linkedin can be
a very useful medium to search jobs in IT.

Useful Links:
This links provides summary of ​all job search engines /websites in
Poland​: ​https://interviewme.pl/blog/jak-szukac-pracy-strony

MNC’s like P&G, Coty, EY, Deloitte, Sitel, Accenture etc are regularly hiring
English speaker but these are highly competitive hiring processes and you
need serious skills as mentioned in the job description, proper Visas allowing
you to work and travel in EU. Don’t pin your hopes of bagging these offers if
you are not based in the EU and specifically Poland.

Q2. Can I get a part time job in Poland while studying ?

Yes, you will get jobs from 12 PLN to 15 PLN paid per hour. UberEats,
Dominos, McDonalds, working in Kebab shops, Indian and other restaurants
are the easy options.

There are many jobs in the outskirts of Warsaw in meat processing /

packaging industries. You can find also job in harvesting fruits (but this is
seasonal job, only during vacations). Employer gives food and accomodation.
Sometimes you can find such offers on our community page.

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 7

Indian Community of Poland

Other jobs are difficult (but not impossible) because you need to speak polish.
Following document is very useful for Legal information about ​Education
and Work for Foreigners in Poland:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12xEsac0PTI8w8e1gWryKng3PNgr
__U2V/view?usp=sharing

Also please see this post on finding part time jobs in poland with more details:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Polandian/permalink/101607504000300
61/

Q3. l have got a job offer for food packaging industry / meat
industry through one agency and I am currently in India. Agency is
asking money(anything around 1-5 lac Rs) for migration and after 6
months they offer TRC also. Is it real or worthy to come ?

Beware of many fraud agents who would promise you give a job in Poland with
valid work permit and TRC in future. They will ask you give 3-4 lac rupees or
even more to process your visa, work permit and give you a job in packaging
factory, meat factory or some other blue collar job. In reality, you will get such
job but it will be very hard for you to save / recover the money you have spend
already for coming to Poland.

Please read more on post below:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Polandian/permalink/101607040503700
61/

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 8

Indian Community of Poland

Jobs - umowa (contracts)

You have a number of different types of contracts (umowa) in Poland. The most common
ones are:
1. Umowa o pracy - a job contract that entitles you to benefits such as paid holidays,
company paid ZUS (healthcare) payments.
a. Employees are entitled to some benefits described in the Labour Code (e.g.
paid holidays)
b. Employer is obliged to pay your social contributions
c. Protection in case of contract termination
d. Minimum wage guarantee
There are also, however, some ​cons ​to contracts of employment:
1. Reduced flexibility (specific time and place of performing work)
2. Impossible to delegate your work to subcontractors
2. Umowa zlecenie (contract of mandate)
Pros of contracts of mandate:
● possbility to delegate work to a subcontractor;
● freedom (limited employer supervisory over tasks delegated to an employee);
● short notice (unless prearranged otherwise with an employer);
● higher salary for students younger than 26 (no obligation to pay healthcare
contributions by an employer).
Cons of contracts of mandate:
● no privileges coming from the Labour Law (paid holidays, paid overtime etc.);
● no maternity, paternity or sick leave;
● no accident insurance or severance pay;s
● short notice (unless prearranged otherwise with an employer);
● smaller access to e.g. bank loans.

Ask specifically what you will be provided

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 9

Indian Community of Poland

Jobs - Compensation: netto (net), brutto (gross)

In most jobs you will be quoted the brutto (gross amount).

For an umowa o pracy, you should get about 66% of your brutto as netto (in hand). This
does include ZUS payments by the company. The company deducts your taxes and gives
you the netto.

For umowa o dzieło or umowa zlecenie, your brutto is what you get in hand + VAT (if
applicable). You then have to pay your taxes from this.

Healthcare
In general as an employee you are covered by Govt Insurance called ZUS. It is mandatory
here. It is like Indian Government Hospitals but a better version. ( around 150 per month)

Many employers are offering private insurance. There are 2 main players called Medicover
and Luxmed. If you are used to private hospitals back home, then try to get insurance from
one of the above in addition to the mandatory ZUS insurance. ( 100 to 300 depending on
plan)

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 10

Indian Community of Poland

Education

Q1. I got admission in this XYZ university is it good ?

See the Post:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Polandian/permalink/101603927936750
61/

Please see list of University rankings here (Subject wise):

http://engineering.perspektywy.org/2018/

In Poland in general government Universities, Institutes are good.

Some private are also good (Koźmiński, Łazarski, Polsko-Japońsko
IT) but most are not good.

Below ranking of government and private Universities

http://www.perspektywy.pl/RSW2018/ranking-uczelni-akademickich

Q2. Scholarships for Bachelor, Master and Doctoral (PhD) Studies?

Bachelor & Master studies:

https://nawa.gov.pl/en/students/foreign-students/the-ignacy-lukasiewicz-sch
olarship-programme
https://ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe/planning-studies/scholarshi
ps-costs_en

Doctoral Studies:
https://www.fnp.org.pl/en/kategoria_szkolenia/stipends-subsidies-grants/
https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/actions/get-funding/individ
ual-fellowship-2018_en
https://ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe/planning-studies/scholarshi
ps-costs_en
https://ncn.gov.pl/finansowanie-nauki/konkursy/typy/9?language=en
https://ncn.gov.pl/finansowanie-nauki/konkursy/typy/2?language=en

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 11

Indian Community of Poland

As you arrive in Poland

Most important things to do as you arrive in Poland

1. Register yourself with Indian Embassy in Poland

Embassy Website: ​http://www.indianembassywarsaw.in/

For Indian Nationals: ​http://www.indianembassywarsaw.in/register.php
Indian Students Please register using this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScI55NP24Me0udae2d1TUhaRz
sLaq8QV20RCsAJfQPlrK1LHg/viewform?c=0&w=1

EMERGENCY HELPLINE: !!! EMERGENCY ONLY !!!

24 x 7 Helpline for Indian Nationals only in +48 606 700 105

2. Where to get Sim card and what documents are required to get
Sim card ?

You can go to any mall with your passport / TRC and buy sim card. There are 4
biggest players in the market: ​Play​, ​Orange​, ​Plus ​and ​T-Mobile​. All of them
have competitive tariffs. For calling to India you can use ​Lycamobile ​or ​Klucz
mobile SIM.

More details can be found here:

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Poland

3. Where to exchange money near to airport or Can I exchange

money at Airport ?

Dont exchange in Airport, rates are very high. There is a scam as I know many
people are ripped off in the point just opposite to the baggage collection unit.
There are many “​kantor​” (this is Polish word for Money exchange) available
throughout Warsaw where you get good rates.

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 12

Indian Community of Poland

In Warsaw: Till now as far as I know the best rates is given by “Kantor Wiek”,
which is located in Arkadia (ground floor and first floor) and Wileńska Mall.

The kantor situated in Galleria Mokotow is offering decent exchange rates.

Website to Kantor Wiek ​http://kantor-wiek.pl/

4. How to find a flat / house ?

Search on websites ​www.gumtree.pl​ or ​www.olx.pl​ or ​www.Otodom.pl​ or

https://gratka.pl/nieruchomosci​ (those are polish
websites)​https://erasmusu.com/en/erasmus-warsaw/student-housing​ You
can also just write in google and for sure you can find something for yourself.

Attention​: Be alerted on agents. They shouldn’t take money from you in

advance. If agent takes money before transaction…..run :-) it’s a fraud !. Most
of good companies takes charges from the house owner not from tenant or
costs can be divided between both but never before transaction is finished

5.​ ​Where to register home address / Zameldowania ?

Registration you can make in Town Hall (Urząd Miasta) near your place of
stay.

6. How to apply for ​PESEL ​? Do I really need PESEL ?

You need a house address validated by rent agreement for PESEL. PESEL can
be helpful to obtain bank loans, medical help and tax return. PESEL is not
absolutely mandatory to live in Poland. But it will solve potential problems if
you have one.

Additional: PESEL number is not mandatory But if you have IT IT

WILL make your life much more easier. Specially in terms of
medical care and taxes.

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 13

Indian Community of Poland

7. How to get ​NIP ​(it is like Indian PAN Number for Income tax)

In order to receive a NIP number, one should fill in the NIP-7 form. The form
is available at all tax offices. One should submit NIP-7 form in tax office
nearest to his place of stay.

The completed document may be also sent by registered letter. When starting
a business, one's personal NIP number automatically becomes the number of
the newly-created company.

Additional: NIP number is not mandatory (it is only if you pay tax
in Poland), same as PESEL number but if you have both numbers
they make your life easier. Specially in terms of medical care and
taxes.

8. How to use public transport ?

In general public transport in Poland is very good. You buy tickets from ticket
vending machines or you can use app “​skycash​”. Monthly ticket in ​Warsaw
costs about 100 PLN. You can purchase mobile tickets on other two apps:
Jakdojade and MoBilet (available in English). Read FAQ section on ​MoBilet
website.

Apart from buying the mobile tickets, ​Jakdojade app can also be used for
finding the travel options/routes between two locations and also for getting
information on entire route of an individual bus/tram/metro. Remember that
in order to purchase ‘reduced’ ticket (with discount), you should have a valid
ID issued by the ​Polish​ institution.

9. I have to get new passport/ my passport is lost. What should I do

to get newer one?

You should go to Indian Embassy in Warsaw and submit application for new
passport.

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 14

Indian Community of Poland

Daily Life questions

Q1. Are there any indian shops to buy grocery in Poland / Warsaw /
other cities ?

Warsaw: ​Little India​, ​Desi Bazar​ and few others.

More info here:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/indian-community-of-poland/list-of-indian
-shops/10150809412375061/

Q2. How I can watch Indian TV Channels / Programs in Poland ?

Yes, there are few ways:

1. you can use ​open box and point your satellite dish towards ​Astra
Satellite​ and you can watch ​free to air UK Indian channels​.
2. Second is by using ​android box​, and use various apps (​HomeLive IPTV​)
to watch tv.
3. You can also watch on demand Indian programs online using: ​Hotstar​,
SonyLiv​, ​Zee5​, ​Voot​. ​AltBalaji​, ​Eros NOW​, ​tatasky ​online, ​jiotv​, ​airtel tv​,
Amazon prime​, ​Netflix India. But to watch any of these Indian content
you would require a VPN services such as ​Express VPN​, ​IPVanish
VyperVPN​, ​Nord VPN​, ​PureVPN​, ​ZEN VPN​, ​Tunnel-Bear​. Here is list of
best VPN providers for Indian IP addresses :
https://www.bestvpn.com/best-vpn-india/

Q3. Which Indian mobile operators work in Poland ?

Currently there are 4 major players in India telecom sector: Vodafone-idea,

Airtel, BSNL and JIO. Postpaid connection Airtel works. Jio and BSNL are
going to launch international roaming soon for prepaid customers.

Q4. What is cheapest way to call India, Which SIM card I should
buy?

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 15

Indian Community of Poland

Lyca mobile, Klucz mobile are cheapest mobile operators for calling to india.

You can also call on Indian landline and mobile numbers using android apps:
Mobile VOIP / VOIPDiscount; Skype prepaid and google hangout prepaid,
Rebtel​ app (unlimited calling to any indian number in 40zl / month)

Q5. How I can transfer Money from Poland to India ?

TransferWise​ ​is cheapest and fastest way.

Q6. How I can transfer money from India to Poland?

Axis Forex​ is cheapest and fastest.

There are other options such as SBI, Western Union, ICICI, money2World but
they all are more expensive than Axis Forex.

Q7. Which are Indian restaurants in Poland (by different city) ?

Warsaw​: Namaste India, Tandoor Palace are among oldest in Warsaw. There
are many more. You can see the list here:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/indian-community-of-poland/list-of-indian
-restaurants/10150809404240061/

Krakow​: Taste of India, Indian Masala and more here:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g274772-c24-Krakow_Lesser_Pola
nd_Province_Southern_Poland.html

Lodz: Laxmi, Masala Ghor, Ganesha, Taste of India, Masala Express, Istanbul
Taj Mahal

You can also order food online using ​pyszne.pl​, ​glodny.pl​, ​Uber eats or
pizzaportal.pl

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 16

Indian Community of Poland

Q8. How I can fill income tax in Poland / PIT. Can someone help
me?

There are online websites you can file your taxes. For submitting PIT you
should have NIP or PESEL.

When you work in Poland (contract of employment - “umowa o pracę”,

contract of mandate - “umowa zlecenie”, contract for specific work - “umowa o
dzieło”) you should get (mandatory) from your employer PIT-11 till 28
February every year. You have time to submit filled form PIT-37 till 30 April
every year.

When you have company in Poland your should get from your
accountant (if she is not filling PIT for you) PIT/B and submit PIT-36 in tax
office till 30 April every year.

When you work in many places and have also your own company
you should get from every place PIT-11 or PIT/B (depend on what basis you
work) and submit only ONE form to tax office till 30 April every year.

There are also many exemptions from tax (for example when u have children,
wife isn’t working here but staying with you, or she also works and you want to
attach her to your tax return or better is not to put here with you) those all
things are different from person to person. Know only that doesn’t matter how
many PIT you get you should always submit ONE PIT in tax office.

Additional: About filing tax and tax return sometimes it is a bit

complicated but if you need help admin of the group (Monika) can
help :)

Q9: Are there any Indian temples, gurudwara, Churches (with

English Mass), Mosques.

In Warsaw:
ISKON: ​http://www.harekryszna.pl/
Hindu bhavan: ​https://www.facebook.com/Hindubhavan/
Gurudwara: ​http://www.gurudawara.pl/
Mosque: Ośrodek Kultury Muzułmańskiej; ​http://www.okmwarszawa.pl/

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 17

Indian Community of Poland

Churches with English Mass: ​http://warsawcatholics.pl/

Q10. How I can exchange my Indian driving licence with Polish?

Please see following post with detailed description:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Polandian/permalink/101605962958250
61/
Other useful links: ​https://parivahan.gov.in/rcdlstatus/

Q11. I have been robbed / attacked what should I do ?

Inform your local Police station (it's better to go with someone who speaks
Polish because local police office may / may not speak english).

Inform Indian embassy. ​EMERGENCY ONLY HELPLINE: ​24 x 7 Helpline for

Indian Nationals only in +48 606 700 105

Q12. What are emergency numbers in Poland ?

112 - for all emergencies

Police: 997
Fire: 998
Ambulance: 999

Q13. Polish News Websites in English ?

https://polandinenglish.info/
http://www.thenews.pl/

Q14. English radio stations?

http://player.polskieradio.pl/-5​ (mobile app: PolskieRadio)

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 18

Indian Community of Poland

Q15. Site seeing info?

https://poland.pl/tourism/
For Warsaw:
http://warsawtour.pl/en/main-page-2/
https://www.oddurbanthings.com/
www.warsawpass.com (useful for visiting many attractions within 72 hr in
reduced rate)
Free walking tours are available in all major cities (but you have to pay as you
wish)

Q16. Which are the recommended options for sending or receiving

big parcels/letter/documents to/from India?

Poczta Polska (Polish post) is reliable and cheapest way to send document /
parcels to India. If you select option: priority with tracking you can also track
the package till it reaches destination in Polish post website and Indian post
website. More details in the post below:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Polandian/permalink/1016074
2849345061/
Q17. Which is the best way if I am planning to get married in
poland with a polish girl, currently am working in XYZ country. Is
it possible to get married on tourist visa?

Yes. But please mind, that you are required to issue a certificate that you are
single and you can get married. As India doesn’t issue such certificate, you
have to go through the court’s permission. That takes time.

Q18. Websites to search stuff

​ lx.pl, Gumtree.pl and Allegro.pl for online new and second hand items. This
O
is just like our amazon.
Ceneo.pl - website to compare prices

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 19

Indian Community of Poland

English schools for children

For Foreigners

Grade 1 : American School and British School (4000 to 5000 PLN

per month)
Grade 2: Meridian, Canadian and few other school ( 2000 to 2500
PLN per month)
Grade 3: Free public Schools.

The above grades are purely based on cost. NOT the quality of
education. In general Public schools have higher quality than paid
ones.

This will give you a list of schools →

http://www.ourkids.net/pl-en/international-schools-in-warsaw.php

International American School in Warsaw ​http://www.ias.edu.pl

British international school
https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/warsaw/admissions/fees
The Canadian School in Warsaw ​http://canadian-school.pl/

Below link where is more mention about english schools in Warsaw and also in
other polish cities
http://www.ourkids.net/pl-en/english-schools-warsaw.php#maincontent

All schools where they teach fully in english are highly expensive. You can also
send your child to public school. The public/government schools are very good
if not better than the private schools. The medium is purely polish i.e. history,
maths, science etc. will all be in polski. Most teach English as a foreign
language for a couple of lessons per week.

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 20

Indian Community of Poland

For foreigners they also provide extra9 polish lessons twice a week for an year
for the kids to adjust to the new place.

Frequently asked questions about life in Poland ​ 21