Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

Scottie was this in Warsaw? Are they asking for educational proof now?

Anyone else?

I can't believe with all the people on here nobody knows.

Life / Fingerprint Information - where to get it done in Warsaw? [11]

I don't know this is sure...but in most places the Police do this that way it is more official. Knowing Poland there would be a fee for it...but that is where I would ask first.

Life / Fingerprint Information - where to get it done in Warsaw? [11]

Nah they have SOMEBODY speaking English in most stations...just go to a big one and ask...maybe somebody here could give you a translation of how to ask for this...as my Polish is bad.

I'd just walk in and say "potrzebu (probably not the right word for "I need"...but..)....and start miming fingerprinting...It's how i get most things done here and it is rough but I manage!

Life / Fingerprint Information - where to get it done in Warsaw? [11]

Actually Sean that is a better idea than mine...or even your own embassy as they fingerprint for visas etc.

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

Yeah I just want to find out what the requirements are NOW as they seem to change all the time. The info office on Dluga is always full and I cant seem to get answers from anyone there anyway. Last time they waited until I was in submitting my application after waiting forever to tell me all the documents I needed that weren't listed anywhere...there is no standard. If I had a list I could get it all together.

I read things on here about people getting temporary papers rather than cards...all sorts of stuff and cant even get good info from the horse's mouth...I'm just trying to survive here ;)

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

It's not about patience or building character...I have been here a while and I do ok day to day.

It is about them not even knowing the rules and then me being punished as a result. They can't even tell you the full requirements...and then later they tell you to come again with some document they NEVER in writing, on a sign, or to your face told you about.

Does ANYONE know if there is a written standard with FULL info I can reference? The instructions they give you at Dluga and the "Info" office there are not accurate or complete. And if you point that out when you are being dismissed they just shrug their shoulders or yell at you.

I know how Poland is...I know I can't make it how I would like...I am just trying to manage but how can I follow rules and be a good boy when they can't even tell me the rules?

The only reason I worked it out last time is I met someone who worked there and they gave me detailed info of what to do...hell when I submitted my application that time they acted shocked that there was nothing missing...hell they said they didnt even need some of the documents I had...

I swear they just arbitrarily make up rules for the day during morning briefings.
(sarcasm for those who would berate me)

I KNOW all countries have rules and bureacracy..and I am doing my best to work within that but for the love of god just tell me what you want me to do....even if it is unreasonable, complicated or irritating.....fine....but I can't do IT unless I know what IT is!

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

dcchris I wrote you a PM...please let me know here if you don't get it or when you do reply.

Thanks.

Does anyone here know how to streamline the Work Permit process from Urzad Pracy?

I have heard there are certain things you need to say to get the 2 year permit. Anyone know those magic words?

One rumor also said for English Teaching there was a different or all together waived permit? Sounds bunk but thought I would ask anyway

dziekuje thanks gracias spaseeba merci shukrahn danke hvala

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

Scottie are you in Warsaw? They told me I DID need the work permit for English...I'd sure like to get a verifictation on this.

For the work component they said I needed 1.contract 2. work permit or promise of the permit 2. register at tax office

I will get the NIP (tax number) or at least apply for it this week...been told it takes 2-4 weeks.

The other requirements I am familiar with..insurance...photos etc.

So you just submitted all the other documents required but didn't need to submit the permit from the Urzad Pracy (Labor Office)? I hope you dont really need it as the application is ridiculous and I would rather not go through that process.

Thanks.

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

This is the problem...I am hearing English teachers don't need the permit...is true that would make things a lot easier.

The info office at Immigration (Dluga) said I DO need it and the Residency Card will be issued for 1 or 2 years depending on the if the Work Permit is issued for 1 or 2 years. People here including those who have been recently say you don't need this permit. I am going to the Labor Office this week to ask...but am not confident I will get a straight answer...I wish I could somehow find out for sure if the permit is needed or not for a Private School English Teacher.

Also pushing for the 2 year residency card and some have mentioned you need to word things correctly for this...anyone share what that is?

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

I need it...and want to get it the right way...you cannot legally work as an American if your karta pobytu doesnt say you can...but thanks...can anyone answer the question that is getting lost above?

Do American/Non EU English teachers need a work permit? If no can you point to a source?

Thread attached on merging:
Getting a 2 year Karta Pobytu.

I am trying to get a working Karta Pobytu on the basis of teaching English at a private school. I have heard a few people say you can get a 2 year card by wording things properly on the application. Does anyone know exactly what this is?

Last time I asked for a 2 year card but was only given 1 year although it was not a working card.

Thanks.

Can I get this UN-merged please? I started a new one on purpose. This one is getting cluttered and the question not answered.

Travel / Comming to Poland from Finland [12]

Why McCoy? I hate replies like that...not clever...get in the way...and just rude.

Helloibrahim: explore-warsaw.com

Bus 175 goes from the airport to the center...the stop is right out in front of the terminals. Costs 3pln if you buy ticket on the bus or 2.80pln if you can find a kiosk and buy it. They also have c3 day tickets and city cards (ask at the tourist point about all options)

There are also tourist offices at the Central Train Station and airport....free maps and information.

Also once you get in Warsaw many public points and businesses in the center have a small guide book version of the above with all info about the city.

Poland may be a bit cheaper than Suomi but it is not "cheap".

What is your acceptable standard? There are a few hostels (45-200pln per night depending on giant dorm or private rooms) but all hotels will be expensive anywhere near the center >400pln usually.

nathansvilla.com/warsaw_reservation.html

You can eat very cheaply by shopping at supermarkets. Regular restaurants in the center would be 20-40pln for a dinner. You can get a sandwich and drink for maybe 10-15pln. Kebab from the street (good actually) 7-8pln.

Travel / Comming to Poland from Finland [12]

Being an ass for money? I know a lot of people who would like to send in their CVs.

Travel / Comming to Poland from Finland [12]

Actually it might be cheaper or the same to fly....and a LOT (get it?) quicker.

lot.com

News / Polish Banks suck yes or no ? [16]

Randompal did you have a bad experience at Millenium or you just 'heard' things?

They are the only PL bank that I was able to find to give accounts to non EU foreigners. The others wanted things I don't have or can't get. And I don't mean proof of identity...I can do that without a doubt...but rather tax documents and things of ethereal natures.

USA, Canada / What can I expect in Poland compared to the United States? [48]

I lived in a flat in the center of Warsaw with a bath tub in the kitchen. They do exist.

Produce quality is much lower. Most supermarkets and small food shops have loads of rotten or bland fruits and vegetables and you might find a decent one mixed in if it hasn't been discovered first. Onions are a particular example...seems the bin of onions is always full of soft and rotting ones. The CarreFour mega supermarkets have a bit better produce...the smaller CarreFour (old Alberts) generally have crap selection.

Buying on the street from the people who sell produce out of vans and trucks get you better quality but still not like the variety and health of what you are used to.

Bread is generally not the same either. I miss some breads from the USA and while I can survive the bread here it is not my favorite.

For Yellow Cheese...if you like real cheddar you will have to look very hard...its mostly plastic cheeses like Gouda and Edam.

Anything other than what Poles consider normal is really expensive....TexMex stuff...Baltic meats...anything from the US or UK. The prices on these things will make you laugh...I don't need to pay 4 times the US price for some food...I can wait until I visit home again.

Someone else covered clothes, shoes and anything electronic....2-4 times higher...sometimes more. Fuel is also twice the US cost if you plan to drive.

I have a 2 room 400 square foot flat for 800usd per month (2 rooms means 2 rooms not 2 Bedrooms as we say in the US)...in the US I lived in a 3 bedroom HOUSE of 1300 square feet for 650usd.

Poland is not a "cheap" place to live for sure. Maybe if you camped out and ate potatoes and cabbage all the time. But if you want to approximate your life at home...it will cost more...a LOT more.

Work / Do American English teachers need a Work Permit for working residency? [14]

Thanks to those who replied with useful info.

Mafketis is exactly right as to what I am doing.

Like everything else in Poland each requirement has another one you must do first that is infinitely more complicated. The Karta Pobytu is tough enough...but the work permit (which may or may not be required first) is much more difficult and often takes longer than you even legally allowed to stay here WITHOUT the Karta Pobytu...and then you STILL have to go through that process.

UKPolska...the wedding thing can work....but it takes just as long or longer (they say plan on 6 months of stuff) as Americans again have special requirements due to our marriage registration)...in addition my gf is not around anymore and that is too big of a deal to grab someone and ask.

I will look into the 'setting up a business" thing too...thanks.

For now hoping the waiver is real for my case.

Well setting up a business is exactly what I was talking about when I said it is much different for EU...and I am NOT EU.

Yeah its not to tough for EU members so they imagine it is like that for Americans...it is not. That is not going to work for me either.

I may be "fooked"

Everyone tells internet tales of how simple they did this or that but it never works like that in real life...

Work / Do American English teachers need a Work Permit for working residency? [14]

Well...I am sans polish gf now....and yeah it was easier then but even she was at her wits end with it last time.

Its not doom and gloom its experience. Everything I have been told about how to do something here has been wrong or incomplete. Today I went to the Urzad Pracy (Labor Office) for the 2nd time they couldnt say YES OR NO and said come back next week and ask some other person who is only there like 15min during the full moon weeks or something crazy. That never works.

I find it impossible to believe that it changes with every Yank that does this...yet all Yanks I talk to have different stories ranging from "took 5 min" to "I lost 20kg and am on antidepressants now". And none of them followed the exact same steps.

The immigration office did the same. It is a YES OR NO question. I pointed this out...yes very politely :)...and got nothing but shrugged shoulders. I asked if he processed many American English teachers...he said yes...I asked if THEY needed it. "It depends"...but he couldn't say on what. I said "where can I find the criteria...it MUST be written somewhere or you would have no basis to make a decision" He seemed to understand but still couldn't say. HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT OVER AND OVER?? They accept the applications and tell you what is missing...so how do they know what to ask for if they don't have criteria? It's insane.

I tried changing my coat, pasting on a fake moustache and going in again a few minutes later asking the same things again hoping I would win the Polish information lottery (you know what I mean) but to no avail. My Magic 8-Ball is more informative.

I will follow the rules...tell me the rules and I will follow them :) Not in Bizzaroland!!

And thanks UKPolska for asking your pals ;)

I would set up a business if I could do it for sure and not pay out the bunghole for it and could get reliable instructions.,,but in the thread linked to above the American asking never did get his questions answered and sounds like he has been at this for years. Most advice on the subject is simply wrong or rumor. Unfortunately you won't know it until you waste yet more time and youth.

Harry wrote something in that thread that went something like "to get something done here you have to convince them it is easier to just do it than to string you along and have you keep pestering them". I don't possess such diplomatic skills....choking them and calling their mothers unspeakable names is not effective I have learned ;)

Work / Do American English teachers need a Work Permit for working residency? [14]

The US embassy won't tell me anything I don't know (been through it) and they sure as hell can DO anything. Most people have a false idea about what embassies do and don't do.

Passport prob? US taxes or voting? Sure...but they are useless when it comes to anything having to do with Poland's internal law and procedure and even the anectdotal advice they have is not accurate I have found.

If I told them I was suicidal they'd probably forcably repatriate me and send me the bill...and they don't use economy priced tickets when they arrange it ;)

I actually think this is all an ingenious program by the immigration department to keep foreigners from settling here without having to outright say that's the plan ;)

I kid...but that would be diabolically brilliant...so it can't be true.

Viva La Polska!

Work / NIP number - can I get this before I am employed? [13]

Bensz my friends experience with the NIP mimicked yours. I am hoping to repeat it on Monday but they will likely have changed the rules by then. Wish me luck.

Life / Doing laundry in Poland [66]

Just google Front Loading washers vs Top loading washers. The former are gaining popularity in the US as well in the last 5 years. To make it confusing though Poles will probably think of a Top Loader as a version of the Front Loaders they have but rather with a hatch on top that opens into the horizontally spinning drum..same principle..different access the the sealed drum. US style is an open vertical drum that doesn't seal totally...like Asians often have as well.

You don't HAVE to set it on the long setting...just like a top loader...just depends on how dirty the clothes are. Mine takes 45 min on the setting I use and my things are fine.

The main thing I don't like about Front Loaders is due to the way it seals up and the tubes for the soap etc run from the top, they have a tendency to build up mold. You MUST leave the main door and the soap door open to prevent this...but most people here don't. Every flat I have rented and every one I have visited has some mold in the tray, tubes and around the seal as they don't leave it open.

The clothes do come out drier as people have said...so it doesnt take things long to dry while hanging even inside. The only change I have had to make is the size I buy clothes in...in the US we tend to know it will shrink in the drier so we buy accordingly...here I buy the size that fits in the shop exactly as it won't shrink while hanging normally.

Life / Doing laundry in Poland [66]

I notice no difference in drying. I have the rack that goes up on cords above the bathtub. Most things are dry in 6 hours or so...jeans need overnight. If you have a balcony rack I can see it being an issue.

There isn't much I prefer in Poland over home...but laundry is one of them. Easier on clothes and cheaper.

I actually hated having to guess how much the tumbler dryer was going to shrink my clothes when shopping.

Life / Doing laundry in Poland [66]

Putting in it in the bathroom will make the mold problem worse as that room is much more humid as a norm.

When the front loaders made their way to the US people were moaning en masse a few months later when most of the machines were full of moldy stink. It's a design flaw really with so many twisty tubes and sealed areas...and most people don't know or think about it until it is so bad you can't do anything about it. I have run load after load of bleach in mine and it still won't go away entirely.

They even started selling special cleaning tablets to run in them every few loads to prevent mold...and using liquid soaps and especially liquid fabric softener will make it much worse.

It really is one of those things people don't seem to believe or care about until it affect them...I know I never thought about it until my clothes started stinking after being washed and I investigated.

Life / Doing laundry in Poland [66]


Exactly...most people don't bother.

Travel / zloty or Euro [33]


No you aren't. You are telling in a way that makes you feel artificially superior.

Likely someone who had never been abroad 'told' the OP either currency was accepted or they read it online. In the old days US Dollars were accepted all over and if someone who hasn't traveled for ages is giving advice I can completely see it.

This happens all the time in Europe too...people giving false info...case in point my quest for immigration info. Half the stuff I am told is wrong...so does that make me stupid when I ask someone if that info is true so I can vet it? No.

Search for about anything online and you will get conflicting info and flat out lies. I am sure I could come up with all sorts of things you don't know about my country that some would say you were stupid for asking about. Does that make me better?

Americans are nor more stupid, arrogant, selfish, shallow, jealous, greedy or whatever bad notion than Europeans...and "European" is not a nationality and the attitudes vary widely by country. I have lived on both sides of this "culture" rift for years and I have grown very tired of this nonsense.

Life / Doing laundry in Poland [66]

Nevermind.

Love / DO POLISH GAYS ALSO DIE YOUNG? [56]

Some sad people posting here. I pity your views of others.

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

Maf...I appreciate your links...but the answers are not there. Polish friends have read them AND the people in the immigration office even say they don't know as the law "depends". That is not an answer to a YES or NO question. Especially when they can't even tell you what it depends on.

My questions are NOT being answered. What I need is a clear response. Links to laws those implementing them don't even understand or follow don't help me at all. In addition, the exact things I want to know aren't listed in those laws.

1. Do American's need a Work Permit or is their a waver. If so who told you this or where did you reference it.

2. What is the "proper wording" to get 2 years as was mentioned above.

News / Adult movie producers looking for 'actresses' in Poland or just a weirdo? [120]

If he comes back she should call the police. These kind of scum aren't tough guys...just opportunists. They would run like the cowards they are if the police or the threat of police was leveled.

This happens all the time just like trafficking and lots of other things that we can't change because lots of people are just sick.

I think OC spray (tear gas) and such things are legal here (PL) right? Some sort of weapon for defense is a good idea for a girl working alone. Hell a meter long board or pipe by the kasa would work well too in case someone did attack her.