USA, Canada / Banking from the US in Poland? [4]

Don't understand why this threat was moved to Polonia...

Thank you both for the answers.

It seems I cannot open an account long distance. Will wait till we arrive in Poland (Trojmiasto)

Real Estate / Current state of the property market in Krakow [135]


While I cannot speak for the current housing market in Krakow, as a resident of Florida, I can tell you that Yes, you can purchase a waterview (if not waterfront) property for even less than $700 m2 (to be exact $50 per sf)...

Real Estate / Current state of the property market in Krakow [135]


Hmmm...Stephen Spielberg comes to mind. And every other highly successful individual, no matter what field of work. They have their choice of locations to reside in, and somehow I doubt that Krakow is on their short list ;-)

BTW - I spent yesterday on the beach...where were you?

News / Polish driver follows GPS directions into lake ! [30]

Thread attached on merging:
Blind faith?

Polish driver follows GPS into the lake.

abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/25/2401130.htm

Food / Cranberry maple nuts? Are these items available in Poland? [4]

Thanks guys!

Great news about maple syrup (we can continue our Sunday tradition of blueberry pancakes). As for the peanut butter - as long as the peanuts are available, I can make my own. Bad news about the cranberry juice - I need it to stave off bladder infections, which you guys would know nothing about ;-)

Life / COMAPRING POLAND PRICES WITH PRICES OF OTHER COUNTRIES [10]

Comparative prices in Florida, USA (using today's exchange rate of 2.97zl to a 1$):

loaf of bread (whole wheat) 10.60zł
inexpensive beer (don't drink it, but found online .5 l of Milwaukee's Best) 1.90 zł
McDonald's cheeseburger (don't eat it, but found online their "dollar menu") 2.97zł
domestic postage for letter 1.25zł
overseas airmail letter 2.67zł
chicken uncooked 6.50zl/kg
pączek (doughnut) 3zł
daily newspaper 1.50zł
cheapest new car 28,000zł (2008 Hyundai Accent)
basic notebook comptuer 1200 zł


Maybe in England...currently in the States, housing and clothing are cheaper than in Poland!

Life / Prepaid Sim Cards in Poland [17]

I bought a NOKIA at Orange in Paris in 2002 - do you think I could just get a new SIM for it in Poland (I am looking for a pre-paid Orange plan)? Or is the technology too old?

Life / Prepaid Sim Cards in Poland [17]

Thanks, Harry.

I Googled Saturn and apparently there is a branch in Gdansk, where I'll be. They do not show any prices, but if a basic phone is around 110zl, I am a happy camper ;-).

Life / Moving back to Poland after 20 unhappy years in Canada and USA [70]

Let's get back on track, shall we?

Like Krysia, I've also been schooled in both Poland and the USA. For the "hard core knowledge" I give Poland the edge, but for the overall ''rounded education" USA wins hands down. I could have recited entire pages from "Pan Tadeusz" at the age of 13, but I could not play sax, ride horses, or perform on stage like many of my American friends of the same age. And I don't recall ever being told by my Polish teachers to "dream big, because with hard work and dedication, I can become anything I want"...

Life / Polish drinking/driving ages [14]

In France the legal drinking age is 16, however wine with dinner is a common custom in which most French engage from the time they are toddlers.

In my experience, most Europeans drink for enjoyment, not to get drunk. Therefore, unlike in North America, drinking is somewhat of a non issue for most Europeans and lacking in justification for strict enforcement.

Life / Dog's life or what to expect when living in Poland with a dog [22]


You are absolutely right! I further researched the pet regulations in Trojmiasto and the rules in Gdansk do not apply in Sopot! (btw - dogs need no tickets on Gdansk's buses, but they are required on local trains).


Although I always pick-up after my bichon havanese , I agree that dogs should not be allowed on public beaches, either in or off season.

Bottom line: after so many conflicting rules from each municipality, I long for the simplicity of the USA (dogs are not allowed anywhere!) or the freedom of France (the dogs rule! ;-)

Life / URGENT HELP LOOKING FOR ANIMAL RESCUE SHELTER - WARSAW [12]

We had a swan once, who landed on our narrow patio (ground floor) and could not take off. Was hissing, spitting and trying to bite when we approached him. After contacting my friend who fosters injured animals, he advised us to throw a sheet/blanket over the bird so he can't see what's happening, then grab it and set it outside the balcony. It worked like a charm! And what a sight it was to see him fly off and join his mate on the pond, who was in distress herself, honking and calling for him...

Don't know if you can apply this in your situation, but I wish you (and the owl) good luck!

Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

But really, what does it all matter when you are madly in love ;-)

I would follow my love to anyplace he lived and learn to love the lifestyle that produced him...

(men from Siberia excluded, of course ;-))

Life / PESEL and the White Pages [16]


That would apply to me. I remember when I was filing for my Polish passport, I had to attach a form stating that I do not know my PESEL number or even if I had one. Received my passport but no mention of PESEL.

I was born in Poland, therefore always its citizen. Are you saying that the passport will not do in my dealings in Poland and I must "zameldowac" myself and need an ID card?

Life / PESEL and the White Pages [16]


No, I'm not in Poland...yet ;-)
Thanks for suggesting USC - I will contact them first to find out if I do have a PESEL number.


I did not realize that all Polish citizens have to register (zameldunek). And re-register if they move?
Leftovers from the communism regime, I presume?

Life / PESEL and the White Pages [16]

Exactly. I visited the Sopot Urzad Miasta online and found this formularz:
Wniosek o udostępnienie danych z ewidencji ludności, zbioru PESEL. Do you think it's the right document to find out my PESEL #?

RE: the White Pages - I guess there is no telephone directory for Polish residents?

Life / PESEL and the White Pages [16]

Oh, is my face red...Prompted by some of your comments, I examined my Polish passport closely (which I normally avoid like plague, since I hate my photo ;-)) and right under the passport number I found the PESEL #.

Please, forgive me for wasting your time!

Now, is the above mentioned ID card a dowod osobisty? And I still need it in addition to my passport? For what purpose?

Life / PESEL and the White Pages [16]

Thank you all!

It finally all makes sense ( in my anal American mindset):

PESEL = social security #
ID card (dowod osobisty) = US drivers license
Polish bureaucracy = US Motor Vehicle Department in the 70's ;-)

Life / Where to get a cup of coffee in Warsaw? [40]

Starbuck's coffee is expensive and not of the greatest quality, yet they thrived in Paris, the city known for its cafés. The reason? At the time (I believe the first one opened in 2004) it offered the only totally smoke-free cafe environment in Paris!

Of course, since Jan 2008, all cafes in Paris are smoke free.

Life / Where to get a cup of coffee in Warsaw? [40]


Well...smoking is still permitted in outdoor cafés and special indoor "hermetically sealed areas, furnished with air-extraction systems and subject to extremely rigorous health norms."

Yes it is shocking, considering that smoking is a large part of the French culture. Some blame the ban for the destruction of village life, where the ritual of arriving at the café in the morning to read the morning paper over a coffee and a cigarette is no more.

On the other hand, approximately 20 percent of the population are smokers and more than 70,000 people die in France every year from smoking-related illnesses and second-hand smoke.

I am all for the ban.

Life / I'm engaged to a girl from Poland. Moving to Poland from the US. [28]

I found this information on expats-in-poland where you can pose a question and hope for an answer from the Polish students of the Law.

"Question:

hello my name is christian, I\'m foreigner , soon I will marry , my girlfriend is Polish, and I want to know that I must fulfill requisites to obtain the Polish nationality and the process that I must continue to obtain it. In advance thank you very much. attentive greetings,

Answer:

Firsty You can apply for temporary resident permission (for 2 years). Only conditions are: be married with Polish citizen and move to Poland. After 2 years living in Poland with your wife, and 3 years of yours marriage You can apply for settlement permission. Right administrative power is voivode of voivodeship where You settle down. The thing that is important is that applying for settlement permission requires 2 years of permanent staying, which means that none of the intermissions which took place during 2-year period was no longer than 6 months and all breaks were no longer than 10 months within these 2 years. Then, if You got settlement permission and are married to the Polish citizen for at least 3 years, You get the Polish citizenship, if You will submit the application, in the right time to the appropriate organ, which will give the decision of accepting the application. This application should be submitted in a 6-months period since a foreigner got the settlement permit, or 3,6-year period, since he/she got married with a person who possess the Polish citizenship. If you get temporary resident permission or settlement permission You can work in Poland without any other work permissions. "

Hope that helps.

Law / Karta Polaka - Do I share the rights of my polish card holder husband? [11]

I am not sure what "Karta Polaka" is...Is your husband a Polish citizen? If so, yes, you have the same rights as him and can work in Poland, if you follow the procedures I outlined in a recent answer I gave to someone in your situation:

I found this information on expats-in-poland.com where you can pose a question and hope for an answer from the Polish students of the Law.

"Question:

hello my name is christian, I\'m foreigner , soon I will marry , my girlfriend is Polish, and I want to know that I must fulfill requisites to obtain the Polish nationality and the process that I must continue to obtain it. In advance thank you very much. attentive greetings,

Answer:

Firsty You can apply for temporary resident permission (for 2 years). Only conditions are: be married with Polish citizen and move to Poland. After 2 years living in Poland with your wife, and 3 years of yours marriage You can apply for settlement permission. Right administrative power is voivode of voivodeship where You settle down. The thing that is important is that applying for settlement permission requires 2 years of permanent staying, which means that none of the intermissions which took place during 2-year period was no longer than 6 months and all breaks were no longer than 10 months within these 2 years. Then, if You got settlement permission and are married to the Polish citizen for at least 3 years, You get the Polish citizenship, if You will submit the application, in the right time to the appropriate organ, which will give the decision of accepting the application. This application should be submitted in a 6-months period since a foreigner got the settlement permit, or 3,6-year period, since he/she got married with a person who possess the Polish citizenship. If you get temporary resident permission or settlement permission You can work in Poland without any other work permissions. "[i][/i]

Hope that helps.

Law / Karta Polaka - Do I share the rights of my polish card holder husband? [11]

Thanks Traveller11, I just learned something new ;-)

After some googling, I came upon this site pah.org.pl (in Polish), which confirms that as a spouse of the Karta Polaka holder, you are entitled to the same rights as he is:

"Jaki jest status małżonka repatrianta, nie będącego osobą polskiego pochodzenia?

Repatriant, który przybywa do Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na podstawie wizy wjazdowej w celu repatriacji nabywa obywatelstwo polskie z mocy prawa z dniem przekroczenia granicy RP. Natomiast małżonek repatrianta, który nie jest osobą polskiego pochodzenia jest w świetle prawa cudzoziemcem. Zgodnie z ustawą o repatriacji małżonkowi repatrianta, który nie jest osobą polskiego pochodzenia, a który zamierza osiedlić się wraz z repatriantem na terytorium RP, udziela się zezwolenia na osiedlenie się. Wiążą się z tym daleko idące konsekwencje, gdyż osoby posiadające zezwolenie na osiedlenie się mogą korzystać z wielu praw na równi z obywatelami RP. Osoby takie są zwolnione z obowiązku posiadania zezwolenia na pracę, mogą również korzystać z opieki i pomocy społecznej.

Należy również dodać, iż ubezpieczenie zdrowotne repatrianta obejmuje także jego małżonka, który nie jest osobą polskiego pochodzenia (zgodnie z ustawą o świadczeniach opieki zdrowotnej finansowanych ze środków publicznych)."

(Please let me know if you have no one to translate it for you into English)

Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]

Happy Birthday, Bev! Sto Lat!

I hear you, sister. I was equally frustrated during my stint in France. Usually self-assured and outspoken, I was reduced to a crying mess whenever faced with a French bureaucracy, or any French-spoken establishment, for that matter.

You mentioned it yourself, so you do realize that it is a stage that will pass. Not only that, I guarantee you will be able to laugh about it one day.

I do :-)