The Polish Flag Is White, with red tape!

I have to say, I like very much living poland and the polish people have been just great for me. I enjoy the lifestyle and the cuture....

But my god the government is so strange in there procedures.

I have been he 3 months, and I have already lost count on how many times I have had to do things twice. My partner can call to someone and ask what documents are required and how much it costs, and when we get there, (and que for 30 minutes) we are told that we are missing something. This happens so many times. So finally are a very very long time most of my documents are complete....

But the last one has made me laugh....

I now need to apply to say I live in poland for the forseeable future.

Now I did this for my partner in england, and all I needed to do was post a letter to the council from the house owner saying that she had permission to live in the house. After that, everything was done, she could go to the doctors, she paid her taxes, simple.

In here, the home owner had to go with me to the government building just for me to get a 3 month temp document of residance.

Now for me to get a perminant document, I had to provide the following in person to the government building

1. My passport
2. My full bank history in poland
3. My business documents
4. A signed letter from my employer
5. My permission from the house owner
6. My business stamp
7. A letter from my accountant to prove I am earning in Poland

And after all that, they said it will take a month, so we asked why.

They said they will be sending a police officer to my home to check I live there and to take a look at me!

So he came to my home in the middle of the day about 2 weeks later we of course i was at home. He said he needs to look at me and then will make a desicion to see if am dangerous! So he left a message for me to attend the local police station to meet with him on a cerain time and date, plus he said if I do not speak polish then i have to provide a translator. (how can you have a immigration officer who doesn't speak anyother language). So I go at said time and date with polish translator to be told be the station he took the day off!

That is the end of my rant, and i feel much better :),

But I think Poland forgot it is in the EU and they can't stop me being here if they wanted anyway, can they?

And how can a government be so strict when I have already been offered a driving license and boating license for the 'right price'. lol

anyone else been subject to this?

When I first applied for temporary citizenship at the local town hall, the lady asked if i had a visa. It was then pointed out that both the UK and Poland are in something called Europe and that we didn't need visas.

Yep, i just paid em.

Jeez what a carry on.... All i did was go to my local government office....show my passport , sign a document...and it was done...I do it every three months , never had any problem like you did , and certainly didn,t have the Police come round to check i was ok , otherwise i would be outa here i am sure.....

You see wildrover, I could do what you do, but I could never get any loan, or car, not even a mobile phone. This is the problem

Oh i see....its easy for me then , as nobody would give me credit on anything anyway....

Wildrover.

The police can only refuse you if you are a) a terrorist (suspected or convicted).
b) a child molester
c) a core nominal (career criminal)
Even if you have a criminal record, unless you are perceived as an imminent threat to society you will be ok.

i obtained a residency card quite easily really, we had to go to the main office in Wroclaw a couple of times and nobody knew what they were doing but no Police checks or anything.

On the application form there was a question are you a threat to national security or involved in terrorist activities? I thought about it for a moment and ticked no. LOL

Oh thats ok then , i am none of them.....I did have to provide proof that i was a good boy in order to buy my farm here , a document from the UK police... My old man was a prison governer , so i was brought up proper , and didn,t do anything too naughty apart from apple raiding.....

I bet you brake the speed limit on that Arley of yours.

Speed limit.....what is that....? not heard of any such thing....

I had a police officer come round to my house after registering with voia voda (spelt wrong I know), I had a nasty hangover from the following day but everything seemed to be ok, Took ages though and lots of waiting.

Are you on UK reg plates WR? If so how do you go about getting an MOT in Poland?

Its a Nigerian scam mate. Dont fall for it

MOT.....??? Yes i am on UK plates , but don,t bother with the mot nonsense....The Police here only want to see your licence passport and log book if they stop you....buggered if i am going back to UK every year just for an mot....

You can't get a UK MOT in Poland. You can get an Polish inspection done but it's only valid on Polish territory. Without a UK MOT your UK insurance is invalid, plus you won't be able to get your tax disc either.

The only solution is to take the vehicle back to the UK once a year and get it done back there, unless you happen to know a dodgy UK mechanic who will issue you a cert without seeing the vehicle...

Last time I went through all that bother I had to complete a form in which I gave myself permission to live in the apartment which I own. I've just lost my TRC (in my wallet, which apparently grew legs) and have more or less decided to just not bother getting another one. A British driving licence with a photo on it seems to do the trick fairly well.

Great title by the way.
Anyway, I went to register in the town where I live, no problem but only fr three months, I had to go to Krakow to register before the three months was up, grand.

So I had just under a month left and I went into the office, I was told I couldn't have my registration done cause it took them a month to do and I did not have a month left on my temp one. I get furious with this kind of idiocy but I spotted the 13 stamps in front of the woman and just left.

I had it worse in another country but still gotta hate those offices...

I took flowers for the pretty lady who stamps my documents...never had a problem.....

I would bring'em a field of flowers if it meant no problems

Of course its a bit risky if the old bat mistakes it for a romantic offering....in my case i wasn,t worried as she is rather nice....

So long as they stamp the form I do not care what she may think.
Actually a good one is to go to offices just before closing, they cut the red tape sometimes when they want to go home.

Geez, reading the above about a bureaucracy in Poland makes me think, it is just like it was .... in the 'good, old times'.

There's extra fun when you move house and go from one district to another - then you have to go back to the first office to 'de-register' one place of abode before driving off to the new gmina, clutching the little piece of yellowing (but stamped) paper that looks as if it was printed in 1973.

Because I'm living in my husband's house ;) I had to bring him along to provide the necessary permission for me to register - and of course he had to have the 15zillion pieces of paper forming an unbroken audit trail right back to his birth certificate.

It all feels like the traffic light issue* - so many little rules stacked one on top of the other that in the end they collapse under their own weight.

*the way it was explained to me ... the rules say you can't drive through a red light therefore they had to remove all the lights on the exit side of junctions ... just in case drivers were held up in the middle and then had no way to get out :D

look at the bright side of all this bureaucracy - they problably don't have "identity theft" like we do back in the UK... :-)

Just a laughable update on procedings.

Went to the Police Station for the 2nd time to find my fat policeman waiting to inspect me.

He sat me down in the office, and from then on didn't ask me one question. I had taken my partner for translation purposes as he did not understand english.

He continued to tell her that he believe's this system is stupid and makes no sense (of course I coudn't agree more) and that he has no problem with me residing in poland. But continued to say that there will be a further two random house visits before he gives me the ok!!!!

What the ????

I mean, what do poland want? They will be going through my trash next, and all so I am allowed to pay my taxes? Which I am doing without them showing too much concern.

I plan to build a house in 6 months, and the way documentation is needed, it scares the hell out of me! And once its built, I will have to tell the authorities I have moved, that will be fun i am sure. :)

And where is the sun?

Ha ha

I don't think that is right. Come on.

Things sure have changed since I left.

I am glad you are taking it all so well.
If you don't laugh you'll cry.
On reflection I find it funny but when I am in a cue I am not so jolly.
All ways look on the bright side of life...do do do do do...

Where is the sun??? it was here now storms...

Miranda,

I wish it was wrong, I don't understand it at all. I can't be the only person who has goine through this to get perminant residance. I know poeple on here do the 3 month thing but has anyone tried for perminant?

I tried the perminant in another eastern european country (even worse carp than here).
I rang up said hello I would like to register, they asked how long I had been there, I said about 2 months, they said you must leave. I ended up having a massive row over the phone and hung up.

Then I went to the office and they wanted to look at my bank account, I told them where to shove it. I get very angry and can not do the office thing. I have probably shot myself in the foot but it has not really effected me.

Why are you trying to get permission to settle (I assume that's what you mean by permanent)? Why not just get a five-year temporary card? If you're an EU citizen there are no police visits and the process is very easy (well, compared to the process for non-EU citizens it is very easy). From memory the only documents needed are a maldunek, an employment contract and four copies of your passport.