Apologies if this question has already been answered in another post but I couldn't find it.
I'm currently going through the process of declaring my year earnings in order to reclaim a tax rebate. I have a NIP number but not a PESEL. Now, the office have told me that it's impossible to have a NIP without a PESEL. ARGGHH! Why would they even issue me a NIP number if this is the case?
This aint the case, it is possible to have NIP without pesel, for shorter visits to Poland. From my understanding you can only get pesel if you are from Poland. It's something that confuses me too when paying taxes, to the point i gave up and don't bother with the pesel.
Not entirely correct, dt. Yes, you can have a NIP without a PESEL. This was the case for me for some time. However, I was encouraged to get a PESEL and did so. I'm not from Poland as you know.
The PESEL is like a unique number which identifies you.
Buggered if I know. Nah, just kidding: britishinpoland.com/blog/2008/08/how-to-get-a-pesel, if you have any questions about this, dt, I'd be happy to answer them. Much ado about nothing really.
I had a 3 months registration and it wasn't an issue. However, I got it extended in 2007 til the end of 2012 so the 5-year registration thing kicked in. And that was that. It's sth I only use in public offices.
I love this uote from the website " I just returned form the Urząd Miasta and was told something different - the regular guy was there and he claimed that he did offer me a Pesel and I declined it. I find that hard to believe (why would I decline a Pesel?) but maybe I misunderstood something. He said that it would now be difficult to issue one. After a few phone calls and playing with his computer he said he would delete me, start over again from new and do it. So in the end it was sorted and I didn’t have to de-register and re-register. He said I had to return in a week to collect it. I asked if I could just call by phone and he said no. By this time he was getting grumpy so I didn’t try and push my luck any further…"
Hehe, this is Poland, where every public servant is a wind up merchant.....in other words, c*nt :)
Oh yeah. The only exception was in a tax office would you believe? The woman was top class, very helpful and friendly. Still, every cloud has a silver lining.
After my application for permanent residence was accepted (the immigration people were never less than competent and polite with me I have to say) I was told to go to the urząd miejski (where I had done zemeldowanie) to apply for a PESEL. When I got there they told me they had already assigned me one (as part of permanent zameldowanie which I had had to do previously to get permanent residence). This was in 2004 so things have probably changed but the principle is the same, you don't need PESEL to get NIP because many people who have to have a NIP can't get PESEL.
There might different issues now depending on whether or not you're a EU citizen.
I got my nip in Drawsko pomorskie , and yes without a pesel , i took a Polish friend with me , everyone was very helpfull , the whole process took only a few minutes , no complaints from me there...
Just a general bit of advice from what I've picked up from people -
The general rule in Poland is to always be armed with copies of the relevant legislation to back up what you're trying to do. But failing this - you need to be either self employed or employed in Poland to obtain the 5 year residence permit as an EU citizen. You can't get a PESEL without the 5 year residence permit, therefore, they have to issue a NIP to you in order to get the employment/self employment bandwagon rolling.
So their nonsense about you not getting a NIP without a PESEL is just that - nonsense. You should just point out that NIP numbers are issued to anyone that pays tax in Poland for whatever reason :)
(having said this, i'm still mystified as to why the PESEL doesn't double up as a NIP number!)
