Study / Homeschooling in Poland - possible to apply? [14]

Chyalut, you will be under the radar most likely and will not attract the attention of the authorities unless social services/doctors somehow get involved.

Love / Do Polish girls like Balkan guys? [24]

I'm in Greece at the moment and here in Athens there's quite a diversity of types - far too many to generalise. I haven't noticed people being small although more people (mostly men) seem to have beards than anywhere else I've been, including Saudi (where people really are small).

A lovely place here by the way.

Law / Paying tax on UK I.S.A. in Poland? [20]

Simply that someone used to the British system wouldn't expect to be taxed on a gambling win.

As for your point about the Urzad Skarbowy rubbing their hands in glee at a big win, yes - the American Internal Revenue do just that and yes it would be better not to tell them in PL. Fortunately lottery winners (and pools winners before) in the UK get first class tax and investment advice.

I'm lucky since I spend just short of 183 (or is it 186) days at home in PL due to working away though now I'm worried that they might start sniffing around investments in the UK. An ISA wouldn't be useful for me since I'm not a UK resident however my shares etc are managed through a UK bank. Time to think carefully.

Law / Paying tax on UK I.S.A. in Poland? [20]

You've sort of missed the point a bit however yes, Premium Bonds are not taxed when sold. My point is that someone from the UK would not expect to pay tax on a gambling win including one drawn by Ernie due to cultural preconceptions. I remember him too - a huge machine.

I wonder if the Urzad Skarbowy provided documentary proof to Sgt. Bilko to show the state had notified them or whether they just did some sort of speculative trawl through lists of winners. I would certainly expect them to provide proof.

Interesting to know what they can find out and from whence.

Law / Paying tax on UK I.S.A. in Poland? [20]

Remember Terri that people who buy Premium Bonds come from a country where gambling was traditionally taxed either when paying the stake or receiving a win. You could choose.

There is no longer tax on the stake, however if there was, Poland would not be able to tax the winnings since tax had already been paid.

To keep to the thread, can Premium Bonds go in an ISA?

Law / Paying tax on UK I.S.A. in Poland? [20]

The premium bond thing is strange - how would they know it's the same person? Unless Stg Bilko gave them details to notify a win. Maybe it's changed since I last bought some. The tax liability would only be small change anyway and hardly worth collecting

If you know any Poles who are renting out their home in Poland while working or claiming income-based benefits or tax allowances in the UK it might be worth someone's while calling the tax evasion and/or dole cheats hotlines- I gather they financially reward grasses now.

Law / Paying tax on UK I.S.A. in Poland? [20]


Wulkan, it's never wise to comment for the sake of it, especially if you don't know what you're talking about as is evident here. You can put various investments into an ISA, two popular types being shares and other tradable instruments...

You will notice if you reread the original post carefully that the OP specifically mentions this, making your comment all the more pointlessly strange.

Terri by the way is right. ISAs, whether containing stocks or other investments are for UK residents. Hard for the Polish tax office to know what someone holds in another jurisdiction and I suspect very few Polish residents would disclose this.

Law / Can I get a divorce from my drug addicted husband, and are narcotics legal in Poland? [8]

Hi. Looker's long cut and paste stuff from the internet is officialese, albeit right. In reality an uncontested divorce is straightforward (and a contested one easy enough).

Drugs are highly illegal in Poland and almost anything is obtainable from one of the 'secret shops' online in PL and in in invitation only. These are, by the way, run by organised crime.

A quick if unpleasant way to deal with this is to report him to the police. This should be done in writing and in the correct format. You should mention about the online buying and they will take his computer to check. He will probably go to prison or be fined if it's his first offence and the amount of drugs is small and this will make your divorce quicker and easier. The drug rehab which he will be eligible for may well change his life for the better too.

Law / Recording someone in private - is it legal in Poland? [14]

Terri is right, however in an extreme circumstance it would probably be better to be rightly charged with invasion of privacy than wrongly charged with rape. At the moment this is all a bit of a grey area.

One possibility (and security cameras in hotel lifts, apartment block lobbies etc have saved some people from wrongful imprisonment) is a normal security camera in the hallway of your home filming you both saying goodbye and behaving affectionately afterwards and while not excluding the possibility of a rape having occurred, nevertheless acting in your favour if someone has claimed rape but is on camera kissing goodbye and in good spirits after the alleged incident.

Also, in one high-profile case in the UK (the one where the (very rich and immensely privileged but also mentally ill) false accuser alleged a rape to the police after being dumped by someone (even richer an more privileged but not mentally ill) she'd become obsessed with and then committed suicide when charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice) a friendly text message thread on the morning after with her saying how wonderful it was and how much she'd like to meet again etc. saved an innocent person from being prosecuted for a serious crime that is hard to defend against.

UK, Ireland / Polish songs for open mic in a Polish restaurant in UK [5]

Zawsze tam gdzie Ty is an ideal choice. Not hard to sing and sounds wonderful. Look up Marek Grechuta an YouTube (a bit old - his best stuff was in the 70s) but again good and also not difficult.

Life / Electric cigarette - am I allowed to smoke in restaurants, bars etc. in Poland? e-juice in Szczecin [6]

E-liquid is available everywhere in Poland and people do vape in bars (though MarcinP is right - in some places it isn't a great idea, just play it by ear).

Some bars also allow real smoking, though they aren't supposed to and some others have smoking rooms.

Related: E-cigs in Krakow?


You will find disposable e-cigs in almost all places that cell cigarettes although you will find most people prefer to buy the refillable ones. If you have one, you will find liquid for it almost everywhere.

Food / Is black tea disappearing from supermarkets in Poland? [29]

Most of them yes - and they taste like it too. Nasty stuff.

Some herbal teas though have a long tradition in PL and in Eastern Europe as a whole - Melissa and Camomile for example. Also the Polish taste for things that are fruit flavoured and sweet is nothing new.

Plus, tastes do change and after years of scarcity it's hard to blame people for choosing products that were unavailable before. I remember some people's wonderment a few years ago at seeing brown sugar for the first time.

Life / Hookah (shisha ) equipment and products in Poland [21]

The shops in the corridors under Central Station. Not the ones crossing the platforms but some of the others. You'll have to walk around a bit to find one however there are shops that that sell all of those things, and a dedicated shisha shop in the circular pedestrian walkway under the roundabout by Metro Centrum.

Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]

I've heard quite a few expressions like that from Poles in the UK though not often in Poland.

Travel / Where to meet friend in Chopin airport? [3]

Chopin airport arrivals is quite small - there's only one exit from the airside part so just wait by the barrier (you can't miss it) and you'll see your friend come through.

Language / Pronunciation of English abbreviations in Poland [12]

Classic examples are 'veep' (VIP) and 'oofoh' (UFO).

Life / Can many young Poles speak German? [72]

Spanish was fashionable to learn a few years ago so maybe there's still room in the market. Nobody seems to like French and German is taught often in schools. I've noticed German is more common as a second language nearer Germany for the obvious reason.

One guy I know in Katowice always speaks to me in German even though I understand little and speak less, but speak only Polish in the home. This strongly suggests it's seen there as the second language and a lingua Franca. I don't see that in Warsaw.

Study / Erasmus in Kozminski - Warsaw - how difficult are the courses? Dormitories, area of stay. [8]

Also try Gumtree Warszawa for a room in a shared flat. Many people advertising rooms that way are students or youngish so it could be a good idea.

News / The number of millionaires in Poland is on the rise [15]


And get all confused like me when visiting elsewhere and seeing a coin :-)

I think the real estate thing has fuelled the rise in millionaires plus the growing service sector. Mind you, a large Polish bank did a discreet survey of its richest 5% of customers and most had ordinary cars and rarely travelled abroad. The typical profile customer was a guy by a main road selling tynk or plastic roofing.

Study / Erasmus in Kozminski - Warsaw - how difficult are the courses? Dormitories, area of stay. [8]


That's the one with the phone number I gave. Looking at the site, I'm not sure at all. They seem very coy about locations and look to be quite small.


Avoid this - it gives very misleading information.


Some parts,, like Saska Kepa, are very desirable (and expensive). Plenty of other nice bits of Praga too, just a couple of places (like pl. Hallera/zoo as mentioned above) are best avoided. Quite a lot of students in Praga Polnoc too.

Study / Erasmus in Kozminski - Warsaw - how difficult are the courses? Dormitories, area of stay. [8]


Praga Północ is more than just a district; it's a huge area comprising several districts. One or two parts of ithave a poor reputation (round Pl. Hallera and the side of the zoo for example, or Brodno/Targowek which are large 1970s housing projects) but some parts are OK and most of it is safe. The bit around Kozminski is industrial but easy to get to. You probably won't be more than 30 mins away unless you end up on the other side of town.

Yes, there aren't any student halls of residence - this is an ongoing problem even fo Polish people who attend. Your best option is to contact them directly for advice - they should be able to help you.

+48 696 046 102 - is the number (mobile) for a company who advertise a private hall of residence - I don't know if it's any good or not or even where it is.

This site: dpm.uksw.edu.pl/sites/default/files/inne akademiki.odt (it's a link to an Open Office file) is from another university in north Warsaw (UKSW) and is a list of various dorms that accept people from other institutions - you'll have to deal with them directly and I suspect each gives their own students priority.

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


So people conscripted into an army and who died while serving "should be forgotten". That's magnanimous of you...


A lawful state which conscripted millions to the army over the years. Do you think that everyone who did military service "should be forgotten".

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


Do you think WW2 soldiers had that much of a degree of choice about where they served?


Says it all really :-(

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


So you've never heard of the Polish divisions who served with the Soviet Army during the Battle of Berlin and elsewhere. Have you never heard of the Armia Ludowa?

Show some respect for The Fallen. Do you p1ss on war memorials too?

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


Very much so - it's a given. So much so that most people would never question it. All civilised countries preserve war graves and permit memorials from foreign armies who fought on the same side.

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


Two conflicting statements there. BTW I had my photo up here for years.


A country's a country and The Fallen died regardless of nationality. Very few chose to be part of a war. One reason why Poland and other states preserve war cemeteries with respect.

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


You've posted your age (and photo) and the reason you don't pay tax is because as a student you don't earn enough. Plus you live abroad and don't spend enough time in our country.

You may well dream of the day when war cemeteries are destroyed, and no doubt you'd squeal if another country reciprocated that pettiness however it just isn't going to happen. Poland, like other European countries has a great respect for the war dead and those cemetaries remain regardless of the nationality of The Fallen.

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


Do you pay tax at your age?


We do already - the taxpayer takes great care of war graves and although you seem to want Poland to adopt a tawdry and vindictive attitude to fallen soldiers, it is a general principle that nationality plays no part in this.

Most people are happy with the status quo, however juvenile extremists are nothing new.

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


The three Allies were the UK, the US and the Soviet Union, with Poland and France being part of the alliance. Poles served in different parts of that alliance including among the Soviet forces. Do read up on history and try not to turn war cemetaries into a political or nationalistic issue - a respect for those who fell in war is a sign of cultural maturity.

History / The Riga Peace Treaty [64]


I doubt Professor Bauman is worried what you think, not that it's relevant to this thread. Very nice guy by the way. More relevant is whether you think those Poles who ended up serving in that part of the allied forces behaved substantially differently from their colleagues or whether they did not, thus rendering nationality relevant to the issue.