Law / Foreigners Getting Married in Poland - a Guide to Formal Preparation [54]


Why, don't you trust her?

Nice basis for a marriage...

Law / Starting a car junkyard in Poland [27]


And all of it should be disposed of (except window wash, I suppose..) properly.

Unless of course, you think chucking antifreeze down the drain along with some oil is a good idea.

You know, WB - you might have had a point, but the definition of pollutant -


Therefore, by nature, cars have plenty of the stuff.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

You know, I wondered the same not so long ago. Then I realised - it's only economics/welfare state that they agree on.

(Polish politics really do not follow the usual left/right line, do they?)

PiS definitely are dreadfully socialist though - not that there's anything wrong with that, Poles like it.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


The streets of Warsaw, Wroclaw and Poznan.


Indeed, but these voters are going to gravitate to the SLD or Palikot, not PiS. Or worse for PiS - they won't vote at all.


Well, talking about satisfaction - I know several people who will vote PO simply because they're the best option. Many of them aren't satisfied as well (quite a few of my co-workers despise PO's educational policies, for instance) - but they simply don't see any alternative. Again - this is where it hurts PiS, because these voters simply will not 'go there'.

Bear in mind that the SLD as early as 1993 managed to win 37.2% of the vote - when memories were far fresher. And the SLD absolutely destroyed everyone else in 2001 - taking home a massive (under proportional representation) 216 out of 460 seats in the Sejm. They've been elected twice to government - so while the majority is against them, there's still 40-45% of people willing to vote for them if the circumstances dictate.

As for PO supporters being happy - well, this is the question. I suspect that it would depend on the nature of the support - a PO/SLD coalition is still quite unthinkable, but the SLD supporting PO on a confidence/supply basis would be acceptable to most PO voters as the SLD wouldn't be in government.

It's not beyond the realms of impossible to suggest that we might end up with no viable majority after this election - although the SLD and PO have enough common ground to make a minority PO government work. I also suspect that from the SLD point of view, it makes more sense to keep PO in Government than to allow the very-socialist PiS back into power.

Law / If you were a non-European citizen, and you wanted to start a one person company in Poland? [15]

I'm almost certain that the basic form of self employment, the "dzialalność gospodarcza" won't be available to you - generally speaking, only EU citizens and Americans can do this.

But why not simply get your Polish fiancee to open the business? It makes no difference who issues an invoice, after all.

As for how to do it - it's a piece of cake, all the information you need is at poznan.pl/mim/public/msp/


Where do you study, out of curiosity?

UK, Ireland / Grateful Polish photographer stitches up his Welsh hosts [96]


You've quite clearly never been to Southern Europe, nor have you ever been on the ***** boat" between Sweden and Finland.

Law / If you were a non-European citizen, and you wanted to start a one person company in Poland? [15]

Well, first of all - what country are you from?

Law / How deep is the Gloom in the Poland's Economy [84]

I'd say the latter is the direct cause of so many half-finished houses in Poland. That, and simply not having the cash.

Work / Working Vs Private English Lessons Vs Starting a Small Business in Poland [33]

What can I say, I'm from a place that people always talk bluntly ;)

To be honest, I don't want to see someone coming here and suffering. It's not a bad place if you've got your wits about you, but Poland really does swallow up and spit out quite a few people.

Law / Setting up SPZOO and SPK in Poland [16]


Don't make the mistake of comparing developed democracies like the Netherlands and Germany to an emerging democracy like Poland. The two just aren't comparable for the ordinary man in the street.


You'd be surprised. Generally speaking, an sp. z.o.o. in Poland is incredibly expensive to operate, much more so than in many other countries.


Not such a surprise in Poland - professional services do tend to vary widely.

In all honesty - my advice is to start simple. Suck up the tax hit - it's not a bad idea until you understand what's going on in Poland. Trying to get 'cute' with such setups is fine and well in a Western countries with established processes, but in Poland, you could easily find yourself in a lot of trouble - especially if you don't have 'connections'.

Work / Working Vs Private English Lessons Vs Starting a Small Business in Poland [33]


I'm actually both, but thanks anyway :) In fact, I'm sitting right now, taking a nice break while I figure out a particularly tricky problem with a student. Not a bad life when you can take breaks as you please, is it?


Can't talk for other countries, but I'd say in Poland, planning always works. Poles tend to be impressed by elaborate plans - and they like it even more when people stick to them.


I've run a business for two years and I still don't have a clue about the mentality of some people. I know two or three foreigners who, despite having wonderful business plans, came up short in Poland because they simply didn't expect some of the (inevitable) problems. A great example - someone told me "they won't pay, what do I do?".


As strange as it sounds - if he went just up the road to Bydgoszcz, he could earn a decent living as an English teacher there. Not much competition, and plenty of people.

Law / Setting up SPZOO and SPK in Poland [16]


In other words : fine for people with the cash, profits and knowledge to take on the tax office if they get questioned about it. Not so fine for foreigners who would be totally relying on advisors.

Work / Working Vs Private English Lessons Vs Starting a Small Business in Poland [33]


It also means that you've got a lot of competition for the only thing you can offer - your status as a native speaker of English. As I said - it's not a wealthy city compared to others, yet it has a


And you've been here for a long time, haven't you?

I get the impression that the original poster thinks that he can step off the plane and do whatever he likes..but -


Good luck with that. It'll be much harder than you think.

News / Polish national lotto lottery (today 20 000 000 PLN to win) [16]

Isn't that a matter of public knowledge?

Usually, operators of lotteries only take a tiny percentage of the earnings.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

Football fans wouldn't have voted PO anyway - so it's no loss. Incidentally, the fans we're talking about are not the "mainstream" fans - these are the ultras, and their political views are always going to be on the right of the political spectrum, no matter what country. Bear in mind that many "ordinary" fans are supportive of PO's measures - because it makes the stadiums far more friendly places.

As for people being frustrated - that's not the word on the street. There are plenty of newly-middle class people who will always vote PO because it offers them the best hope - the only frustrated people are the ones who have been whining and complaining since 1989 about everyone. It's the same old in Poland - but the last few election results show that the electorate is satisfied with PO.


Indeed, it's possible. But bear in mind that Palikot isn't an idiot - if he can play kingmaker, he'll get PO to support some of his policies and will back them in a coalition as a result. Likewise with the SLD - they will support PO if needed because they can work with PO - they can't work with PiS.

Bear in mind that the Polish electoral system has never resulted in an outright majority. Even if by some utter shock, PiS managed to win - PO would still manage to put together the magic 50%+1 - because PiS has utterly alienated the PSL, SLD, et al through their actions. The *only* way PiS can win this election would be to be in a position where a coalition with the SLD is enough to pass 50%+1 - and then to get rid of all the "hawks". That's not going to happen. Oh, and bear in mind that it would also be electoral suicide for them - their voters would never again vote for a party that shared power with ex-communists.

The SLD are also pretty damn unlikely to agree to any coalition unless they were in charge of security and justice - they know what PiS did to Samobroona and LPR - do you really think that they're going to let PiS use instruments of power against them as well?

In a strange sense, Kaczynski has led them to electoral success and yet oblivion. They're firmly the 2nd party in Poland, yet they're totally unelectable - a huge contradiction, don't you think?

I've looked, looked and looked again at the electoral mathematics - and I just cannot see how PiS can win this. Even if they get over 40% of the vote (which would be a massive shock) - the PO/PSL/SLD/Palikot/etc parties would simply find a way to keep them out.

Law / Setting up SPZOO and SPK in Poland [16]


Wasn't there a rather high profile case not so long ago with someone who was put out of business by the tax office, only for it to be ruled that they were actually wrong - and they refused to pay compensation, even when ordered to do so? I don't recall the details, but...

And to be honest, as a foreigner, I'd steer clear of unusual company structures unless I really had serious money behind me. It's just asking for trouble - if something isn't widely practiced in Poland, there's probably a bloody good reason for it.


Insane. It's a 20 second job to go to the NDP site and check the exchange rate for that day - or if the invoice is in Zloty anyway, there's no extra work involved, unless the company goes over the VAT threshold in another EU country.

Work / Working Vs Private English Lessons Vs Starting a Small Business in Poland [33]


In Poland, you take breaks when the business says you can, not when you feel like it. It's also worth pointing out that there's really not much in Torun for non-fluent speakers of Polish.


The other problem is that there's plenty of other people who have discovered Torun too, and there's not that much of a market. Torun's not a particularly wealthy place, and there's already plenty of natives there enjoying its charms.


And without Polish, what do you expect to do?


Let me be the first to predict a thread next year : "IN TORUN WITH NO MONEY HELP".


Indeed. I'd quite like to bugger off to Lithuania with my friend soon. I can't :(


Given that he's never lived here, I wonder when he'll learn the first nasty lesson.


And in Torun, a place rather popular with Americans and some Brits, he's going to have a hell of a hard time. There's only 200,000 people there - and not that much cash compared to other cities. Yet it's popular with foreigners. Not the smartest place to try and make a living, I suppose.


He'll just be another one that Poland eats up and spits out.


Lesson number 1 in Poland - Poland doesn't work for people who aren't able to make concrete plans. Indecision is usually punished here.

History / I want to meet Lech Walesa, can anyone help me? [29]


Walesa'll do anything for cash. Turning down a cool million dollars from Gilette just to shave was a bit stupid, though.

Law / Setting up SPZOO and SPK in Poland [16]


The tax rate is the least of your worries for a sp. z o.o - you'll be looking at quite a lot of money in accountancy/court fees simply to maintain the sp. z o.o each year.


I'm almost certain that you won't be allowed to conduct business in this way. I'd be looking at decisions made by the relevant tax office in the past before attempting something like this.


I'm not certain you'll be allowed to do this, for a start. Perhaps you should start by seeking a decision from the relevant tax office as to the legality of the structure before continuing.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]


The past?

(Jelcz no longer exist, right?)

If you mean the city - no idea.

Law / How deep is the Gloom in the Poland's Economy [84]


A long time, strangely. I was flat-hunting a while ago, and had quite a few people saying that they simply weren't interested in negotiation. And this was in a place with a rather poor market for sellers.


From everything I've seen in Poland, the prices are stable when it comes to old (ie, pre-1995 or so, and so subsidised) property. It's the late 90's-today property that's in trouble - many developers built on the cheap in order to make the price more attractive, and the build quality is utter rubbish. I know one guy who rented a 18 month old flat - and the place was falling apart. The other issue with the "new" flats is that they're often located in terrible areas for commuting. That's another reason why I don't think the price will hold for these places.


The problem is that those returning from the West often have little to offer here -I actually think we'll see a glut of property on the market in a few years when the money runs out and they have the bills to pay. I know in Eastern Poland, many houses were built with cash from the UK - fine and well, but if you were earning 1500zl/month before in some village, what hope are you going to have when you return to Poland?

Law / How deep is the Gloom in the Poland's Economy [84]


Speaking of the building sector, it will hurt house/flat builders - this much is certain. But in terms of construction, it won't have a problem - there's still so much EU cash flowing in that there's always money to build new stuff.

In fact, the real problem with new domestic property builders is that many people will sit on a flat/house until they get the price they want - even if it's totally unrealistic.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


Indeed, I'm sticking my neck out with this prediction. But they really do seem to be putting a hell of a lot of effort in - and they are really pushing the message that they're more interested in balanced books than socialism. I'm also convinced that any drop in support from PO will go to the SLD.

I'm actually not convinced that PiS will even get 32% - but they have tended to do slightly better than the polls have predicted.


Ah, come on, the result isn't important, the governing coalition is :D


Count me in too - if PiS get more votes countrywide than PO, I'll be wearing that beret and sending cash too.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


As it stands?

PO - 39% (a slight slip due to the 'youth' not bothering to vote, unlike last time)
PiS - 32% (a strong showing, but no improvement on 2007)
SLD - 17% (very strong, I can see that the SLD are putting a lot of effort into the small cities this time round - and they have the 'alienated from PO' vote)

PSL - 6% (just enough)

Prediction : The SLD will play kingmakers, and will choose to support PO on a "confidence and supply" basis. PiS will scream blue murder about how the SLD have caused them to lose (again) and will spend 3 years blaming the SLD for absolutely everything because they chose to support PO rather than them.

Meanwhile, PO will form a successful minority government - they will be forced to work with the SLD, who will support them on an issue-by-issue basis rather than full coalition.

Polish politics has always been cheesy and corny, what's new there?

The latest attempt by PiS to seem "cool" and "jazzy" is hilarious, for instance.

Law / How deep is the Gloom in the Poland's Economy [84]

Minimum wage is the same regardless of age - 1387zl a month, based on a 40 hour work week. It's certainly more than 5zl/hour, especially given that no-one in Poland is declaring income from tips.

Law / How deep is the Gloom in the Poland's Economy [84]


Really? You're friends with people who exploit their workers, seeing as the minimum wage is actually much higher than that?

USA, Canada / Polish citizen getting drivers license in United States [21]


Wrong.

It's 30zl, and you get it from wherever issued her driving licence.

Law / Is having private students in Poland legal? Or a registration as self-employed is required [30]


Yep - it's fine, because when you think about it, it's no different to selling them some eggs, or whatever. Look at what language schools give their clients - always, it's a small "rachunek" that's stamped, signed and with the details written on of what was paid - never any personally identifying details.

All I was doing was writing "kurs angielskiego" on the receipt along with the details of how much was paid, stamping it, signing it and giving it to them - and giving the carbon copy to my accountant. No problem at all - the only issue is that you need to give a proper invoice if they want to use it to claim against tax, the small receipts aren't enough.

As my accountant said - for the tax office, it's enough - they just want to know what income you earned, they're not interested in where it came from. And people wonder why the TEFL industry in Poland is seen as a big money laundering scam...

(and thanks, by the way :D)

Law / Is having private students in Poland legal? Or a registration as self-employed is required [30]


As it stands - teaching is VAT-exempt. However, training (that isn't pure language teaching) may or may not be - you need to clarify with whoever keeps your books as to whether it is. Mine regards it as being exempt, but others may have a different opinion.


Not true in the slightest - compulsory VAT registration (and payment) only kicks in with a very limited amount of PKD codes, mainly related to consultancy. But anyway, as for teaching, it's VAT-exempt. This might change after the election (in fact, I'm certain it will) - but for now, there's no issue. And anyway, what self employed teacher is going to take home more than 150,000zl a year?


Depends on whether you want to risk the Urzad Skarbowy finding out or not. Bear in mind that the tax law in Poland allows them to make assumptions as to your income - you might find that if you get caught, they just 'assume' you've had x amount of classes at y price and nail you for the tax (plus 100% of the total tax owed in fines).

All up to you - the law says you should register and declare the income.


I used to just give them a stamped receipt - no need to name them (or even keep records of their names).

UK, Ireland / ABOUT THE BRITISH NATIONAL INSURANCE NUMBER [22]

Don't worry about it - you don't need the card, just the number.