Love / Civil Wedding in Poland - can I write my own vows? [2]

Steve, my understanding is the ceremony is all in Polish and that if you don't speak Polish you'll need to have a translator, as per the information provided here bip.erzeszow.pl/sprawy-obywatelskie/sprawy-urzedu-stanu-cywilnego/zawieranie-zwiazku-malzenskiego

If you wanted to say something specific to your bride to be in English I'm sure they wouldn't mind this. A quick visit to the marriage office in plac ofiar getta would answer your question. I'm also in Rzeszow and when my misses and I went to enquire about the ceremony we were greeted by a non too friendly lady, ended up eloping and getting married in Gibraltar as it was much easier.

Real Estate / Shared deed when buying a property in Poland for unmarried couple [6]

Again not an expert but from some quick search it can be an issue if the bank won't put you both down as being responsible for the kredyt even if only one person is paying it. I think they have an issue in that if property is in two names and person paying defaults it then causes them problems with repossessing the property. Maybe try another bank for the credit, one that will put both your names on the credit and then no problem having two names on the akt notarlny & record of owners, PKOBP had no problem with this. Alior wouldn't give us credit besides the fact that I was paying 75% upfront and the credit was for 25%, and I've just shut my account with them for the ridiculous fees they started to charge. I think the issue is not that you can't be both on the deeds it's that Alior won't provide the credit to two owners with only one responsible for the debt.

Law / Dual citizenship in both Poland and The United States - US passport used when married a Chinese. Visa for her? [6]

Not an expert, but in my experience of travelling she'd be assessed on her citizenship not the citizenship of her spouse (ie. yours). The fact that you're married would probably mean there would be no problem with getting a visa, but unless she has any other citizenship apart from Chinese she'll need a visa.

Real Estate / Shared deed when buying a property in Poland for unmarried couple [6]

What bank? Are you an EU citizen? I had no problem with my partner (I'm an EU citizen), we are both noted on the mortgage and the notary deed and we had no problem at all. We're with PKOBP. Only problem I can see is if you're non EU then you might need a permit to buy a house more info on the permit and buying real estate as a foreigner can be found here

msw.gov.pl/en/document/acquisition-of-real-es/60,Acquisition-of-real-estate.html

Life / What are your experiences of care for your loved ones in hospitals here? [75]

I've had a couple of encounters myself (all in Podkarpackie as well) and had no major problem except the chaotic queue system where you have to ask everyone around you who's next in line. Signed up for a GP and she's been great, took quite an interest in the problem, sent me to a specialist, got appt in 1 week, went back several times & never had to wait longer than a week. Allergy tests took the longest time for an appt which was a 2 month wait, but they've just opened a new allergy center close by so should reduce those wait times. Smashed my thumb in playing volleyball once out back of beyond and got driven to the local hospital for treatment where both the doctors and nurses were a great laugh and quickly dealt with the issue. Had a CAT scan done once, wait time was 1.5 weeks. All covered on NFZ. I have heard of some horror stories (probably embellished a bit to make the story better as well) and seen a couple of pretty harshly sounding nurses but I've also seen a fair share of rudeness from the patient side of things too.

Australia / Have you moved from Australia to Poland? please share your opinion... [43]

Hi Ew, my 2 cents worth if it helps. I moved from Perth, WA to Rzeszow 4.5 years ago, thought it would just be for 6 months to a year but ended up staying. Firstly with the Ukrainian thing no one here seems that concerned about it reaching here though the local news has been questioning whether the conflict will change/affect investment in the area but I don't think it will ever escalate to really affecting anything. Currently in Rzeszow there's quite a lot of building going on especially apartments and further on the outskirts of town grouped dwellings, though many are staying empty for quite some time. There's also a number of other apartment projects from what I see that are almost ready to start in the next year or so. What I see a lack of more than the building side of things is the interior fit out side of things & decent trades people, cabinetmakers seem to be in demand but then wages are pretty much so low that anyone of any skill leaves town and goes elsewhere. And I guess that's the plus and minus of living in the east in that the costs of things are generally a bit lower but wages are pretty low too. You do miss the beach though but Solina lake & the one near Tarnobrzeg are not too far away if you do have a craving to see water and there is the little quarry out the outside of town that has a 'beach'/bit of sand. Hardest thing to get used to in my opinion is the slight differences in culture but if you have a Polish background then these would be not so hard for you. I dont regret moving at all, I like the quieter life here, the relatively safeness of the place (you see really young kids here walking themselves to school & back etc. can't remember last time I saw that in Oz!) and if I can keep my work going I don't see myself returning to Australia anytime soon, except for the odd holiday :) If you have any other questions about the area let me know.

Food / Can you buy HP Sauce in Poland? [20]

Piotr and Pawel near me has it, & I'm down in the SE corner of Poland. I also remember Makro having it as well at one point.

UK, Ireland / Renewal of British passport in Poland (how long does it take?) [27]

for passport renewals from overseas go here: gov.uk/overseas-passports pretty self explanatory from there on in.

Law / VAT number as a sole trader vs a company VAT number in Poland / 'trading as' question [10]

try here prod.ceidg.gov.pl
and do a search for entrepreneur. My VAT number is just my NIP number in Poland, if it's to a UE customer PL is to be in front of the numbers. If someone charges VAT their number should be shown on their invoice. Hope that helps, advice based on info that I received from my accountant :)

Australia / Getting in Australia? I am English married to an Australian. (working /holiday visa) [6]

looks to me that you can apply now, check out the visa application page here: immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/462.aspx

Law / Questions on documentation for working in Poland ( Visa/work permit/Insurance ) [23]

they might be wanting copies of a "świadectwo pracy - see here pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Awiadectwo_pracy
or zaświadczenie o zatrudnieniu" which is a certificate you can get from an employer that shows employment contract, earnings, termination, if she hasn't worked in Poland she probably won't have anything like this, but copies of her previous employment contract might be what they are after.

Work / Muslim woman in Poland trying to get a job (do Poles like hiring 'different' people?) [17]


what like a habit or a vestment? get a grip. Plus France's ban as far as I'm aware is not on the hajib but on full face covering, be it a burqa, helmet, balaclava or even a tea cosy, basically if your face is covered in a public place your breaking the law. I think the law makes sense and it isn't anything new, anti-mask laws have been in place in several countries for many a year.

Your sort of racial/religious discrimination stinks, religion has been used as an excuse for atrocities throughout the ages, not just by one religion. Stop living in fear and accept we're all just human it's just that some people are more sh&5ty than others.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


so what's this then? geoportal.gov.pl/en/o-geoportalu/informacje-o-projekcie/informacje-ogolne

I've used this on several occasions to check out some lots but more just for general information than for buying and selling.

Real Estate / Buying a property in Poland to rent out from the UK [82]

These are all under the TBS system hence why they are cheap, you can find more info here on what TBS is [bankier.pl/wiadomosc/Mieszkanie-z-TBS-u-Czy-to-sie-oplaca-1268079.html] rents are regulated and my understanding it is social housing for those that think they can never afford to own a property. You might get something in Lodz for between 100-150k, but renting it for a profit probably not a wise investment and getting 200 dollars profit a fortnight I'd have to say you're dreaming a little.... (not that I'm qualified in anyway to give financial advice and I'm not familiar with Lodz as a city)

Travel / Trouble leaving Poland and returning to US; I should leave Poland every 90 days - I went to Berlin [10]

From waszyngton.msz.gov.pl/en/waszyngton_us_a_en_consular_information_2/faq/

2) Who can get a Polish visa for a period longer than 90 days ?
This type of visa is reserved for those who plan to go to Poland for study purposes as well as to work. The person intending to stay in Poland longer than three months should apply for a residence card after arrival in Poland. If you didn't apply for the residence card when you first arrived, and you've been in the schengen zone without a visa for longer than 90 days you are as far as I'm aware illegally in Poland.

rules on schengen zone as advised by US State Dept. travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html

US state Dept advice on Poland; travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/poland.html

in short as irlanda put it, you're a bit of an idiot...

Travel / Advice needed on a trip to Warsaw, Lublin and Zamosc [29]

there's a bus which goes twice a day from Zamosc to Rzeszow, reasonably comfortable but can get busy so best to make a reservation, think it was about 50-60PLN one way from memory: supertransport.com.pl/?page_id=6 and from Rzeszow centre to airport it is about 50PLN for taxi & I think bus 224 from Dworzec is about 3.50PLN but it only goes around working hours, there's also std local buses that go out there as well numbers 51 & 53 but not sure of their timetable.

Work / I'm moving in to Poland in a week.. and I am panicking! English Teacher [11]

Another option might be to reach out to the expat community and maybe offer to be a nanny to an expat family that wants their kids to be looked after by a non-pole. There are a few agencies in Warsaw offering these options, think a couple even organise for babysitters for expat kids. Might be worth a try also might get you some contacts for other work??

Best of luck!

Life / Flat Rental Price - Do you think its really expensive? [13]

3 years ago i rented a place on Marszalkowska, 19sqm for 850 a month plus bills. I have friends that rent a similar size place within a stones throw of the rynek for 1000, rooms in a decent place shared seem to be about 500 a month if bills included, look on rzeszowiak.pl and it will give you an idea of average rates, try to go through private and not through an agent, and lastly I found values can vary depending on time of year and whether students are looking at the same time, you tend to be able to negotiate a better price the closer to the summer holidays it gets, as landlords can find it hard to get tenants then as most of the students return home for summer. It's also not that bad a time to look now as the students tend to not be looking as they've found their place for the year by now. I'd say it's prob a little on the high side but not by much, if you're not happy look for something else as there seems to be plenty on offer, or put an advert up saying your searching for something in the price range you want and see if anyone contacts you.

Australia / Moving from Australia to Warsaw- any advice on means of transporting stuff? [5]

When I moved I sent a 20kg parcel via Aus Post, took 3 months to arrive, box slightly battered but ok. My folks sent me a similar size parcel last year via Pack&Send (DHL) and I got smacked with import duty on the cost of posting the parcel, luckily didnt get hit with duty on items enclosed as it was noted that I'd moved country & they were personal possessions. Shipping companies were quoting in the thousands to ship stuff over in a container, so i just sold off all my furniture etc. stored some stuff with the folks. Now everything like Xmas parcels that I get sent from Oz goes via Aus Post, anything via courier companies is instantly picked up for payment of duty. Hope that helps!

Travel / Travelling from Rzeszów to Szczecin [7]

If I'm not too late, my advice is that I wouldn't take the train as it takes about 31/2 hours between Rzeszow & Krakow as there's still a bit of track work being done, the buses Marcel or Polskibus are probably your best option, travel time with them is between 2.5 & 3 hours. Though I did get stuck in the car in traffic near Tarnow the other day for over an hour, but the trip is generally not that bad now as they've opened a bit more of the A4, & if driving by car can make it between cities in just over 2 hours.

But to be honest if your not trying to travel on the real cheap I'd just take a flight from Rzeszow to Warsaw (1 hour) and then get a flight from Warsaw to Szczecin (1.5 hours)

or another alternative if you want an interesting trip would be to try blablacar.pl :)

Work / Need to migrate to Poland from an Arab Gulf country (logistics) [16]

Shell are looking, if they know English or German at C1 level

shell.pl/aboutshell/sbsc/app-jobstreet-sbsc.html

Australia / Can My Polish girlfriend get a working visa in Australia?? [28]

She'd have to have a specific skill or career that the Australian government recognises as being needed in Australia, or she'd have to be sponsored by an Employer in Australia. There is no work agreement between Poland & Australia unfortunately. Other option would be if you have lived together for more than I think 2 years and you have shared expenses like rent etc (you'll need documents to prove your relationship, photographs, shared bank account details, shared bills etc) you might be able to take her there as a de facto spouse/partner, otherwise the other option is a fiance visa requiring you to get married within 3 months of you being there, there's a wizard on the immigration website, fill in the boxes and it will tell you the options available immi.gov.au/visawizard all the best mate, I was in the same situation but I ended up moving to Poland for a bit :)

Work / Under the table work in Warsaw and Krakow for 21y old Canadian female [7]

Canada has a youth mobility agreement with Poland [international.gc.ca/experience/destinations/poland_pol ogne.aspx?lang=eng] why not organise it legally and stay longer, you might have a better chance of getting work then, otherwise I agree with everything that everyone else has said.

Australia / Nice places to live in Perth - need advise! [4]

Contact the Polish club [polishclubsikorski.com/Contact_Us.html] they might be able to help you.

Food / Dr Pepper in Poland [16]

Kuchnia Swiat in Galleria Krakowska have it in cans, and my local Piotr i Pawel had it bottles the other day but it ain't cheap!

Work / Salaries for architects and interns in Poland: how much? [18]

Have you looked at architekci.pl as this is the best website for architectural jobs that I know of. It's hard for Polish people never mind foreigners to find work and the pay is not great at first, I've been told Warsaw is the best best for English speakers but still not easy. Even in the UK 20% of all architects are unemployed according to the latest survey (bdonline). Try and network, learn Polish as well as you can and I assume being in Poznan you have been at Arena Design for the last few days trying to meet people??

Travel / Krakow to Zakopane - public transport [12]

you can find timetables of all buses, trains etc. here e-podroznik.pl.

Travel / Poland-Kaliningrad connection? [6]

There's meant to be a bus that goes between the two places. If you have an EU issued passport you can get a short term 72 hour visa when crossing the border as long as you have an invitation from one of the listed travel agencies here: kaliningrad.mid.ru/eng/acc_002.html. haven't made the trip myself but might do it later this year

Real Estate / Non Pole Applying for Mortgage in Poland [11]

I went to PKO, they weren't interested in the slightest in my foreign accounts, income or history. They were just interested in what I'd earned and for how long I had been working in Poland, together with my partners income and how long she'd been working. Was all super straight forward, there was a bit of paperwork but not a huge amount. I have temporary residence here as an EU citizen, though they did want to see copies of my zameldowanie and my authority to stay in Poland as an EU citizen. With regards to mortgage approval we did what they call a 'simulation' based on our income etc and with that information, ie. that they didn't see any problem with us getting credit we made an offer, but remember the simulation is not 100% mortgage approval. A good size deposit always helps with approval too :)

Australia / I'm Polish - moving to Perth from UK [6]

Perth is a nice place but it doesn't really have that big city feel. My first impressions go back to 1994 when I first went there, and I thought it was a real big country town, everything was shut on Sundays, including petrol stations, and they'd turn all the lights off in the city at night, but thankfully it has changed over the years and is now growing into the city it should be. It is a great place if you like to be outside, the weather means that for most of the year you can do almost any outdoor activity. It is a good place for family life but it is now extremely expensive there, rents, food, alcohol etc have all gone through the roof, some places are now charging between $17 & $20 for a pint of beer!!

How much did I like it? After originally planning to spend only a couple of months there I ended up spending 15 years, though after 15 years of being there I had to move (I'm in Poland now) as it's isolation from any other major city was starting to get to me, having to fly 5 hours to the next major city is quite a distance. Though the countryside in Western Australia is extremely varied and would take you many a year to explore it all.

Are people friendly, yes and no. Like every place in the world there are nice people and nasty people, some Australians can come across as being quite rough at times. There is such a diversity in the people that you will have no problem meeting other people and there are two Polish clubs there as well, but in my 15 years of being there I only had a couple of Australian friends and they weren't from Perth originally. The people born and bred in Perth tend to be more insular and stick to the friends they had during their school days. If you want to compare it to the UK I'd say it feels like half the UK has moved there in the last 5 years so no need to worry :)

Vegetables - are rubbish, tomatoes etc don't taste anywhere near as good as in Poland, and forget strawberries etc as they just taste like water, having said that one of the things I miss most there is the fresh food & salads you can get all year round, and the seafood is fantastic.

Sharks - never saw one, and I used to swim every day at the beach, they tend to attack surfers that look like seals from under the water, swimming in the dark, at dusk or dawn are the riskiest times, so don't do it! and if all else fails make sure you are near someone in the water that you think might be slower than you ;) I would safely say that swimming in the water is 10x safer than driving on the roads in Poland!

If you can afford it and can get the visa i'd say go for it, all you can lose is a little bit of time and money but could also gain a whole new experience in life :)