Australia / Australian - Polish Passport / Citizenship [10]

Yes, it is possible. It will be even easier if your parents still hold Polish citizenship. There are a lot of formalities though and you will need someone who speaks and writes Polish to help you.

Love / I need advice: divorce and my rights as a father in Poland [165]

All these laws look very good on paper but in reality it is a maze of legal technicalities and bias. Don't go to Poland because you will regret it! If you have money for it then my advice is to start a legal process in your country for custody of the child.

She will be in an inferior position if she is in a foreign country and have no money to pay for good legal counseling. It is possible that she will realize her predicament and give you a good position in negotiations.

In matters such as these it is always preferable to solve things outside of court. Hopefully you have been prudent enough to take precautionary measures to protect your financial assets. I don't have any personal experience on the topic and have not followed the thread.

Life / Water from wells in Warsaw - Safe to drink? [24]


It was a necessity to boil the tap water in the past, now however it is quite safe to drink.

Genealogy / Do you think all Slavs are white? [178]

I have very strong suspicions that this thread is infiltrated by crypto-Jews. Personally I find the anti-Polish views put fourth here quite disgusting and anyone harboring such views should immediately be deported from Polish soil.

News / How Polish diaspora see future of Poland? as ethnic Polish state or just Polish in origin? [120]

I think Poland needs to become more multicultural and the first step is to open up the borders for unhindered immigration, secondly building minarets and implementing sharia laws, and lastly changing out the ethnic Poles with Africans and Middle Easterners.

The most exciting thing is that it is not the immigrants that change, instead the host country changes into the country which the immigrants came from. Some bigots might object to this, however I'm sure they come to sense eventually and embrace this great new future.

Import a lot of Somalis? Welcome to Warsawdishu! Import a lot of Iraqis? Welcome to Warsawabad! How about some Liberians? A great welcome to Warsawrovia! Woman, please do not forget to bring your hijab. I am sure though that Poland will be a better country for it.

Sweden used to be a very boring place a few years ago, but now we have exciting things such as schools and cars being torched and the second highest numbers of rapes in the world. Still, I kind of miss going out in the evening because of the gangs robbing and killing people.

None of you have to be worried about missing any of this though! Many Turks have lived in Germany since the 50's and do not speak a word of German. The United Kingdom already look like Islamabad in some parts.

Law / GBP to PLN: Best way to get good exchange rate? [22]


Oh, that brings back some funny memories.

Law / GBP to PLN: Best way to get good exchange rate? [22]


Don't walk around with that much money! Criminals are on the lookout outside currency exchange vendors. You will definitely be taken for easy prey.

Traveler's cheques are safer or a credit card to make small withdrawals at ATMs inside bank offices. You can also use the credit card to pay at hotels or other locations you deem safe.

It is safest to take a small sum of banknotes with you. Exchange half the sum at your embarkation point and the other half at your destination.

Hotels can often provide currency exchange services and and this is safer than walking around town with a large sum of money. Better safe than sorry, right?

Just don't exchange large sums at the hotel as the exchange rate will most likely be quite bad. If you need a large sum of money to make a purchase then it is always safest to use the bank if it is possible and the money is legal.

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]


Right, that is why I mentioned to him that it might be possible to apply for a residence permit in Poland. So just to be clear: You need to apply for a Polish residence permit, which you can do once you arrive in Poland.


Yeah, being ripped off is even a problem for Polish people that live in other countries and come to Poland. Still, that happened quite frequently during communist times also. Cheating and greediness was even more of an issue back then. A lost and naive person would be spotted and considered a frajer, easy pray to scam. Poland is definitely no place for naive people.

A common scam was when Polish people came to Belarus and were told they had to pay more because a percentage would go to Poland. Of course they were never told this if they did not notice that they were being scammed.

Just don't expect to get a job in Poland unless you are well educated and speak Polish. If you have some specialist knowledge that is in demand then you might not even need to speak Polish. There are of course exceptions but in general Poland has no need for uneducated foreigners.

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]

It is true that you can reside in Poland if your wife is a citizen of Poland, however you must first apply for a spouse visa at the Polish embassy in your country.

The spouse visa is the same as a residence permit and it allows you to work legally in Poland. A marriage certificate is not a substitute for a residence permit.

Some member states of the European Union allow foreign citizens to apply for a spouse visa at the immigration office in the country of their spouse.

To enter the European Union they would first need to apply for a tourist visa at the embassy in their country.

Citizens of the United States are exempt from this rule as they can stay in the European Union for 90 days as tourists without a visa.

I'm sure this information will come in handy as woman tend to change their mind quite often. My experience is that it is hardest for Americans to adjust to a new country, so I believe that your wife has some merit to be worried.

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]


Whoa, that seems incredible. I live in Sweden and it is considered to be one of the most expensive countries in the world, yet a couple can get by on 1000 zloty a month for groceries.

I will take some more examples: Broadband and cable TV is 100 zloty a month depending on connection speed and selection of channels. The rent for a two bedroom apartment centrally located in the 13th largest city in Sweden is 1350 zloty a month.

Health care is subsidized and no health insurance is therefore needed. There are pay as you go SIM cards that charge 0,50 zloty to start the call and then you can talk for as long as you wish.

I usually buy cheap clothes and pay 50 zloty for a pair of jeans or a sweater. A pair of shoes for 75 zloty. Car insurance for a Ford Focus from 2008 would cost about 210 zloty a month.

Education is free in Sweden and kindergarten is free when the children reaches 4 years of age. Both the mother and father have the right to paid leave from their job for 480 days total to attend to the child.

A couple living in an apartment would pay about 200 zloty a month for electricity. Water and heating is included in the rent in Sweden.

Unemployment is very high in Sweden and many Swedish people live on welfare which is 1840 zloty a month in Stockholm (a bit less in smaller cities). The government provides in addition to this aid to pay for the rent. On welfare people can enjoy a normal standard of living in Sweden.

According to statistics, consumer prices are 79% higher in Stockholm than in Warsaw. Groceries prices are 117% higher in Stockholm than in Warsaw. Restaurant prices are 118% higher in Stockholm than in Warsaw. The local purchasing power is 39% higher in Stockholm than in Warsaw.

The United States is definitely not a country where I would like to live if what you write is true. The median income in Sweden is according to the latest statistics $2,727 a month before taxes, meaning that a couple would have a combined income of $5454 a month before taxes.

Please keep in mind the cost figures I gave above, and then kindly answer me how people in the United States get by if they have such high monthly expenses to pay in relation to their income? People in Sweden are not rich.

In Sweden a couple can get by on 5000 zloty a month including all expenses. This figure is based on the couple living in a centrally located one bedroom apartment in the 13th largest city in Sweden. According to your figures I conclude that a couple in the United States need to have a combined income of over $4000 a month (before taxes?) to enjoy a normal standard of living, correct?

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]

I think most people in Poland would think that you are joking if you ask if $4000 a month is enough to get by in Poland. I don't know what kind of standard of living you are used to but $4000 a month can accommodate a very high standard of living in Poland.

Sweden is much more expensive than Poland but a large number of the Swedish population get by on about 1500 zloty a month excluding aid to pay for the rent. The GDP per capita is higher in Sweden than in the United States.

Health care and medicines are subsidized in Sweden. Dental care is expensive though. The food in Poland is half as expensive as in Sweden. Public transportation in Sweden is almost four times as expensive as in Poland.

I think life in Poland will be very different from your life in the United States. Personally I think your wife has reason to worry if you will cope with the adjustment.

Gdynia is not bad though. I think Gdansk is nicer and because of the proximity to Gdansk it would be no problem for you and your family to live there. Of course, it is a matter of taste and you will have to see for yourself what city you prefer. Your wife most certainly knows the two cities better than me.

Love / How easy is it to pick up a girl from a club/bar in Warsaw ? [65]

When the girls come to you instead of the other way around then it is usually a bad indicator. And no, it does not change just because you tell yourself that girls like you just because you are such a genuinely nice guy. Good girls need to be won by heart, not by checkbook.

Life / Gypies/Indian-looking women with kids beg for money in Poland [143]

I agree that gypsies don't belong in Europe and they should be chased away! They definitely do not belong in Europe. A lot of gypsies have recently come to Sweden from Romania and they bring the same misery as they do in Poland.

USA, Canada / REFUSED A HOLIDAY VISA TO THE U.S CAUSE IM POLISH [323]

I think the economic situation is dire in the United States and when reality catches up with the American people many Americans fill find themselves illegal immigrants in Canada instead. Polish people only come to the United States because of the country's old reputation, but everyone I know who came there left after experiencing the country first hand. The former West German chancellor Helmut Schmidt recently said in an interview that Germany welcomes their European brothers from Poland to Germany. Changing Europe for the United States would be a bad choice.

USA, Canada / REFUSED A HOLIDAY VISA TO THE U.S CAUSE IM POLISH [323]

Many countries which would be good a choices to immigrate are not a viable option because of harsh immigration laws. Compared to other Asian countries Singapore does not have harsh immigration laws, but it is still hard to immigrate there if you do not fulfill certain criteria.

Everyone who are granted a residence permit in Singapore will be drafted into military recruit training. The penalty for refusing military service is extremely harsh. In addition to this all citizens and residence permit holders are required to undergo re-training every year to remain combat ready.

The Asian culture also offers quite a culture shock for many Europeans. I know of many Europeans who have lived there for over 20 years and they claim it still is as if they just arrived. My observation is that the adjustment is hardest for Americans and Brits.

Yes, the Middle East is not a good choice for western woman to immigrate to. Oman and Kuwait are probably the most dangerous of the GCC countries for woman.

If immigrants are to make a new life in a country it is important that the immigration laws in that country are friendly towards immigration.

In Sweden no people starve but life is hard because of the climate, isolation and jobs are scarce, especially for youth because of the highest youth unemployment rate in the EU.

The lack of apartments is so extreme that one has to wait several years in line to get a first hand contract to rent an apartment in a ghetto in the suburbs of Stockholm! The average wait for a first hand contract in central Stockholm is 20 years.

Swedish people are also very timid and cold, so it is really hard to get to know anyone on any deeper level.

The immigration from Africa and the Middle East has spun out of control and Sweden has the second highest number of reported rapes in the world after Lesotho in Africa. In 2009 Sweden had the third highest rate of violent crime in the EU.

Polish construction workers that come to Sweden can usually find a job. The salary can be good if they manage to avoid paying tax. Sweden claims to be one of the least racist countries in the world, but it is in fact a very racist country towards non-white people.

The reason the Swedish economy was so little affected by the economic crisis is because the government saved in on everything! Social benefits, schools, hospitals and so on. Sweden was very badly prepared for the huge wave of mass immigration.

Many people are afraid right now that the housing bubble here will burst. Sweden was one of few countries in the world where the real estate prices went up during the economic crisis! The Swedish people have the largest housing debt in the world.

USA, Canada / REFUSED A HOLIDAY VISA TO THE U.S CAUSE IM POLISH [323]

According to Gallup the countries that most people want to immigrate to are Singapore, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Kuwait. Sweden is number one in the European Union. Does this list represent the best countries to immigrate to? Hardly in my opinion.

The most important factor to weigh in is the migrant himself, so it would entirely depend upon you which country would suit you best. The United States has fallen low on the list of countries which people want to immigrate to. According to the World Bank the best country for business is Singapore.

In UBS annual survey of global prices and earnings the global purchasing power is higher in both Zurich, Copenhagen and Geneva than in Oslo. Berlin is quite far down on the list. In terms of domestic purchasing power Oslo is even below Vienna!

All the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf have high salaries if you have a good job, but many blue collar workers in Dubai bitterly regret that they ever came there.

For retirement destinations I would turn to the annual global retirement index by International Living. Of course salaries are not everything and therefore quality of life is a better indicator.

USA, Canada / REFUSED A HOLIDAY VISA TO THE U.S CAUSE IM POLISH [323]

It is always useful to have several passports issued by different countries. Polish passports do not provide any other benefits than those of other member states of the European Union. In general the same visa requirements apply to Polish passports as for other member states of the European Union. The only exception is the United States where Polish citizens require a visa to enter the country.

For a second or third passport many countries in South America offer a relatively easy way for foreigners to gain citizenship. Some countries in the Caribbean offer similar opportunities. In South America I can recommend Brazil even if Brazilian citizens require a visa to enter the United States. I do not believe it to be a great disadvantage though as the United States is past it's time. There are so many other countries which are much better choices to immigrate to.

Life / The Polish people have a strange attitude to cats and dogs? [84]

I think Poland is the normal country in this regard! In many other European countries people care much more for dogs and cats than for their fellow human beings. I think this kind of attitude is very bad for society as a whole.

Love / Polish women- submissive or dominant? [58]

All Polish woman I know are extremely dominant.

Life / Why Poland is "surprised" by winter and snow every year? [192]

We have the same problem in Sweden! Every year the authorities are completely shocked by the snow and communal transportation stops functioning, electricity prices skyrocket and nobody has a clue about anything. All year the authorities talk about how important it is to prepare for the winter and come with predictions about how hard the coming winter will be. I actually thought this phenomenon was limited to Sweden.

Life / Any treatment centres for homos in Poland? [455]

History has taught us that society is in a constant state of cyclical change. There have always been homosexuals and they have either been persecuted or accepted. In ancient times homosexuality was widely accepted in Greece and Italy, but during most of the Middle Ages homosexuality was considered to be paraphilia and severely punished. The Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy viewed homosexuality as sexual deviation.

The state of any society can quickly change, as was the case in Germany in the period of the Weimer Republic and the rise of Nazism. Sadomasochism, homosexuality and other perversions were practiced by many degenerative elements of society, yet only a few years later Nazi Germany rid the country of such filthy perversions.

Today fascism is on the rise everywhere in Europe, which is the result of the failure of capitalism, meaning that we are soon entering a new period in history. When the situation is dire people always seek extreme solutions. This was the case in Germany during the Great Depression. The difference now is that all of the Western World is experiencing this depression. People have lost faith in capitalism and no longer believe it can sustain them.

The architects behind globalism have long been working towards destroying traditional values, centralizing power and making people feel alienated towards their neighbors and brothers. People who are alone, uninformed and addicted to destructive habits can easily be controlled. The same globalists control all media and indoctrinate people to make them apathetic to change.

Life / Any treatment centres for homos in Poland? [455]

We have a lot of gay parades in Sweden and they are nothing but degenerate spectacles of decadence and disgust. I don't mind people being gay if they stay in the closet.

The people encouraging and organizing the parades are of the same ethnic group everywhere in Europe, but for the risk of being politically incorrect I'm not going to go into more details.

Still, I know that the gays that take part in the parade only represent a small minority of all gay people. In my opinion any healthy society would ban such spectacles.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]

I don't live in Poland but my relatives say things have improved a lot since 2006, and besides that I have also seen the changes myself during my visits. Many people that I know that moved to the USA have moved back to Poland now. Honestly, I have been in pretty much all of Europe and I don't think things are great anywhere right now. Poland has a lot going for it though, so to speak.

Polonia / Life in Poland vs Norway - good for children, benefits, etc? [43]

Poor fellow, I fear it might already be too late for him. The last stage of the transformation looks like this:



Behind the calm appearance there is a demented mind. If he has sent you a picture then you should see if he wears that sweater! If he wears it along with wavering a Norwegian flag then he has already lost all grip on reality.

Polonia / Life in Poland vs Norway - good for children, benefits, etc? [43]

Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland are always the happiest places to live in the world if you look at statistical figures, but unfortunately the real world is quite different from the world of statistics.

Finland was recently ranked by a well known US newspaper as the happiest place to live in the world. The people responsible for the study could probably not even locate Finland on a map, instead they simply looked at various statistical figures and concluded that Finland is the winner!

Being sent to northern Sweden would be like being sent to Siberia, however all of Finland is like northern Sweden. If it was anywhere else then everyone there would be classified as mentally insane. If you are not mentally insane by the time you arrive there, you are sure to be by the time you leave.

Even by Scandinavian standards Norwegians are considered to be insane! The country is one of the very richest in the world but people live in simple wooden houses which are considered crude even according to Swedish standards.

Few people own a car but everyone own a bicycle. It is important to keep in mind that Norway is a very oil rich country. Norwegians work a few hours a day and spend the rest of the time hiking in the mountains. They usually look like this:



that is if they are not wearing that silly sweater called lusekofte.

Swedes have among the highest salaries in the EU, yet Norwegians usually have twice the salary and still everyone go to Sweden to do their shopping! The country is so expensive that even with twice the salary people have less money than in Sweden.

Unless you are Scandinavian you will never be able to stay there for long mentally. Most Swedish people can only manage to work a few months in Norway before they must return to Sweden unless they are to risk their mental health permanently.

In the winter it is dark all the time and because of the climate you will pretty much end up like the character in The Shining. Forget about cities bustling with people and activity, the biggest city is Oslo and it is like a big village. All other cities are actual villages and it is rare to see any people at all in the winter months.

USA, Canada / Do Polish guys like American girls? [103]


I hope you are not just showing an interest in him to get a Polish residence permit and a fast ticket into the European Union!!! ;)

As for woman from the United States, my initial reaction would be negative upon learning of their nationality, although after that my opinion of them would be based upon their actual personality.

I don't see why he could not like you if the two of you get along well. I don't know how long the two of you have talked, but I think it would be prudent for you to visit him first.

After all, there is the chance that he is interested in you because he thinks that you can provide him with a higher standard of living.

I assume you are not particularly rich, so perhaps you can hint that to him in some discreet way and see his reaction?

Still, I don't think many Poles have such a low standard of living that they would think that they would have a better life in the United States. It would be a lot easier for them to move to some other country in the European Union.

Real Estate / Is this a bad time to buy an apartment in Poland? [142]


Are you trying to give me reservations about buying an apartment in Krakow? That thread was not very encouraging.


Thank you for the information! I had feared that the cost would be much, much higher than that. Is it possible for the developer to finish the apartment? If so, would this alternative be more advantageous than enlisting the services of independent contractors? Would there be any difference in price or the quality of the work done?

If the developer finishes the apartment is it also possible for them to furnish it? I also assume that the figure you provided is without white goods. I appreciate any information you can provide.


If the figure is somewhat accurate then the information will be very helpful to me.

Real Estate / Is this a bad time to buy an apartment in Poland? [142]

Could anyone give me a rough estimate on how much it would cost to complete a two bedroom apartment in Poland to a good standard?

I will visit Krakow by the end of this week to check apartments, so I really need to know at least vaguely how much I would need to spend after the apartment is bought.

Real Estate / Is this a bad time to buy an apartment in Poland? [142]


The average price for an apartment located in one of the nicer areas of central Stockholm is 25,000 PLN per square meter. I don't see why the prices in cities like Warsaw and Krakow could not raise to similar levels in a few years.

There are many more rich people in Poland than in Sweden. This may sound surprising but the reason for this is because Sweden has a very small population compared to Poland. There are also many immigrants in Sweden from the Middle East and Africa, who are often very poor and unemployed.

The ethnic Swedish population is only 7 million. Sweden was ranked this year by the World Economic Forum as the country where income is most evenly distributed in the world. The thing is that not many people in Sweden are rich, meaning that the market for expensive apartments is quite small.

The reason why luxury apartments in Poland are expensive is because they are actually luxury apartments, not only expensive due to their location. The luxury apartments in Sweden are only considered luxury apartments because of their location. Two identical apartments could vary enormously in price depending on the location. In fact, such apartments that are considered standard for luxury apartments in Poland cannot even be found anywhere in Sweden!


I think investing in Ukraine at the moment is a very bad idea because the economy there is like a roller coaster. It could be almost impossible to sell the apartment at a later time. There was an economic collapse in 1991 and now the country was hit again very hard by the financial crisis. The GDP (nominal) per capita is less than that of a long list of African countries! The economy of Ukraine needs to mature more before investors will have confidence in the country.

Real Estate / Is this a bad time to buy an apartment in Poland? [142]

I do not live in Poland but I think that when you come back in the summer to live in the apartment there will be no apartment left. It is a very bad idea to rent out your apartment unsupervised on the other side of the world! Especially if you are renting it out to young people.

Besides, you will get so little money for renting it out that it would hardly be worth it. I think the rent for a one bedroom apartment outside the city centre is about 300 euro per month in Warsaw, but anyone with more knowledge is free to correct me if I'm wrong.

It is never a good investment to buy an apartment and just sit on it. Many people think they will be able to rent out their apartment, but this is usually only a viable option if the apartment was bought for that purpose to begin with.

The other option is if you actually live near the apartment you are renting out, meaning that you can rent it out for shorter periods when there is a demand. You will not find anyone to rent out the apartment to for long periods if you live on the other side of the world. Any such enterprise is just too risky and the tenants will not want to pay much money in rent.

In fact, finding anyone to rent out the apartment to at all for long periods will be hard unless there is something special about the apartment. Luxurious apartments in big cities could be rented out to big companies for very long periods.

It could work to rent out the apartment in the Caribbean but it depends on the apartment, the location and the demand. In some locations it could be very hard and not profitable at all, while in other locations it could be really easy to rent out the apartment and quite profitable.