Stała Karta Pobytu and how to protect it in Poland

I got a few weeks ago my Stała Karta Pobytu (for EU citizens) and well.... one big disappointment... it is basically a flimsy piece of paper, God knows how that will last the coming years.

I already know you are not allowed to put self-adhesive plastic around it.... but where to buy a decent cover for it? A friend of mine has a passport-sized cover for it (even looks as a passport).

Suggestions, anyone?

What are you intending on doing with it? In my experience, barely anyone knows what it is - it seems that it's only of interest to others when you apply for credit. Even most governmental bodies couldn't care less about it - if you've got a PESEL, then it's assumed that you have the 5 year permit.

(WHY they don't give out proper residency cards is beyond me!)

Ack, I should clarify what I meant by 'barely anyone'.

Barely anyone in day to day life will be interested in it - even if the police stop you, they're not going to care less about you having it or not at the moment. You'll only really need it when it comes to signing certain contracts - and as I said above, the PESEL is enough for most people to know that you've got residency here.

You definitely don't have to bother carrying it around on a daily basis.

Yes it's a pain in the ass to carry around compared to the old credit card sized ID you used to get, mine is folded up in my wallet and is a bit tattered already just after a few months.


I've been stopped by the police a few times and they always required my polish ID.

But the EU Residence Permit isn't any sort of ID at all - this is the huge problem with them, because they don't actually confirm your ID at all and isn't acceptable as such in Poland. If the police are actually accepting it as a valid ID document, then they're absolutely idiotic.

The police whenever I've dealt with them have been perfectly happy to see a UK driving licence - they seem to know and understand that it's not practical for us to carry our passports around.

I've been stopped plenty of times, and don't carry ID with me. Never a problem.

Every time I go to Medicover for example, I need it.

It is not by the way a EU residence card (That is meant for non-EU citizens). It is a permanent residence card. (Actually the front page says this literally) but the card itself is valid for 10 years, automatically renewable.

Really? I never need it. They always ask for ID but I just explain that I'm British and we don't have ID cards. They always settle for just seeing my credit card.

Aha, my mistake. I got myself confused with the nonsense five year 'temporary' stay piece of paper.

It's complete idiocy not to issue a proper ID card to EU permanent residents - and I really can't figure out why Poland has decided not to do so when even the UK has decided that EU/EEA/CH citizens should get a card too.

hello every body . its me dzani ,I have question . i have karta pobytu in poland i am student in language school .my course finsh in 31march 2010. I have admission for regular study in university but my study will start october 2010. on the behalf of my university i cannot apply my karta pobytu right .plz if some body know what i have to do know i dont have much time to apply my karta . can i aply only polish visa not karta .

Delph, has the matter been resolved since then?

Nope. Still the same crap bits of paper.

Fortunately, they rarely seem to be interested in it - as long as you've got a PESEL, they're happy.