Law / Opening a Polish Bank Account by a foreigner in Poland. Recommendations. [299]

If you are not a Polish citizen and do not have a PESEL (national identification number, which is an 11 digit number used to identify citizens, permanent residents and anyone with a residence permit over 2 months) then the only bank that will allow you to open an account in Poland (if your address is outside of Poland) is Raiffeisen. However, you cannot hold this account jointly with a resident.

Millennium bank will agree to open an account for you but you have to give them an address in Poland.

ING Bank will tell you that you can open an account with them, and then a few days after accepting your documents they will call you and ask you to come to the bank to sign a declaration form, and then another two days after that they will call you and tell you they are sorry but they cannot open an account for you and they cannot give you a reason why.

First hand experience!

Off-Topic / What's your connection with Poland? Penpals. [574]

My wife is Polish... And I do business with several partners in Poland.

The first time I met someone from Poland was at in 1996 in Vancouver, Canada at my university. I became curious and eventually visited Poland and met my second half... The rest is like a fairytale...

Real Estate / Cost to build in Eastern Poland - Ideally per m2 [71]

I just wanted to say thanks for the contributions made in this thread. I really enjoyed reading it.

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [382]

I did not have any problems with LOT. Actually, I like the check-in facility from downtown Warsaw. Food is better than most, and with rare exceptions, crew are very friendly.

I once had a problem when I purchased a Lufthansa ticket for a flight operated by LOT, and that was Lufthansa's fault. However, it only resulted in a minor inconvenience at WAW because my boarding pass (along with my wife's) had to be re-issued. Otherwise everything else was ok.

I fly with a lot of airlines due to the nature of my work, and LOT is definitely one of the best. This is how I rate the airlines I remember using:

Good: Qatar Airways, Emirates, LOT, Czech Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Kathay Pacific

Average: KLM, Turkish, Middle East (Lebanese Airlines), Alitalia

Bad: Lufthansa, Royal Jordanian, Air France, British Airways

Very Bad: Air Canada/Canadian Airlines, Delta... I never had a decent flight with a North American airline ever. They redefine terrible!

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [382]


That's right :) However, transit area in Doha airport is not particularly good. But when the new airport opens it should be much better

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [382]

Sidliste_Chodov:

If you are lucky, it will happen to be during Ramadan, and if you are extra lucky, you will land together with flights from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Dhaka... If the smell doesn't kill you first, they will eat you alive! Joy to the world my friend, joy to the world! lol

UK, Ireland / Raising Bilingual Children - How are you teaching your children? Your experiences? [74]

I grew up as a trilingual person right from the start (Aramaic, English and Arabic). I learned other languages as a teenager and as an adult (Italian, French, German, Russian and now learning Polish). I am not fluent in any of these languages, but I know enough to order dinner or buy a bus ticket...

My niece (who just turned 3) can communicate in 3 languages (English, French and Arabic) with not so many mix ups in terms of who to speak what to. However, her mom (my sister) does not work and puts a lot of effort into teaching her daughter. I would not say she is fluent in any language, but she is certainly showing the potential to be.

My wife and I have decided that once we have children (keeping fingers crossed), they will go to Polish schools and we will teach them English and Arabic at home. I would really like our future kids to learn Aramaic also, because if they don't then this language will die with me as far as my family tree is concerned.

It may not be easy, but little ones have a much stronger ability to learn languages than adults do.

Off-Topic / What languages do you know? [51]

Fluent: English, Arabic
Intermediate: Aramaic
Beginner: Polish
Some basic understanding of: French, German, Italian and Russian

Food / Black pudding & kaszanka [36]

I also like kaszanka and flaczki...

Kaszanka has grains in it by the way...

Food / Black pudding & kaszanka [36]

Jeez you guys made me real hungry and it is still two hours before lunch time... lol...

News / Coal-Powered Poland Refuses to "Go Green". EU Ain't Happy. [304]

There is a strong push towards nuclear energy at the moment. I expect Poland to use nuclear power before 2025. We will see next week at the European Nuclear Forum... Anyone attending?

Law / Polish Visa Refused, Going To Make Appeal, What should I do ? [81]

Hi,

This is a tricky issue, because what it really means is that the consul or person that interviewed you is not convinced with whatever you told them.

As far as I know, if they have taken your application and the fees from you and then refused it, there is no appeal mechanism against Schengen visa refusal. You have to wait 6 months and apply again.

You are a student staying in Armenia? If I may ask, what is your nationality?

From what I have seen, students staying at a country other than their own country of origin are likely to have their Schengen visa applications refused.

I know a Russian student studying in Qatar. His parents are very rich, and he has a very handsome bank account. He applied for a Schengen visa through the German embassy. Not only did they reject his application, they gave him a letter quoting various articles of German law which bascially state the following:

1. They are not obligated to provide any reason for refusal.
2. There is no mechanism to appeal against the refusal.
3. There is no mechanism to complain and no competent body to complain to.
4. They are not obligated to refund the fees.

At the least the Polish embassy bothered to give you a reason.

I think at this stage you are more likely to get it if you apply through another embassy, like Italian, Swiss or German...

Life / Why is circumcision not practiced in Poland? [701]


I respect your honesty and add my voice to yours.

News / Does Polish hotel have right to turn down Americans and Israelis? [79]

I recently had a long talk with my lawyer in Poland about a similar situation.

As a privately owned business, your right to deny service to anyone without having to give a reason is guaranteed by law, with health care being the only exception, and even then, they can tell anyone to go to a public health care facility and claim they are not properly equipped and/or qualified to treat them.

Just take a look at the fine print on the paper you sign everytime you apply to open a bank account, check into a hotel, take a post-paid telephone line or file any kind of application or agree to any kind of end-user agreement. They all state somewhere that "we reserve the right to deny the service to anyone at our sole discretion without having to provide a reason or notice". I can guarantee you it will be written there in one form or another.

Also, businesses are allowed to deny service to a specific nationality. Recently, a person from Czech complained against a restaurant and hotel in Wroclaw that posted a sign on their door stating that they do not serve Czechs. In another incident, a well known bank notified a customer in writing that they do not provide any kind of banking service to people of a certain nationality, and that includes companies partially or fully owned by people of this nationality regardless of where these companies are registered.

Accordingly to my lawyer, in both cases the business owners did not break any law.

News / Does Polish hotel have right to turn down Americans and Israelis? [79]


This is talking about denying service to someone specifically based on their ethnic origin.

Denying services to people based on their nationality happens all the time. What else do you call different visa rules for different nationalities?

Law / Civil law court case in Poland - can a witness be forced to attend? [10]


What is your home country? That is odd and unusual I think. In most countries, you are obligated by law to appear in court if you are called as a witness.

Language / The "end piece" of a loaf of bread in Polish [80]

dupka or piętka are both correct. Kromka is just a slice, not the end piece.

Life / Is a prescription needed to get morning after pills in Poland? [34]

You need Rx to get them and even to get regular birth control pills. Any medication that contains hormones is by Rx only in Poland.

Language / Information on Polish textbook Hurra Po Polsku [33]

I used this book. It was not bad, but someone new to Polish language will need help since there are not English instructions in it.

Language / What are the hard aspects of Polish according to its learners? - home essay [21]

Conjugations + tenses ... holy macro... That's what made me cringe... Although having previously learned Arabic (famous for its complexity as well) somewhat softened the blow. But for English-only speakers, ouch.

Law / Temporary Residence Permit for Parents with a blue card in Poland [8]

If you are at present in Poland, I suggest you go with a Polish speaking person to the office for foreigners and ask, or try calling. Alternatively, if you're feeling rich, ask a lawyer.

I am aware of a case where someone was able to help her parents get a residence permit in Poland, however, she has a residence permit in Poland on the basis of being married to a Polish citizen. She is Filipino by nationality.

I am also aware of another case where someone helped their parents get a residence permit in Poland, however, they are Syrian nationals, and perhaps some humanitarian considerations were made.

Life / Armenian Community in Poland? [10]

There is hardly a place in the world without some Armenian community. They tend to have a positive influence wherever they settle.

I have an Armenian friend in Warsaw and according to him there are many Armenians around here, some have been here for several generations and some have arrived recently. However there is no "official" Armenian Orthodox Church in Warsaw (according to him) but mass is offered at several places in Armenian.

By the way - what do you mean by 100 years of genocide? (I assume you meant 100 years since the...)

And exactly whom are you referring to by "pontiacs"?

History / Polish nobility - what is the status of princes and aristocrats in modern Poland? [33]


Wouldn't happen to be in Konstancin by any chance? :)

USA, Canada / 18 and moving back from USA to Poland?? [19]

Agreed with Terri and Jon. However don't be afraid to come here for a summer holiday if you can afford it, just don't get stuck in the tourist mind set.

USA, Canada / 18 and moving back from USA to Poland?? [19]


Ops missed the "undocumented" part. Get yourself "documented" before you do anything.

USA, Canada / 18 and moving back from USA to Poland?? [19]

She probably means she stayed beyond the validity of her visa.

Law / How do I verify a Polish company's existence? [249]


That gives an extract of KRS with some of the most essential information, including tax ID number (NIP) for example. This website tends to update records rather often but still some records can be out of date.

If a full version is needed, then use:


To see the full KRS, select the option to print, which will automatically download the full KRS in pdf format. This way you will also know the person(s) authorized to sign on behalf of the company, registered commercial activities and paid up capital among other things.. Keep in mind, records can be out of date.

UK, Ireland / Raising Bilingual Children - How are you teaching your children? Your experiences? [74]

My child was born after the previous post in this thread was written, and he is being raised trilingual. It takes a lot of discipline on the part of both parents to keep this up, because we both tend to default to English since it is the easiest of the three to communicate in.

Law / Regarding Entering Poland - residency and travelling to other Schengen countries [19]


If you travel outside Czech to other Schengen countries before your residence permit is issued then you are taking a risk. You might be breaking the law, and If you are asked for any reason to show your documents then you will have a hard time making authorities understand your case.

A reason can be suspicion of having committed a crime or admission to a hospital due to unnatural causes requiring police attention (for example injuries caused by a car accident or assault).

In Poland, the law defines who is allowed to verify the legality of your presence in the country, and for what reason they may conduct verification. But there remains some communication gaps. Last year I was asked for documents by city guard (straż miejska) when I visited them to pay to a minor traffic violation. City guard are not permitted by law to question the legality of your status (only police, border guard, customs and certain official workers dealing with foreigners are allowed). Trying to argue with them only leads to them getting aggressive/defensive and generally uncooperative.

The confirmation of application for a residence permit (as far as I know) allows you to stay only in Czech until a residence card is issued. Read this letter again or call the place where you applied if you have doubts. If you remain in doubt then sit still and wait for your residence card.


This refers to the reason you stated when you applied for a visa. They sometimes write 05-06-07 together to cover a broad range of work related applications.

05: work (for a period not exceeding six months over the next 12 months), based on statement of intention to perform work, registered with the labor authority.

06: Driver (international road transport)

07: Work based on documents other than those in points 5 and 6.

Here is a website with a the full list of of these reasons in Polish. Use google translate, it won't be 100% accurate but you will understand.

arslege.pl/cel-wydania-wizy-schengen-lub-krajowej/k163/a14271

You will need to apply for a residence permit as soon as you arrive - which is now merged together with the work permit.

Law / Regarding Entering Poland - residency and travelling to other Schengen countries [19]


All correct. If Straż Miejska believe that something is not right, they can and should ask the police the get involved, but Straż Miejska are not legally authorized to ask anyone to prove the legality of their status in Poland.