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Posts by bezbiura  

Joined: 3 Dec 2012 / Female ♀ 		Last Post: 13 Dec 2012
Threads: 1
Posts: 3 		From: Poland, Krakow
Speaks Polish?: Yes, though not perfectly
Interests: Reading, learning, and putting it all to good use

Displayed posts: 4
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bezbiura   
3 Dec 2012
Law / Importing my American boyfriend to Poland: residency, marriage, work, etc. [16]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member but long time lurker of these forums, and I would really appreciate some advice about what to do in my situation.

I'm Polish but was raised mostly in the U.S., though I've been living again in Poland for the past seven years. I have dual citizenship, speak Polish fluently and I fully intend to stay in Poland (or at least Europe) for the next decade at least. My boyfriend, on the other hand, is just American, but as I intend to stay here and he has been wanting to leave for some time (but hasn't been able to yet because of financial difficulties thanks to medical expenses), we want to try living together in Poland. Now, I need help with figuring out how to do that, legally speaking.

I am a freelancer and work for myself, and from 2013 I will have a działalność gospodarcza as a writer/translator. He is also a freelance graphic designer, and we're hoping he will have enough clients from the U.S. to earn a decent living, especially living in Poland. I rent an apartment from a family friend, so rent is very low and in general I live cheaply, so I'm not worried that much about having enough money even if he doesn't have clients right away. However, it seems that one of the requirements for a temporary residence card is proof of employment, which seems tricky for a freelancer.

We have talked about getting married, and for us it would be more a matter of making paperwork easier/making our parents happy than something we really need to do. However, if getting married would make his living here easier, we're open to that. In that case, would it be better legally to get married in the U.S. or in Poland?

Also, since I will be running a business, would it be possible for me to "hire" him? Would that make proof of income requirements easier?

Does anyone have any other advice? Unfortunately, he doesn't speak Polish, will that be an issue or can we get by with me translating?

tl;dr: I want my American boyfriend to live in Poland legally. What do I need to do?
bezbiura   
3 Dec 2012
Law / Importing my American boyfriend to Poland: residency, marriage, work, etc. [16]

I live in Krakow, and see plenty of black and Asian tourists every day, and even know a few residents. The only time I ever witnessed an incident was on a city bus. An African man got on, and a young skinhead-looking guy started making loud comments to no one in particular. It was obviously making everyone else on the bus uncomfortable, and finally an old Polish man, probably in his 60s or 70s, asks the young guy to shut up and tells the African man, in perfect English, that he's sorry and not all Poles are like that.

DEFINITIVELY MUCH better to get married in the US.

Thanks! Is it fairly easy to then get a Polish marriage license (is that even necessary)?
bezbiura   
3 Dec 2012
Law / Importing my American boyfriend to Poland: residency, marriage, work, etc. [16]

If he's a graphic designer, get him set up an a self-employed worker here and he can submit work to sites like shutterstock.

Can I do that if he only has a temporary residency? Or doesn't he need some sort of proof of income to get that residency in the first place?

The most professional post ever on PF - complete with tags for Google search?

Ha! I try =)

Most people do not speak English...especially those over 35.

I'm curious Smurf, where do you live? Maybe it's a generational/location thing, but I have tons of Polish friends and each one of them speaks better English than a lot of Americans I knew.

I agree though, I also know far too many Brits and Americans who have lived in Poland for many years and still can't get out much more than a dzień dobry, which is sad. I've already sent him some basic grammar lessons and hopefully just being here and being forced to speak it in some situations will help a lot.
bezbiura   
13 Dec 2012
Law / Importing my American boyfriend to Poland: residency, marriage, work, etc. [16]

How did this thread get so off topic...?

Agreed on both counts, the government offices are the worst, but I'll be there to help him with that. As far as everyday things like going to the grocery store, he'll have to learn enough Polish for that. But as far as just hanging out, having a beer with friends, my friends who only speak English have never had a problem.