Law / Setting up small business in Poland? [191]


OK, OK, maybe I exaggerated :)


He should check whether he would also need to buy and register a cash till. There are subsidies available to cover part of the cost of buying an appropriate till, but the rules on registering them are pretty strict.

Law / Setting up small business in Poland? [191]



I think you'd be wrong - the vast majority of Poles earn on the side and pay in cash for everything. Spend what you've saved - a novel concept, eh?

Law / Got Polish citizenship, now I need a Pesel and passport [26]


In my case it was much, much simpler to do it the other way round - once I had the Decision Certificate, I filled in the application form for a PESEL that the Polish consulate gave me and after some time, I went to pick up my new passport which already had my PESEL in it. Once I had that I went to my Urzad and got my Dowód Osobisty. There was minimal hassle! I only wanted a Dowód because I was moving to Poland - otherwise, there was no need to have it... Why are you doing it this way round? The Urzedy in Poland aren't very good at dealing with exceptions, while the Consulates are.

Work / Price per day... private painting and decorating in Poland [23]


Here in Krakow I just paid 10zl/m2 to wash down, prime and paint with 2 coats of emulsion.

Also, have a look here for more ideas:

malowanie-warszawa.pl/cennik-malowanie/cennik-malowanie-wnetrz.html

Travel / Driving to Krakow - which route to take from the Tri-Cities? [10]

It's 6hrs from central Berlin to Krakow. The first 80km of the A18 on the Polish side in this direction are hideous but after that it's easy.

News / What Poland can't do right [113]


They're only available in season - from May to October. And yes, sheep milk + up to 40% of cows milk.

Real Estate / Returning Polish expat wishing to purchase property in Poland [4]

It's the notary who will do the paperwork anyway. I've found that our remote gmina was actually far easier to deal with and more helpful than the overworked and harassed uzrędniczki in Kraków.

Law / Is it possible to open a home based bakery in Poland? [14]


I suspect that things were much easier to 'arrange' with the pre-PRL Sanepid, but this one is much more careful. Many of these rules come out of over-zealous interpretation of the EU Food Hygiene regulations.


All it takes is one nosey neighbour to report you and you could have serious problems.

Law / Is it possible to open a home based bakery in Poland? [14]


Yes, all businesses dealing with food have to be registered and operate out of approved premises. These differ depending on whether you're using pre-prepared products or preparing food from scratch, but the Sanepid website says that domestic kitchens do not satisfy the requirements, even though the EU regulations specifically allow for this option. For some friends of mine who run a small wine bar where they also prepare food the requirements included 2 entrances (one for food/wine deliveries and another for the clients), tiling of the walls, washable floors, separate sinks for washing hands, utensils and preparing fruit/vegetables, an industrial standard dishwasher (with a certificate) and a separate sink for rinsing dirty dishes located in a separate area, a HACCP assessment showing the production route and packaging and storage that is certified for food use. If you plan on using fresh eggs you need a steriliser set up in a separate room for sterilising them (otherwise you can buy pasteurised eggs in cartons). If you plan to transport food you need to have an approved vehicle (refrigerated, if the food is perishable) and facilities and procedures for cleaning it, as well as a separate area for washing out the containers used for transport if they're reusable. You may also have to keep samples of your food for a certain amount of time. Every year you also need to get your water supply tested (600zl) and have a Karta Zdrowia for anyone handling food.

Forget about getting any useful information out of Sanepid - they are there to inspect you, not to help set you up so that they have less work. You will need to get a specialist architect to do the design which is then submitted for approval. You can't start doing business until your premises have been approved.

One way around this might be to set yourself up as a cake decorating consultant and travel to people's houses to do the work there, but you'd have to check!