Real Estate / Buying property in Poland [41]

for buying 1 (one) house to live in, you can buy it yourself as no permit is required, not even for non-EEA citizens, as long as the house does not sit on an area >10k m2 (1 hectare) and is not in a border zone: biznes.gov.pl/pl/opisy-procedur/-/proc/209 , powroty.gov.pl/nieruchomosci-nie-wymagajace-zezwolenia-9953 so for "normal" buyers of apartments or family homes, this is a non-issue. Farmland (>5k m2) is another matter.

the list of places which are in border zones and are an exception from the exception, ie they require a permit, is here: sip.lex.pl/akty-prawne/dzu-dziennik-ustaw/wykaz-gmin-i-innych-jednostek-zasadniczego-podzialu-terytorialnego-17221212

source: isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU19200310178/U/D19200178Lj.pdf see. art 8/1, which is valid for all foreigners. EEA citizens have an advantage when they want to buy a 2nd home or farmland (see art. 8/2).

News / The Fur is Flying! Animal Rights in Poland [87]

Fantastic timing. Last week, the president and prime minister were touring thanksgiving festivities thanking polish farmers in lofty words for their hard work and promising continued support for the development of rural areas. This week, the same party introduces a bill eliminiating the export of halal meat worth more than one billion Euro per year ( halalfocus.net/poland-to-start-exporting-beef-to-israel/ ) and the market is growing with Poland having a competitive advantage and the importers like Israel and UAE are known for paying top dollar.

The fur export market is not so big, but an additional 200 Million Euro would be lost and probably more if there is local production.
Sure, in total, these products account for only close to 1% of the whole export market but how wealthy is this country really to forgoe such lucrative markets? It will also negatively affect the core constituents of PiS disproportionally heavy. Are they tired of ruling or what? Aid to Lithuania (where the fur producers will likely go) and Ukraine/Belarus (halal meat- since the export markets are mostly outside of the EU, EU membership means zilch to these producers)?

Law / International Divorce - my ex wife lives in Poland and I live in Asia (alimony) [39]

ah, how to change the name in Poland, well, she can read polish, so this: obywatel.gov.pl/malzenstwo/nazwisko-panienskie-wroc-do-nazwiska-noszonego-przed-slubem
she has to hurry though, after 3 months past the divorce she is stuck with her new name, or at least it will be more difficult to change the name thereafter.

Law / International Divorce - my ex wife lives in Poland and I live in Asia (alimony) [39]

How did she change her name in the first place? In (all of the anglo world/common law jurisdictions?) Scotland, there is no official process required (or even possible, because she is not in the national birth register), you just do it. So the same method applies backwards: after the divorce, you just use the old name again. If somebody asks, just show the document (marriage or divorce certificate).

nrscotland.gov.uk/registration/recording-change-of-forename-and-surname-in-scotland

News / PiS candidates are losing positions in EU Parliament. Will they keep power in Poland? [272]


who would have thought one week ago, that Wojciechowski will be confirmed unanimously, yet the French nominee will fail?

the main reason why his performance the 2nd time was much better:


euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/not-getting-lost-in-translation-wojciechowski-wins-nod-from-meps/
multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/pl/hearing-of-janusz-wojciechowski-commissioner-designate-agriculture_13217_pk

News / So rate but good deeds of Polish politicians [9]

twitter.com/Policja_KSP/status/1181512074792509441

What really happend seems to be that the driver who caused the accident (a policeman himself) got his son himself out of the car after the accident and the first one to help him was a young women. Only after everybody was already safe, it so happened that another car came along whose driver - that Biedroń guy - graciously let her place the toddler in his car to keep him warm. Stipulating that this version Warsaw Police is telling here is true, the self proclaimed heroism of Biedroń is nowhere to be seen. He is at best a funny storyteller and good in posing in front of a camera, but he might also simply be called a liar.

Of course, the police` social media team could also be misrepresenting the facts here, but if two versions of a story exist and the good version comes from a politican only a couple of days before an election, I am inclined to believe the other version a tiny bit more.

Polonia / What are qualites of Germans? [60]

there is probably no comparable survey done in Poland because somebody has to pay for it and unlike in Germany, where the R+V insurance company does so, I could not find a similar sponsor in Poland. Besides PEW, who does worldwide surveys, I found just one local survey done in 2017 for the weekly Polityka: polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1702906,1,sondaz-polityki-czego-polacy-boja-sie-najbardziej.read you will find the usual, terrorist attacks 38%, foreign invaders 37%, war, poverty at old age, and the unusual, 19% fear the adoption of the Euro, 12% the return of PO rule (22% the continuation of PiS rule), and the totally unusual: 4% fear ... nothing.

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1614]


quoting I guess Tomek from the 1st season of rodzinka.pl: w dechę? - tak dwadzieścia lat temu mówili na wypasione.

Work / TAXATION for a foreigner in Poland [11]

The rule is the same as (most?) other WE countries: stay less than 50% of the year and you are only taxed on the income you earn in the country. Stay longer and you are taxed on your worldwide income. In order to avoid double taxation, there are agreements between (most) countries to avoid that. That is only concerning the PIT, social security contributions are always to be paid in full, even if you work just for one day.

To pay no income tax at all is possible only with a very short stay. The amount of tax free income was in 2018 6,600 PLN. Your employer does not know that, so he will deduct the PIT as if you were employed for 12 months, but if you leave earlier, there is a good chance you will get all or at least part of your taxes back after the end of the year because the income tax rate is progressive with a fixed decuctible. Theoretically you could move every 1-2 months from one country to another in order to avoid paying no income tax at all but of course the costs would outweigh the benefits.

If you really stay for a short while, do not forget to file for tax reimbursement after the end of the year.

Law / Going back from Poland to Brazil without the residence card [5]

If the flight is originating in PL, then there will be no border control in Lisbon, so you can enter the country freely and of course also leave the airport without any checks. But even if there were, Brazilian citizens do not need a visa for tourist purposes.

News / Scandals, conflicts, tensions, arguments - real life examples from Poland [439]


we might now know why he is drinking so much. He is currently under investigation of forging the signature of his (now) ex-wife under two bills of exchange in 2009, that were used as collateral for a mortage. After he missed payments this year, the bank wanted to collect the money from her and she now claims that the signature is not hers and she never saw the documents. When you look at one of those documents, it seems apparant, that both signatures have been written by the same guy: wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/kamil-durczok-weksel-na-2-mln-frankow-byla-zona-marianna-dufek-podejrzewa-ze-podrobiono-jej-podpis

but the DA hired a handwriting expert to confirm the obvious. I still cannot believe, that what is making the rounds is the real, actual document. The forgery is absurdly obvious, but we are supposed to believe that the bank is accepting such a piece of paper as collateral for 2 mln. CHF without even bother to ask her if that is really her signature? Anyway, he probably has run out of money and he is facing a long time behind bars (it seems that for such a crime, 5 year incarcaration is the minimum sentence, to which the drunk driving charges are almost peanuts). What a fall from grace.

Law / Threatened with Firearms in Poland - any law regarding this? [4]

sure, Art. 190 Kodeksu karnego. The crime is not particular based on a threat with firearms, but in general any threat that wzbudza w zagrożonym uzasadnioną obawę, so any threat that a normal person would perceive as real danger. It will be investigated if you file a complaint acc. to Art. 190/2.

Law / Existing Polish bank accounts for clients without PESEL number would be frozen starting August 2019? [23]

for mBank, it seems so. In their regulations pdf.mbank.pl/mbankpl/of/regulaminy/rachunki/regulamin_rachunkow_dla_osob_fizycznych_w_mbanku_od_10.07.2019.pdf they say:


compared to the previous version pdf.mbank.pl/mbankpl/of/regulaminy/rachunki/regulamin_rachunkow_dla_osob_fizycznych_w_mbanku_od_20.12.2018.pdf , mieszka w Polsce is a new requirement.

Compared to e.g. the regulations of Millennium Bank, whose new version goes into effect starting September 2019 and says Bank prowadzi Rachunki bankowe w złotych i w walutach obcych na rzecz rezydentów i nierezydentów w rozumieniu przepisów prawa dewizowego, ie they clearly state that they provide accounts also for non-residents, this a mBank thing, they seem not to want to deal with non-residents anymore.

Travel / Poland's LOT Air Problems [43]


whatever the reason was, the time it was probably not, because while cancellations are rare, the flight in question took off from WAW several times this year after midnight, in particular the day before 7 38 min. past midnight:

DateAircraftOriginDestinationDepartureArrivalDuration
25 cze 2019DH8DWarsaw Frederic Chopin (WAW / EPWA)Copernicus Wrocław (WRO / EPWR)12:30AM CEST01:08AM CEST0:37
20 cze 2019E75LWarsaw Frederic Chopin (WAW / EPWA)Copernicus Wrocław (WRO / EPWR)12:08AM CEST12:45AM CEST0:37
14 cze 2019DH8DWarsaw Frederic Chopin (WAW / EPWA)Copernicus Wrocław (WRO / EPWR)12:08AM CEST01:05AM CEST0:57
7 cze 2019DH8DWarsaw Frederic Chopin (WAW / EPWA)Copernicus Wrocław (WRO / EPWR)11:00PM CEST11:40PM CESTCancelled
6 cze 2019E190Warsaw Frederic Chopin (WAW / EPWA)Copernicus Wrocław (WRO / EPWR)12:38AM CEST01:14AM CEST0:35
4 kwi 2019B734Warsaw Frederic Chopin (WAW / EPWA)Copernicus Wrocław (WRO / EPWR)12:14AM CEST12:53AM CEST0:39

also almost every day some other flights depart after midnight, like just yesterday LO3911 to KRK, departed 00:24 (actually today). Might be, that on the 7th something was particular and WAW really forced closure but there must be evidence for it. So I would come back to the airline asking for this evidence. If they cannot produce said evidence and still refuse to pay, it is easy to sue them because it's just a small claim. In PL, a postępowanie uproszczone goes for a 100zł fee, no laywer necessary, just filling out the appropriate form and file it at the local court where one lives. If one does not want to take the risk, there are companies filing on one's behalf, but they take a substantial cut from the payment.

Law / Existing Polish bank accounts for clients without PESEL number would be frozen starting August 2019? [23]


no such law/regulation exists. Bank accounts for non-residents are a very common product in at least the bigger commercial banks and it will continue this way, it's just normal business. It might just be that some banks are not willing to deal with foreigners, in particular - in the case of US residents - with FACTA reporting. Or exclude at will like mBank currently states that "mBank does not offer its services to customers in the United Kingdom", for whatever reason, but that is their choice, not a law.

Language / "Pan" or "Ty" - how people address each other in Poland? [55]

just because I clicked randomly into the video: at 49:15, there is no porzyczyć, it's pożyczyć.

Law / Surname Question - ski/ska [6]


bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39417074

amazing. You can really give any surname. I at first thought that any refers to either father's or mother's surname, but it's really any. So nothing stands against the correct -ska ending.

Travel / Using Polish Drivers License abroad [2]

in all EEU states (== European Union plus Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein) and Switzerland. For others, the locally obtainable międzynarodowe prawo jazdy can be used in selected countries listed here:

obywatel.gov.pl/kierowcy-i-pojazdy/uzyskaj-miedzynarodowe-prawo-jazdy

it might just not be so easy anmore to weasel out of traffic tickets as it was in the past:
telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/4732923/Prawo-Jazdy-Identity-of-Irelands-most-notorious-driver-uncovered.html

Law / No Minors Allowed To Leave Poland Without Parental Legal Consent? [4]

This is a matter of who has custody of the child. If she has custody, than she can take her whereever she wants, if they have joint custody, than she needs permission. This is determined by family court.

And for sure get a passport, its required even for infants, because how otherwise can be determined that its really your child? (for practical purposes it won't matter very much for Germany because of the borderless Schengen area, but there can always be random checks).

Work / Jobs for a foreigner in Poland without a uni degree [10]


in what language?

Work / Jobs for a foreigner in Poland without a uni degree [10]


such jobs - L1 help desk/customer support - are plentiful everywhere and also in Kraków because a lot of companies in Germany are outsourcing clerical work to CEE and for this particular jobs, real fluency is an asset. Just be aware that nevertheless the pay is very low, after all there is a reason they are recruiting there and not in Germany. You will find them on Linkedin, just use the keyword "german" and location "Krakau und Umgebung" (Linkedin at my PC seems to default to German). This particular job is:

linkedin.com/jobs/search/?currentJobId=859182289&keywords=german&location=Krakau%20und%20Umgebung%2C%20Polen&locationId=pl%3A5756

Law / Permanent residence permit of the EU/Poland and language tests [10]

a sample can be found here: certyfikatpolski.pl/dla-zdajacych/przykladowe-testy-zbiory-zadan

from somebody who did the exam recently:
partnersontheroad.com/2018/09/19/polish-b1-certificate

UK, Ireland / No Poles Allowed! - Latest Polonophobic Outrage Out of Britain [660]


actually no. Thankfully, the Grundgesetz (German Constitution) is available in an - after examination authentic - english translation and it says:


The law was changed back in 1992 when there was a wave of asylum seekers from the former Yugoslavia. They, hypocritical as Germans always are, wanted to keep their beloved asylum right on the surface but at the same time restricted it that much that in reality - since Germany is now surrounded by EU member states - only a handful of wannabe asylees could ever claim this right because they would have to land either via airplane or ship.

The Merkel regime can only pull off this blatant disregard of constitutional law since she and her comrades have been doing to the courts over the last 10+ years what they are accusing PiS of: stuffing the BVerfG and the prosecutor's offices with members of their parties. 14 out of 16 supreme court justices are loyal to Merkel - Kaczyński can only dream about such a TK setup.

Law / Debt in Poland - inheritance after relative death? [14]

in the past, it was indeed the case that if you did not declare in the first six months of inheriting debt that you do not want it, that you were liable for the debts of the deceased to 100%. But since 2017, the new law limits the liability to what is valuable in the inheritance meaning that the worst case is that you get zero, but they cannot come after you for anything more. Nevertheless, it might we wise to consult an attorney, because there are some caveats in connection with mortgages.

You might want to read: kancelariamadejczyk.biz/dziedziczenie-dlugow-2017-prawo-spadkowe/ in polish.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

Just a quick test comparing Google translate and DeepL for I was running just 10 kilometers this morning, but usually I run 15 kilometers.
GT: Biegałem zaledwie 10 kilometrów dziennie, ale zwykle biegnę 15 kilometrów.
DL: Biegłem dziś rano zaledwie 10 kilometrów, ale zazwyczaj biegałem 15 kilometrów.

analysis (please keep in mind that I am just in my 2nd year of Polish studies):
- dziennie: obviously wrong since this is an adjective meaning "of the day"; dziś rano sounds right to me.
- biegnę: like with other Polish verbs for motion, there is a specific form for expressing a motion that happens repeatedly (iterative form), in this case biegać, hence the correct form would be biegam. Both translators got it wrong. btw., biegnę I would use when running right now and why DL uses the past tense I have no idea.

others where I am not sure:
- zaledwie: sounds strange, I would have used tylko; zaledwie I would use for expressing that I barely made the 10k.
- biegałem: I would have used pobiegłem, indicating a finished run for a specific distance without extended effort (otherwise I would have used podbiegłem), but ok, this is really finetuning amongst runners.

and finally, although it got the sex right, this was only by chance because I am male. None of the translaters would have known if I were a female and would have to use biegłam instead of biegłem.

as I said, I am just a student and could be totally wrong but from my experience over the last >1 year, GT is absolutely useless and DL is a bit better for some type of texts like legalese, but still useless if you want to learn because you cannot trust any translation.

btw., English->German is much better, probably because this pair is more similar in grammar, e.g. no aspect.

Law / Can I travel to other EU countries with my Polish Karta Pobytu? [19]

yes, you are right. the residence card is just the visa: "If you are a non-EU national wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a passport and possibly a visa..." but a visa is only valid together with a passport.

Law / Can I travel to other EU countries with my Polish Karta Pobytu? [19]

yes, nothing has changed, since both Poland and Spain are still within the Schengen area:
europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-nationals/index_en.htm

"If your visa is from a "Schengen area" country, it automatically allows you to travel to the other Schengen countries as well. If you have a valid residence permit from one of those Schengen countries, it is equivalent to a visa. "

News / EU budget revamp set to shift funds to southern states. What can Poland do about this? [13]

this is not a specific Polish problem:

"While precise details of the reforms are still in the making behind the scenes, diplomats and officials expect the outcome to be a redirection of funds from Poland, the Czech Republic and Baltic states towards southern states such as Italy, Spain, Greece and even some regions of France. "

portfolio.hu/en/economy/eu-plans-leaked-hungary-seen-losing-huge-funds.36050.html

allocation of ESI funds is not an arbitrary process where decisions are pulled out of a hat but they are based on economic data and here it is evident that the competitiveness of southern Europe is eroding fast while eastern Europe is gaining. Granted, one of the more extreme examples, but compare Portugal vs. Poland GDP per capita in PPP dollars:

2004: 26,000 - 16,000
2016: 27,000 - 26,000

Greece in 2016 has been even lower - 24,000$ per capita per year. The average Pole's living standard is now on par with Portugal and has surpassed Greece. With Italy and Spain, the gap is a bit higher but also closing fast. For this reasons, it is simple economics dictating that funds will be redirected to the (now) poorer regions of the EU.

Because its based on economic data, cutting will not only affect Poland, but also all other CEE countries and even the Baltics, which are routinely bending over backwards to please the EU overlords. So even if Morawiecki would lick Juncker's feet, it will not change the fact that Poland has become, relatively to the PIGS, too prosperous to be on top of the ESI funds list.

Real Estate / Real Estate Lawyer costs in Poland [18]


thankfully that can be done for free on the Internet: przegladarka-ekw.ms.gov.pl/eukw_prz/KsiegiWieczyste/wyszukiwanieKW?komunikaty=true&kontakt=true&okienkoSerwisowe=false - you would need the land register number (numer księgi wieczystej) in the new format. If they have only the old number, you can generate the new format here: zylla.wipos.p.lodz.pl/ut/kw-serial-gen.php - after you found the court district code (kod sądu) from the address here: ksiegiwieczyste.pl/PoAdresie.html (really useful for w-wa, because this city is divided into several court districts). I use the last site only for giving me the 4-digit kod sądu, don't need to pay for the full service.

Love / Polish girl/Mexican guy Dating [5]


then tell him that in order to at least have a chance to be accepted by your family, he has to learn the Polish language. I am pretty sure that your parents will appreciate his efforts.