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]

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.

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.

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 / 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.

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.

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1677]


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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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)?

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).