Marcin Kierwiński

MOVING TO POLAND IS A TERRIBLE CHOICE FOR 95% OF PEOPLE Poland is the fastest-growing economy in the EU. It’s modern and has world-class services. But people who overhype it don’t tell you one thing - if you don’t have an EU passport (and 95% of people in the world don’t have one), Poland is gonna turn your life into a living hell. The reason for it is not its people or nationalism. The reason is bureaucracy. Poland wasn’t built to host a lot of foreigners. For the best part of its history after communism, it’s been a poor country, and hardly anyone wanted to move there. Then the Ukraine war happened. Millions of Ukrainians and Belarusians flew into the country. Poland’s immigration authorities became overwhelmed. 4 years flew by, but the situation didn’t improve. When you move to Poland, you need to get a temporary residence permit. It lasts between 1 and 3 years. Getting it now is not feasible. The wait for a Polish temporary residence permit is between 8 and 12 months. In most cases, you get your first residence permit, called pobyt czasowy, for a year. Then you need to renew it. You will need a long-term apartment in Poland and a source of income in Poland. Your company’s registered in the US or Singapore won’t do. After 3 years, you can get a pobyt stały (permanent residency) - and wait 12 months again. The situation is better in some regions like Krakow, but in Warsaw, where most people go, it’s the worst. While you are waiting for your residence permit, you can’t leave Poland. If you leave after your visa-free days in the EU or your visa expires, you won’t be able to come back without a Schengen visa. To get a residence permit, you need to file an application. This requires either sending all your documents by traditional mail or scheduling an appointment. Getting an appointment takes 8+ months. You have a question? Get ready to wait up to an hour in the telephone queue. Hardly any immigration workers speak English. Most government websites and documents are in Polish only as well. There is a new system where you can file an application online. But using it requires a government ID number called PESEL. You can get it in Poland, but it requires a Polish address. Alternatively, you can convince Polish authorities that you have a valid reason why you need a PESEL. This typically requires employment or business. Both will have real consequences for your life and potentially make you liable for Polish taxes and health insurance contributions. This is what US and UK founders get wrong – you can’t just come to Poland with your online business and live here. Poland doesn’t have digital nomad or independent entrepreneur visas. In Poland, you need a visa sponsor. That means that you either need to find a regular Polish job and employer that will sponsor you or found a company with substantial capital, employees, and real service to sponsor yourself as a director. Want to start a company? All the tax and company registration portals are in Polish. Getting a Polish accountant and tax advisor will be your only option. The situation is not likely to improve in the future. The Polish politics are dominated by right-wing anti-immigration sentiment. Under the right-wing influence, even the center-left are introducing laws that make it harder to immigrate and get a Polish citizenship. For everybody cheering for anti-immigration and thinking it only applies to the people from the Middle East and India, bad news. If you have a UK or US passport, you will fall under the same rules. Some categories of people, mainly people with Polish roots, will have it much easier. But for most people without an EU passport, moving to Poland will turn into the toughest bureaucratic challenge of their lives.