LIVING IN POLAND

People and daily life

Exceptionally hospitable, friendly and helpful, the Poles are fiercely proud of their heritage and history, retaining a feeling of duty towards each other, their family and friends. Music is an everyday part of life in Poland, and each year numerous musical and cultural events are organised, including the International Festival of Mountain Folklore and the Festival of Classical Music.

Despite these evident traditions, Poles today are very forward thinking and strive towards westernisation and the establishment of a strong economy. Patience and resilience is another characteristic of the Polish persona.

Visas and residency

If you are going to be staying in Poland for less than 90 days, then as an American, Australian, Canadian, EU or New Zealand citizen, you are not required to secure a visa – a UK citizen can stay for six months without a visa.

For longer stays you will be required to secure a temporary residency permit (Karta pobytu obywatela UE), which will allow the holder to live and work in the country. A general duty fee of PLN 300 (£53) is charged for a residence permit for a specified period of time. If you have lived in Poland for five years then you are entitled to apply for long-term residency, provided you have stable income and health insurance. Visit the Polish Ministry Of Foreign Affairs website (www.msz.gov.pl) or the Office for Repatriation and Aliens (www.uric.gov.pl) for more details.

Utilities

Once you’ve bought your new home, you’ll be required to spend time transferring all utilities into your name, which will require you to visit all the relevant offices in person, along with the previous owner. You can’t do this in writing, by the internet or over the phone: be prepared for long queues – this is a time-consuming process. Bills are normally paid on a monthly basis, whether at the post office or by direct debit. It is recommended that you talk to your lawyer or estate agent about the intricacies of organising your utilities.

Banking and currency

Poland uses the złoty, with coins available in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 groszy and 1, 2, 5 złoty denominations, with 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 złoty banknotes. Cash is used more often than credit cards in Poland, although all major cities now allow credit cards, with ATMs widely available.

Most Polish banks are foreign owned and so you will find it easy to choose a bank and open an account. You should open an account as soon as possible so you can easily and quickly transfer money for deposits and any other costs associated with buying a property. Banks are generally open from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, with the larger branches opening on Saturday mornings. Online banking is also available.

The following offer services in English:

• PKO Bank Polski, www.pkobp.pl
• Bank Pekao SA, www.pekao.com.pl
• Citibank, www.citibank.pl
• Bank Zachodni WBK SA, http://english.bzwbk.pl
• Bank BPH, www.bph.pl
• National Bank of Poland, www.nbp.pl.

Taxes

Poland has a double taxation treaty with the UK so you won’t be taxed twice for any tax that you pay in Poland. The current classification for a tax resident has recently changed, and under the new regulations you will be considered a tax resident if you have closer personal and economic ties with Poland than with any other country, or if you reside in Poland for more than 182 days in a tax year.

Poland is currently revising many of its tax laws, and income tax – while continuing at current progressive rates – will change in 2009, with the maximum rate of 40% being decreased to 32%. VAT on property is also due to change, being increased from 7% to 22% in January 2008.

Current taxes are as follows:

• Income tax:
  19% up to £6,544
  30% on income up to and including £13,098
  40% on income above £13,098.
• Capital gains tax: as of January 2007 the tax laws have changed, with capital gains now levied at 19% on the profit made from the sale, rather than 10%, unless you have owned the property for more than five years, in which case you pay nothing.
• Corporation tax: 19%.

Insurance

There are a number of companies in Poland which can offer you car, property, health and life insurance. As in the UK, you simply need to visit a broker and arrange for the relevant cover.

• Ergo Hestia, www.hestia.pl
• Warta, www.warta.pl
• Commercial Union, www.cu.com.pl.

Healthcare

While Polish healthcare is of a satisfactory level, it is nowhere near as good as that provided by Western European countries, with a lack of emergency services and facilities in many areas. There is a reciprocal agreement in place allowing EU citizens to be treated for free in an emergency, so long as you have an EHIC card. In all other cases you will have to pay for treatment – and in some cases up front – which has led to accusations of bribery and corruption against some hospitals. However, most doctors are well trained and experienced, with the younger staff speaking good English, but don’t expect English to be widely spoken. It is recommended that you secure private medical insurance and there are a number of private clinics which can offer treatment, especially in the larger cities.

Retirement

It is possible to get your pension paid to you in Poland. The country is a long way from becoming a retirement centre, being much more of an investment hotspot, but it is straightforward to secure the relevant visas to allow you to retire here. You may be able to secure benefits while in Poland but each individual case is different, and so you’ll have to talk to the relevant office, once in the country.

Education

There are a number of private schools in Poland, and while the state system is well developed, you may decide to choose to send your child to one of the English-language and curriculum-based facilities. You can also study at a Polish University where there are a number of English-language courses run.

The Polish education system is run by the Ministry of Education and Sport (www.men.home.pl) and schooling is compulsory between the ages of six and 18. Most of the international schools are situated in Krakow or Warsaw. Visit www.poland.pl/education/international.htm for all contact details.

Driving

The roads in Poland are varied, with few motorways, and it can be difficult to overtake. Be aware that in rural areas there may well be horses and carts on the road. EU citizens can drive in Poland with just their local driving licence but non-Europeans must carry an International Driving Permit. Seatbelts are compulsory, it is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving and you are not permitted to have an alcohol level above 0.2% in your bloodstream while behind the wheel. Be aware that the police are very hot on speeding. The speed limit is as follows:

• motorways: 130km/h (80mph);
• open roads: 90km/h (55mph) outside built-up areas;
• 110km/h (68mph) dual carriageway;
• 100km/h (62mph) single carriageway;
• towns: 50km/h (30mph) 20km/h (12mph) in residential areas.

Getting around

Getting to Poland is now relatively straightforward thanks to the numerous budget flights on offer, which are available from throughout the UK. easyJet (www.easyjet.com), Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) LOT (www.lot.com) and British Airways (www.ba.com) all operate regular and affordable flights to Poland, with LOT also offering numerous internal flights between the major cities.

Public transport is cheap and efficient, although it can be overcrowded and very slow. The Polish State Railways company (www.pkp.com.pl) runs the train network, and if you are travelling long distances then this is the best option. There are various services available, with intercity and express trains operating between the main cities, and fast or normal trains serving the quieter areas. While services have been cut since communist times – especially to the more remote areas – fares are cheap and services are getting faster, especially on the mainline intercity and express services.

Buses are operated by PKS and PPKS, which offer reasonably cheap travel across the country, and there are many different regional operators. While sometimes slow, they do offer excellent coverage of the country.

In Poland’s larger cities, trams are a cheap and effective way of travelling around, while Warsaw also has a metro system.

Learning the language

You may well encounter a language barrier in Poland, but the Polish people are more than happy to help you learn their language. English is a popular subject at school and given that 35% of Poles are under 25 years of age, the English-speaking population is growing. However, outside of the major conurbations, Russian and German are more commonly spoken, especially among the older population.

A difficult language to learn given the complex nature of the grammar, Polish is a phonetic language, making pronunciation easier. It uses the Latin-based alphabet rather than Cyrillic, and it has the second largest number of speakers among Slavic languages after Russian. Originating from several local Western Slavic dialects, Polish has close relations with Serbian.

Shopping

The Polish have certainly got a taste for Western European items, and so in the larger towns you will find many international brands and stores. Most grocery shops are open from 7am to 7pm; some are open on Saturdays but all are shut on Sundays. There are numerous supermarkets belonging to international chains, many of which are open 24/7. Modern shopping malls are becoming more frequent in the larger cities, such as Warsaw. Still, spare some time to tour the bazary (market places), which are usually located close to the main shopping centre, and where you can buy almost everything, most notably fresh fruit and vegetables.

Once outside the main cities you may find it harder to find certain imports. While shopping is cheaper in Poland at present, it is unlikely that prices will remain low as the country continues to develop economically.

Post

Post offices are generally open 7am – 9pm, Monday – Friday; 8am – 3pm, Saturday and are closed all day Sunday.

As with most European post offices, you have the option of paying your bills and opening a savings account. The Polish Post Office can be visited at www.poczta-polska.pl.

Corruption, crime and police

An inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labour code, bureaucratic red tape and persistent corruption keep the private sector from performing to its potential. The corruption rate of the country currently sits at 3.7 (the worst rating you can have is 0, the best is 10) and the country’s reputation does suffer from the levels of bribery and corruption that occur – an unfortunate hangover from communist days. Foreigners will be exposed to this sort of problem when it comes to pricing – be aware of double standards, as you may well get charged a higher rate for goods than a local would. Also, be aware of unscrupulous developers who may try to sell you poor-quality property.

While the police hierarchy has been overhauled, removing the secret police elements, they are a dispirited lot, and while violent crime in the country is generally low, there has been a rise in instances of street crime.