Your first weeks working abroad – registration, tax, insurance

1. Register your address (zameldowanie na pobyt czasowy) at the municipal office no later than on the 30th day after you arrive. It is free (a certificate confirming it costs PLN 17 if you need one); in Warsaw it can also be done online with a Polish trusted profile (profil zaufany) or a qualified electronic signature. During registration you are also given a PESEL – the Polish personal identification number.
2. Register your stay as an EU citizen: if you stay longer than 3 months, apply at the voivode’s office (urząd wojewódzki) no later than the day after 3 months from your arrival. It is free of charge (PLN 17 stamp duty only if you act through a proxy). You get a registration certificate (zaświadczenie o zarejestrowaniu pobytu obywatela UE), valid for 10 years.
3. Social and health insurance: as an employee you are compulsorily insured. Your employer registers you with the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), which also collects your health insurance contribution and passes it on to the National Health Fund (NFZ).
4. Tax: income tax is deducted from your salary by the employer. The rate is 12% on income up to PLN 120,000 a year, minus a tax-reducing amount of PLN 3,600, and 32% on income above that (scale valid in 2026). Under 26? See the tax relief for young people above.
5. Bank account: you can open one easily, with few restrictions.

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