Public services and online portals

Key authorities

• Voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki, the State's representative in the region, the wojewoda): registration of the stay of EU citizens and residence permits for other foreigners (see PL-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).
• Town or municipal office (urząd gminy, urząd miasta): address registration (zameldowanie), PESEL, property tax, enrolment in public schools and nurseries, and, until 31 October 2026, paper submission of business registration applications.
• Tax office (urząd skarbowy, part of the Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa, KAS): income tax, VAT, NIP.
• ZUS (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych): social security registration and contributions, pensions, sickness benefits, family benefits such as the 800 plus.
• NFZ (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia): health insurance, European card (EKUZ), registration of the S1 form (see PL-SANTE-TOUS-001).
• Employment office (powiatowy urząd pracy): registration as a jobseeker, job offers, transfer of unemployment benefits from another EU country (PD U2 form, which you request from the country paying your benefit after at least 4 weeks of registration, with some exceptions; you register with the Polish office within 7 days after the end of your availability in the country you are leaving; the benefit can be exported for at least 3 months, up to 6 months depending on the institution paying it (Your Europe)).
• Vehicle department (wydział komunikacji of the starostwo powiatowe or the city): car registration, licence exchange.
• Education authority (kuratorium oświaty): recognition of foreign school diplomas (see PL-ECOLE-TOUS-001).

Online services

• gov.pl and login.gov.pl: the State portal and its single sign-on, via profil zaufany, online banking, the mObywatel app or e-dowód (Polish identity card); the last two require a Polish identity card.
• Profil zaufany: free digital identity, valid for 3 years; you need a PESEL. If you are a foreigner, confirmation is done through a bank on the official list or at a confirmation point; the video call with an official requires a Polish identity card or passport (see PL-NIF-TOUS-001).
• mObywatel: the State's app (digital documents, online forms, payments). The mDowód (digital identity card) corresponds to the Polish identity card; the mObywatel app's terms reserve the service for people of Polish nationality holding a valid identity card: a foreigner (residence card, passport) cannot access it, and the mDowód exists only for the Polish identity card (mObywatel terms of use). A foreigner uses the profil zaufany or a bank for online services.
• e-Urząd Skarbowy (e-US) and Twój e-PIT: tax returns, payments, letters from the tax office. Login via login.gov.pl, via the e-US app, or with your "tax data" (PESEL or NIP, date of birth, and amounts taken from your 2024 return and from information from your employer for 2025, according to the page updated on 6.10.2026), which only give access to Twój e-PIT.
• eZUS (formerly PUE ZUS): account from age 13. Confirmation online via login.gov.pl (profil zaufany, bank, mObywatel, e-dowód or eID), or during a video visit (e-wizyta) or at a ZUS branch.
• IKP (Internetowe Konto Pacjenta, patient account on pacjent.gov.pl): electronic prescriptions, choice of doctor, European card.
• biznes.gov.pl: setting up and managing a sole proprietorship (CEIDG); S24 for companies. From 1 November 2026, the CEIDG registration application is made online only (except for a minor) and a foreign person must have a PESEL or, failing that, a unique identifier issued by another EU State for cross-border identification.
• e-Doręczenia: official electronic inbox for receiving registered letters from the administration.

What a foreigner can or cannot do online

• Before the PESEL: registration of the stay and address registration at the counter; eZUS by video visit or eID.
• After the PESEL and the profil zaufany: most procedures online (address registration online for EU and EFTA citizens, taxes, ZUS, patient account, business).
• Always in person: the application for registration of the stay with the wojewoda (unless exempt), the collection of certain documents, the registration of a car, unless your office accepts post or electronic submission.

Steps

1. Register your stay (EU, EEA or Swiss citizen) at the urząd wojewódzki no later than the day after the 3 months following your entry into Poland (PL-SEJOUR-TOUS-001); if you come from another country, the residence permit procedure applies.
2. Register your address at the town or municipal office no later than the 30th day (the 4th day if you are a third-country national): you receive your PESEL (PL-NIF-TOUS-001).
3. Create your profil zaufany. The mObywatel app is reserved for holders of a Polish identity card: no need to install it if you are a foreigner.
4. Depending on your situation: health registration (employer or ZUS; PL-SANTE-TOUS-001), choice of doctor on the IKP, setting up a business (PL-ENTREPRISE-TOUS-001).
5. Create your eZUS account and check your access to the e-Urząd Skarbowy.
6. If you have a car registered abroad: third-party liability insurance (OC), technical inspection, then registration within 30 days.

Costs and timelines

• Digital services: free.
• Registration of an imported vehicle: within 30 days; PLN 66.50 (certificate and stickers), PLN 13.50 (temporary permit), PLN 80 (car plates). Temporary registration for 30 days, then permanent.
• Driving licence: a valid licence from an EU country remains valid in Poland, with no compulsory exchange. A licence from another country is exchanged after 185 days of residence (PLN 100).

Common pitfalls

• Putting off the PESEL. Without it, no profil zaufany and no online procedures.
• Confusing stay and address. The wojewoda registers your stay, the town or municipal office your address: two separate procedures.
• Missing the deadlines: 30 days for the address of an EU or EFTA citizen (4 days for a third-country national) and for the imported car.
• Expecting English everywhere. The portals often have an English or Ukrainian version, but the forms and the counters are in Polish.

What changes by country of origin

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: address registration possible online with a profil zaufany; EU driving licence valid without exchange.
• British citizens (Scots included): address registration at the counter only, with a document that establishes the right to stay. According to gov.pl, a British licence issued up to 31 December 2020 does not have to be exchanged; for a more recent licence, check the exchange rules (185 days).
• Your country's digital identity: according to the ZUS page, the eID can be used to confirm the eZUS account; whether it is accepted on the other login.gov.pl services remains to be checked (the page does not say which countries are covered).