YOUR JOB IN EUROPE Livingand workingconditions September 2014 in Poland Ladies and Gentlemen, It is our pleasure to present you the brochure entitled Living and Working Conditions in Poland. This brochure was drawn up by the Department of Labour Market of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Dissemination of information on living and working conditions in Poland represents one of the EURES services provided to foreigners – citizens of the European Union, Europe- an Economic Area and Switzerland, hereinafter referred to as “EU citizens”. EURES is an international cooperation network of Public Employment Services and the- ir partners on labour markets, and it is aimed at providing support for labour mobility on the European labour market. The brochure contains information useful to EU citizens who plan on coming to Poland, including the details on the right of residence, taking up a job, recognition of professional qualications, establishment of one’s own business, social insurance and living condi- tions in Poland. The information presents legal situation effective as of September 2014. It pertains to citizens of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembo- urg, Latvia, Malta, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Italy, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Digital version of this brochure is updated on a regular basis and it is available at http:// www.eures.praca.gov.pl. We hope that, on the basis of the information included in this brochure, EU citizens will be able to make a well-informed decision to reside and work in Poland. Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Department of Labour Market 2014 Living and working conditions in Poland 1 Contents I. General information about Poland ................................................................... II. Residence in Poland ........................................................................................ Entry into the territory of Poland ...................................................................... Acquiring the right of residence in Poland ....................................................... Renting a at ................................................................................................... Purchase of real property ................................................................................ Driving licence ................................................................................................. Capital and payment ow ................................................................................ III. Work in Poland ................................................................................................ How to nd a job in Poland? ............................................................................ How to write a CV and a cover letter? ............................................................. Agreements that form the basis for working in Poland .................................... Recognition of professional quali cations ....................................................... Provisions of cross-border services ................................................................. IV. Taxes ............................................................................................................... V. Pursuing business activity ............................................................................... Sole traders ..................................................................................................... Civil law partnership ........................................................................................ Partnerships .................................................................................................... Companies ...................................................................................................... Branches and representative of ces ............................................................... VI. Social security in Poland ................................................................................. Retirement insurance ...................................................................................... Disability insurance .......................................................................................... Social insurance for industrial accidents and occupational diseases .............. Social insurance for sickness and maternity ................................................... VII. Unemployment ................................................................................................ Unemployment bene ts ................................................................................... Possibility to transfer to Poland the unemployment benet granted in other EU/EEA Member State or in Switzerland ........................................................ VIII. Health care ...................................................................................................... The right to health care services ..................................................................... Receiving health care services ........................................................................ 22 IX. Living in Poland ............................................................................................... Income and costs of living ............................................................................... Shops .............................................................................................................. Transport ......................................................................................................... Culture and entertainment ............................................................................... Giving birth to a child ....................................................................................... Marriage .......................................................................................................... Death ............................................................................................................... Education ......................................................................................................... Learning Polish ................................................................................................ 2014 Living and working conditions in Poland 3 General information about Poland • GDASK 3RPRUVNLH :DUPLĕVNRPD]XUVNLH • SZCZECIN =DFKRGQLRSRPRUVNLH • BYDGOSZCZ .XMDZVNRSRPRUVNLH 3RGODVNLH • WARSZAWA • POZNA 0D]RZLHFNLH :LHONRSROVNLH /XEXVNLH • ÓD áyG]NLH LUBLIN • WROCAW • 'ROQRğOĆVNLH /XEHOVNLH ĞZLċWRNU]\VNLH 2SROVNLH • KATOWICE ĞOĆVNLH 3RGNDUSDFNLH 0DâRSROVNLH • KRAKÓW 44 General information about Poland Poland Full name: the Republic of Poland (RP) Of cial language Polish Capital city Warsaw Major cities ód, Kraków, Wrocaw, Pozna, Gdask, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Katowice, Lublin, Biaystok, Olsztyn Political system Parliamentary democracy. The legislative power is exercised by a two-chamber parliament (Sejm – 460 members of the parliament, Senat – 100 senators), executive power by the Council of Ministers and the President, and the judicial power by impartial courts of law. Administrative Since 1 January 1999, the structure of Polish territorial self-government division consists of three levels: gmina self-government, poviat self-government and voivodeship self-government. Poland is divided into 2,479 gminas, 314 poviats and 16 voivodeships (Dolnolskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, ódzkie, Maopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, lskie, witokrzyskie, WarmiLsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie) (as of 1 January 2013). Geographical Poland is located in Central Europe on the Baltic Sea coast. It borders location Russia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south and Germany to the west. Area 312,683 thousand km Population ca. 38 million Climate Moderate. Average temperature in the summer oscillates between 16.5°C and 20°C and in the winter between -6°C and 0°C. The hottest month is July. The coldest month is January. Religions Catholicism – 95%, Orthodox Church – 1.5%, Protestantism – 1% and others. Ethnic groups Poland is almost entirely an ethnically homogenous country. Poles represent ca. 97% of the population. The largest national minorities are Germans, Ukrainians and Belarusians. Central bank Narodowy Bank Polski (the National Bank of Poland, NBP) having its of cial seat in Warsaw at ul. witokrzyska 11/21. Currency In 2013, the average EUR exchange rate set by NBP was PLN 4.1975. PLN 1 equalled ca. EUR 0.24. Emergency and 997 – Police, 998 – Fire Brigade, 999 – Medical Rescue Service, information 112 – General Emergency Number (calls are free of charge) phone numbers Holidays 1 January – New Year, 6 January – Epiphany, Easter (moveable feast), 1 May – Labour Day, 3 May – 3 May Constitution Day, Corpus Christi (moveable feast), 15 August – Assumption, 1 November – All Saints’ Day, 11 November – Independence Day, 25 and 26 December – Christmas. 2014 Living and working conditions in Poland 5 Residence in Poland Entry into the territory of Poland1 A European Union (EU) citizen2 may en- ter the territory of Poland on the basis of a valid travel document or other document that certies their identity and citizenship. A family member of an EU citizen who does not