As you may have already noticed in Poland, any time you try and do something (such a open a bank account or get a mobile phone contract) people ask your for your ‘Pesel’. Most of the time you don’t actually need a Pesel if you argue with them – but of course it’s a lot easier if you have one.
What is a PESEL?
A Pesel is an 11 digit identification number partly based on your date of birth. Polish people are assigned one within a couple of months of being born. When my daughter was born here in Poland we simply called the Urząd Miasta when she was 2 months old and they told us it over the phone. For foreigners you get it in the same place where you do your zameldowanie.
A Pesel is not a VAT number, nor is it a tax number (called a ‘NIP’ number in Poland), nor is it a national insurance number. It is just an ID number.
How do I get my PESEL?
If you are a foreigner (i.e. you don’t have confirmation of Polish citizenship) then a pesel can be applied for when you do a zameldowanie for a a period greater than 3 months. But to register for more than 3 months you will need to have got your karta pobytu already which lets you register for 5 years.
When you do your 5 year zameldowanie make sure you explicitly tell them that you want a Pesel. They are supposed to ask you about it but they didn’t ask me at all.
I have heard that sometimes they generate the Pesel automatically and some people didn’t even know that one had been generated for them. But for me no-one mentioned anything and on checking today they said I don’t have one.
Because the procedure is that a Pesel can only be generated when you register, I therefore needed to de-register and re-register (wymeldować and again zameldować). Unfortunately I didn’t have my documents with me so I will come back and do this another time. I was told I would receive my Pesel within 10 days of doing this.
Getting a Pesel is very easy to do and doesn’t cost anything. It will save you many arguments in public offices and shops. I wish I had known about this a few months ago…
EDIT – 19th Aug 2008:
I just returned form the Urząd Miasta and was told something different – the regular guy was there and he claimed that he did offer me a Pesel and I declined it. I find that hard to believe (why would I decline a Pesel?) but maybe I misunderstood something. He said that it would now be difficult to issue one. After a few phone calls and playing with his computer he said he would delete me, start over again from new and do it. So in the end it was sorted and I didn’t have to de-register and re-register. He said I had to return in a week to collect it. I asked if I could just call by phone and he said no. By this time he was getting grumpy so I didn’t try and push my luck any further…
Hey Ben, wish I’d read your blog in more detail before going for my karta pobytu – I got everything done quite quickly, but ended up with just a silly bit of beige paper and no PESEL. Looks like I’m going to have to go back and ask for the PESEL now, what a pain!
yeah the karta pobytu is a bit of an anti-climax huh? Apparently a few years ago it was a proper card with your photo. Now it’s just a crappy looking bit of A5 paper. Apparently they are going to abandon this system and the whole zameldowanie thing at some point anyway….
Hi, thanks so much for this post. I’m trying to get a mobile phone on contract – it been 4 weeks so far and counting! I just got my karta pobytu but without the permanent zameldowanie it’s no use! This post has definitely clarified a few things for me so I’m hoping maybe I can get it sorted after the weekend. Thanks again!
I agree with the karta pobytu anti-climax comment! I was totally felt blah when i finally got it due to the time, effort and red tape it took to get the damn bloody thing!
hello, thanks for the help but I really don’t understand what to do to get my PESEL. I’m leaving Italy next september to study in Poland for ten months. I have to fill in a form called “application form” and they ask me for PESEL. Is it possibile to get it before I’m in Poland? Help me please.
thanks
I don’t see how it is possible for you to get a Pesel before you do your “zameldowanie” registration in Poland when you come to live here. I presume you will be renting somewhere to live when you come, so make sure that you get a proper tenancy agreement to prove you have the right to live at that address so that you can do your zameldowanie without any problems.
Hi Ben
I’m a Polish citizen but born in Canada living and working in London as a Polish EU worker. My current Polish passport is up for renewal and after waiting at the consulate for 2.5 hours they told me I needed a PESEL to get a passport. The guy at the counter gave me a ton of instructions in Polish and since my Polish isnt very good I didnt really understand what I had to do. Apparently as of 2006 a PESEL is required to renew your passport. I’m not planning to reside in Poland.
Any chance you would know how I would go about doing this? Some of the instructions had to do with getting my Canadian birth certificate and having it guaranteed by the Canadian government and then notarizing it I think and it it went on and on…. Wondering if anyone knows how I could do it any easier.
Thanks
Martin
Hi,
The information on this page is spot on, good work.
I have been here nearly 5 years and I still don’t have a PESEL number but lord knows I’ve tried. I’ve lived in 4 different apartments since I’ve been here but not one of the landlords has wanted to provide a tenancy agreement. The reason for this is that they have to pay tax on tenants. Without tenancy agreement you get no zameldowanie, no zameldowanie means no pesel. No pesel means problems with contracts for phones, credit and just about anything else that you have to put a signature on. Having a residents card but no tenancy agreement means visits from the Dzielnicowe (The Residents Police or something like that) at your apartment and regular requests for your presence at the cop shop.
The red tape you have to go through is unbelievable and so very backwards.
Apart from this Poland is great!