National ID card

So, I am in Poland now.

The first thing to do is to get the ID card. Poland does have a national ID card that is pretty much necessary to have if you live here. In particular it is necessary when dealing with customs once the container arrives to Gdynia. It takes up to three weeks to get it, so the big question is whether the stuff arrives before that or not.

To obtain the ID one has to show up in person in Urząd Miasta and submit the following documents:

1. Three pictures. The pictures are kind of special, “left half-profile”, different than what is required for passport. In Lublin there is a photo service located in Urząd Miasta. The set of four costs 28zl ($10). Don’t forget to shave in the morning, this picture stays with you for ten years.
2. The request form. This can be downloaded from the Urząd Miasta site of the city you want to live in.
3. The previous ID. In my case that was the booklet-style ID from communist times.
4. Marriage certificate may be needed unless you married in the city where you request the ID. It is better to have it just in case.
5. The receipt confirming you have paid 30 zl to the Urząd Miasta account.

So this is the official list. However, when I came to the office the clerk wanted to see my passport as well, so I had to go back home and come again. There is also some tricky part with “zameldowanie”. In Poland everybody has to register his/her address with the goverment. It is a really annoying remnant of communism. In my case I didn’t unregister my address when I left Poland in 1994, which technically is a misdemeanor, but it simplified things somewhat when I was applying for the ID. It is not that easy to get the address registered as the owner of the dwelling you live in has to sign the form. If you rent, forget about it. I don’t know what happens when you don’t have a registered address.

Tags: beaurocracy