This time, the Foundation Ukraine team together with a legal expert prepared a helpful article-instruction for a person who has just arrived in Poland and wants to properly take care of all necessary steps to establish a longer stay in a new country.
The beginning of stay in a new country is always a challenge. Getting all the necessary papers, looking for a flat and a job takes a lot of time and strength, and sometimes even puts you in a state of stress. To go through this process effectively and painlessly, you should have a clear action plan. The Foundation Ukraine team interviewed a legal specialist to facilitate the first steps of migrants in the Lower Silesia area.
An answer to the question “What steps does a migrant coming to Poland have to take care of?” was given by the expert in the legal field – head of the legal department of the Foundation Ukraine and an employee of the State Consulate of Ukraine – Bartłomiej Potocki:
– Entering Poland, a person who crosses the border should take care of the place where he or she will stop, have valid health insurance and obtain a registration and PESEL number as soon as possible.
– Let’s start our discussion from the topic with placement issues?
– The most common way to arrange a place of detention is to rent a flat or a room. And here we need to sign a clear and understandable for the tenant agreement on the rent of residential space with the owner or a person authorized by the owner to rent an apartment, remembering the list of articles placed in the apartment and documenting their condition. Traditionally, when signing the contract, a deposit is also paid, we must ensure that the contract describes the rules for reimbursing the deposit and the conditions for collecting compensation in the case of deterioration.
Another important thing after finding a place of temporary stay is the registration obligation. We need to report to the commune office according to the address no later than 4 days in a new place. It’s easy to find the place you need to go here: https://www.gov.pl/web/gov/sprawdz-gdzie-zalatwisz-swoja-sprawe. At the office, we apply for a temporary registration, the date of which is determined by the right to stay (visa, visa-free travel period and so on). After the first registration, the foreigner receives a PESEL number, which is needed for many civil law activities, including applying for a temporary residence permit. If we don’t do this, we can get a fine in accordance with the Code of Petty Offenses.
– In which case can we get a fine for not reporting?
– You can get a fine when you are arrested or checked by police officers and the lack of a temporary report will be appeared or during the border control.
– What do we need to know about health insurance?
– The foreigner should be insured for the entire stay in Poland. Health insurance is necessary in cases of a brief illness or reduced ability to work. In Poland, there are two health insurance systems next to each other: public, presented by the National Health Fund: https://www.nfz-wroclaw.pl/ and a private subscription system like Luxmed or Medicare. Lack of insurance results in a full paid form of treatment. A few days in the hospital without insurance can appoint you to issue a bill of several thousand. In case of non-payment of such debt, the debt collection procedure is carried out and the account is debited. When re-entering the territory of the Republic of Poland, the amount to cover the bill will be debited from the bank account. When choosing private insurance, we must also remember to read the contract thoroughly, because often such insurance does not cover treatment in public hospitals, the cost of transporting to hospital and many other things that the NFZ provides.
– How can a person insure themselves?
– There are two ways to get insurance. The first is voluntary insurance, when a person independently signs a contract with the NFZ, and the second is getting an insurance title – application to the NFZ by the employer or university. It should be remembered that the earlier we take care of voluntary insurance, the smaller amount will be charged by the National Health Fund while signing the contract. In turn, the employer is obliged to report the employee within 7 days after starting the contract to the NFZ and ZUS (Social Insurance Institution , it provides insurance in cases of prolonged incapacity for work, including pregnancy, maternity allowance, retirement and so on).
– How to check if the employer reported us to the National Health Fund?
– We should check whether we are brought to the integrated EWUŚ system: https://ewus.nfz.gov.pl/ap-ewus/ or enter the electronic EPUAP system: https://pz.gov.pl/dt/login/login ? urlt = mk2ecb1gm8rs19rq9r8i. To register, you must have a PESEL number and electronic banking to confirm your digital identity. In this system, we can arrange any administrative change online, check that you have health and social insurance and that you have correctly registered in the tax office.
Watching these basic steps will help determine your stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland so that it will be treated as legal. If you have any questions, please use the help of our consultants and specialists at CUKR Infopoint, which offers free consultations for third-country nationals: https://fundacjaukraina.eu/infopunkt-i-konsultacje-doradcow-i-specjalistow/.
The reSTART project is co-financed from the National Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund Program and the state budget.
