Numerous changes to the law came into effect on the 1 January 2018 or will be implemented soon. Among other things, Polish lawmakers allowed all foreigners to automatically obtain their PESEL numbers while registering their addresses of residence. This article is no longer up-to-date. Work is ongoing to update and rebuild the blog by the end of January.
Everyone is allowed to use the ePUAP’s Certified Profile (Profil Zaufany ePUAP), including expats. There are only two obstacles: first, the system is all in Polish. Second, you must have a PESEL number to use it. Some expats need to provide the office with the appropriate legal basis for a PESEL number on the special form.
When is the legal basis for a PESEL number necessary?
The rules of PESEL number changed in 2015.
EU citizens get a PESEL number automatically when they register their residence.
Read more: Registration in Poland. Zameldowanie For Foreigners
Non-EU citizens also get a PESEL number automatically when they have
- permanent residency
- long-term EU residency
- “Poleโs card”
- after marrying an EU citizen
- if theyโre refugees
- or they have special status due to humanitarian reasons
The fact is: non-EU citizens with most types of temporary residence permits and visas cannot obtain a PESEL number automatically. If that applies to you, you need to submit the special form with the legal basis for a PESEL number in order to be able to use ePUAP.
What is the ePUAP’s Certified Profile?
ePUAP
Basically ePUAP is a system for online communication with government offices, for example city halls, tax offices or ZUS (the social insurance institution). It enables you to get some administrative things done from home. Unfortunately you won’t be able to use it on your own if you don’t know Polish, since no English version is available, but you have the right to use it and it’s free of charge – so I’ve decided to explain to you how to set it up.
You can read more about ePUAP here.
Certified Profile (Profil Zaufany)
Certified Profile can be understood as the electronic data of the ePUAP’s account user. It will be your official online identifier. Once you set up an account according to the instructions below, you’ll create a profile. Then, after you confirm your identity in one of the verification points, your profile will become certified.
How to set up the ePUAP step by step
- When you have a PESEL number already:
- Register an account
- Verify your phone number by typing in the code from the SMS message. After that the system will automatically generate a request for a Profil Zaufany
- Go to the authorization point and confirm your identity within 14 days.
- When you don’t have a PESEL number yet:
- Apply for a PESEL number with a special form. Get confirmation from the clerks
- Register an account
- Verify your phone number by typing in the code from the SMS message. After that the system will automatically generate a request for a Profil Zaufany
- Confirm your identity in the authorization point and get a confirmation message.
- Bring the confirmation from the ePUAP clerks to PESEL clerks
In the second scenario remember to take a computer or a smartphone to the office while applying for a PESEL number. You’ll set up an account from the office and confirm it just after. If you do so, the procedure will be completed right away, within an hour and in the same building.
Apply for a PESEL number
If you need to apply for a PESEL number, first fill out this form.
Print it out and let’s deal with it together.
Wniosek o nadanie numeru PESEL – The application for a PESEL number
Instrukcja wypeลniania w trzech krokach – Instructions for completion in three steps
- Fill the form out with CAPITAL LETTER
- Use one of the given symbols in order to check options
- Fill the form out with black or blue colours
1
Wnioskodawca – The applicant
- Imiฤ – First name
- Nazwisko – Surname
- Adres do korespondencji… – Your mailing address
- Ulica – Street
- Number domu – House number
- Numer lokalu – Flat number
- Kod pocztowy – Post code
- Miejscowoลฤ – Locality (for example city)
2
Dane osoby, ktรณrej dotyczy wniosek – Data of the person concerned
You need to fill it out even if you are both the applicant and the person concerned. I asked about that in the office and they told me that in this case you simply answer duplicate questions twice – in points 1 and 2.
- Imiฤ – First name
- Imiฤ drugie – Middle name
- Imiona kolejne – Other names
- Nazwisko – Surname
- Pลeฤ – Sex
- kobieta – female
- mฤลผczyzna – male
- Data urodzenia – Date of birth (dd-mm-yyyy)
- Kraj urodzenia – Country of birth
- Kraj miejsca zamieszkania – Country of residence
- Obywatelstwo lub status bezpaลstwowca – Citizenship or the status of stateless persons
- polskie – Polish
- bezpaลstwowiec – stateless person
- inne – other
- Ostatnio wydany paszport obywatela polskiego – The most recent passport of a Polish citizen (skip it)
- Dokument podrรณลผy cudzoziemca lub inny dokument potwierdzajฤ
cy toลผsamoลฤ i obywatelstwo – Travel document of a foreigner or other document confirming identity and citizenship
- Seria i numer – Series and number
- Data waลผnoลci dokumentu – Expiration date of the document (dd-mm-yyyy)
3
Dodatkowe dane osoby, ktรณrej wniosek dotyczy, oraz dane jej rodzicรณw – Extra data of the person concerned, and data of their parents
Wypeลnij, jeลผeli dane sฤ dostฤpne i wynikajฤ z przedstawionych dokumentรณw – Fill it out, if data are available and are confirmed in the documents
I was told in Krakow that foreigners can skip point 3 of the form, because it’s included for Polish citizens. I cannot guarantee that it will be like that in all cities though, so I’ve included translations for this part as well. If clerks ask you to fill out this part, you will be able to do so.
As for now skip it and go to point 4 of the form.
- Nazwisko rodowe – Family name
- Miejsce urodzenia (nazwa miejscowoลci) – Place of birth (name of the locality, for example city)
- Oznaczenie aktu urodzenia – Number of the birth certificate
- Oznaczenie urzฤdu stanu cywilnego, w ktรณrym zostaล sporzฤ dzony akt urodzenia – Identification of the registry office where the birth certificate was issued
- Imiฤ ojca (pierwsze) – Father’s first name
- Nazwisko rodowe ojca – Father’s family name
- Imiฤ matki (pierwsze) – Mother’s first name
- Nazwisko rodowe matki – Mother’s family name
Ostatnio wydany dowรณd osobisty obywatela polskiego – The most recent ID card of a Polish citizen
Skip it.
4
Dane o stanie cywilnym osoby, ktรณrej wniosek dotyczy – Marital status of the person concerned
Wypeลnij, jeลผeli dane sฤ dostฤpne i wynikajฤ z przedstawionych dokumentรณw – Fill it out, if data are available and are confirmed in the documents
- Stan cywilny – Marital status
- kawaler/panna – unmarried
- ลผonaty/zamฤลผna – married
- Then if you checked ลผonaty/zamฤลผna you should fill out the next part. Otherwise skip it.
- Imiฤ maลลผonka – Spouse’s first name
- Nazwisko rodowe maลลผonka – Spouse’s family name
- Numer PESEL maลลผonka – Spouse’s PESEL number (only when issued)
- Then if you checked ลผonaty/zamฤลผna you should fill out the next part. Otherwise skip it.
- rozwiedziony/rozwiedziona – divorced
- wdowiec/wdowa – widowed
5
Ostatnie zdarzenie majฤ ce wpลyw na maลลผeลstwo – The last event affecting your marriage
Wypeลnij, jeลli osoba, ktรณrej dotyczy wniosek, kiedykolwiek zawarลa zwiฤ zek maลลผeลski. Zaznacz tylko jedno, najbardziej aktualne zdarzenie i uzupeลnij pozostaลe pola – Fill it out only when the person concerned has ever entered into matrimony. Choose only one, the most recent event, and leave the remaining fields empty
Again – in Krakow you’re not required to fill this part out, but I’ve included translations just in case. As for now skip point 5 and go straight to point 6.
- Zdarzenie – Event
- zawarcie zwiฤ zku maลลผeลskiego – act of marriage
- rozwiฤ zanie zwiฤ zku maลลผeลskiego – dissolution of marriage ties
- uniewaลผnienie zwiฤ zku maลลผeลskiego – declaration of invalidity of marriage
- zgon maลลผonka (zaznacz, jeลli znasz datฤ zgonu) – spouse’s death (check it only if you know the exact date of death)
- zgon maลลผonka – znalezienie zwลok (zaznacz, jeลli maลลผonek zmarล, ale znasz jedynie datฤ znalezienia ciaลa) – spouse’s death – finding the body (check it, if your spouse has died, but you know only the date of finding their body)
- Data zdarzenia – Date of the event (dd-mm-yyyy)
Oznaczenie aktu maลลผeลstwa albo sygnatura akt sฤ du, ktรณry rozwiฤ zaล/uniewaลผniล maลลผeลstwo, albo numer aktu zgonu maลลผonka – Number of the marriage’s certificate, or a file reference of a court that dissolved/annulled the marriage, or the number of the spouse’s death certificate
Oznaczenie urzฤdu stanu cywilnego, w ktรณrym sporzฤ dzono akt maลลผeลstwa albo akt zgonu, albo oznaczenie sฤ du, ktรณry rozwiฤ zaล/uniewaลผniล maลลผeลstwo – Identification of the registry office where the marriage certificate or death certificate was issued, or the court that declared annulment.
6
Here you choose how you want to be notified when your PESEL number has been issued
- papierowa – paper
- elektroniczna – online
Choose “papierowa” option. They’ll simply give you a written confirmation within 15 minutes after you submit a form for a PESEL number. At least in Krakow it works like that.
7
Podstawa prawna upowaลผniajฤ ca do otrzymania numeru PESEL โ wskazanie przepisu, z ktรณrego wynika obowiฤ zek posiadania numeru PESEL – Legal basis that entitles you to obtain a PESEL number – indication of the legal provision which shows that you must have a PESEL number
Write this exact legal basis for a PESEL number based on the ePUAP’s Certified Profile: “Par. 5 ust. 3 oraz par. 8 ust. 1 Rozporzฤ dzenia Ministra Cyfryzacji w sprawie profilu zaufanego elektronicznej platformy usลug administracji publicznej z dnia 5 paลบdziernika 2016 r. (Dz.U. 2016 poz. 1633)“.
8
Podpisy – Signatures
Miejscowoลฤ – City
Data – Date (dd-mm-yyyy)
Wลasnorฤczny podpis wnioskodawcy – The handwritten signature of the applicant
Legal basis for a PESEL number: go to the municipality office
Now you should go to the office where you registered your residency (completed zameldowanie). If you haven’t registered residency at your current flat yet, you can find more information here. When you want to both register your residency and apply for a PESEL number on the basis of this form at the same time, remember to tell the clerks about that from the beginning. Otherwise they will need to copy your data to the system twice and the whole procedure will be longer.
After 15 minutes you should obtain a PESEL number and a confirmation. Now take a seat and register your account.
Register an account
Originally Profil Zaufany was part of the ePUAP system only, so everything could be done on the epuap.gov.pl website. Some time ago it became a more independent tool with its own webiste: pz.gov.pl. Although both websites are connected with the same database, it’s recommended that new users use the latter address to register.
This is why you should first go to this website and fill out a short form.
* pola wymagane – *required fields
- Dane logowania – Login details
- Identyfikator uลผytkownika – User ID
- Hasลo – Password
- Make sure to use at least one capital letter, one lowercase letter, and a number or a special character, no fewer than 8 characters
- Powtรณrz hasลo – Repeat the password
- Dane osobowe – Personal data
- Pierwsze imiฤ – First name
- Drugie imiฤ – Middle name
- Nazwisko – Surname
- PESEL
- Dane kontaktowe – Contact details
- Numer telefonu – Phone number (format: +48883446980)
- Metoda autoryzacji – Authorization method
- it must be the default option: Autoryzacja SMS – SMS authorization
- Zapoznaลem siฤ z zakresem i warunkami korzystania z ePUAP… – here you need to approve the conditions of use and give your authorisation to process your personal data
Zarejestruj siฤ – Register
Use confirmation code
After that you should see this screen where you’re asked to copy the code that they’ve sent you via SMS:
Click on “Weryfikuj kanaล autoryzacji i zarejestruj konto“.
After that you should see this screen:
Twoje konto zostaลo pomyลlnie zaลoลผone. Wraz z utworzeniem konta… – Your account has been succesfully set up. Upon registration of the account the application for the certified profile has been sent. Confirm it now in one of the verification points by the deadline: 06-06-2017.
You will also receive two email messages from the Profil Zaufany system: one stating that your account has been registered, and one reminding you that you should go confirm your certified profile.
And we’re done with this step. It wasn’t that complicated, was it? Now you should go to the authorization point before the deadline.
Go to the authorization point
You can go to any place from this list. There will be an authorization point in the building of the city hall where youโve registered your residency, so you will probably choose this one.
If you wish to find other points, click on “Filtr” and then write you city in the “Miejscowoลฤ” (City) field.
Required documents
If you didn’t need to apply for a PESEL number on the special form, you don’t need anything more than your passport.
If you’ve just obtained a PESEL number, make sure to take the confirmation with you.
The procedure should take up to a quarter of an hour. When it’s done, go to the clerks where you applied for a PESEL number, and give them the confirmation from the ePUAP clerks. They will make a copy as proof that you’ve finished the procedure.
Now you have both a PESEL number and an ePUAP account that will be valid for the next 3 years. Well done. If you think that this article was useful please leave me a comment below.
Read more: Just After Moving to Poland – have you done everything?
Read more: Living in Poland
Hi, this weekend is good in favor of me, for the reason that this time i am reading this great educational article here at my residence.
I’m glad that my blog has partially caused your good mood, Freddie ๐
hello Maciek,
I do not reside in Poland but I would need to obtain a PESEL number in order to send a request in EPUAP – to polish institutions. In particular I need to ask for some acts of marriage and birthdate of 1900’s Polish nationals, in order to submit them and apply for Polish citizenship.
I read that I can apply for PESEL even if I am not polish and I do not live in Poland (I live in neighbouring Czech Republic, hello all!), is it correct through the form you explain to be sent out to Warsaw.
The PESEL n. should be then sent electronically within 30 days. Is it so?
Isn’t it any other less burocratic or lengthy way to do so, being non Polish and not living in Poland?
Thanks
Thankfulness to my father who informed me on the topic of this
webpage, this blog is actually amazing.
This is very useful. Thank you for creating this guide.
Thank you ๐
Hi, it looks like now the PESEL box on the registration page is mandatory. Do you have an idea how to pass it?
Hello Nadir. I think we can solve it but I will need more details. Please email me to [email protected] with the following details:
1. Which Polish city do you live in.
2. What country do you come from?
3. Which office required PESEL from you?
Thanks a lot! With the help of your website I got my PESEL in 15 min. You are doing a great job helping expats!
That’s great to hear that! Thank you for your comment.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Maciek!! We were able to get both the PESEL and residence registration done today without any issues. You are a life saver!
I’m very happy to read this. Thank you for your comment!
hi dears ,i attended for PESEL NUMBER but they told me i should find out low such a reason for get PESEL number and actually i don’t which low can help me to get pesel number from this office.
is there any recommend or if someone can tell me with which low i can have it gonna be so nice.
Thanks
hello sir ,im from india now i live in poland, i am really very very thank full to you , this blog have lot of information , i found many solutions on your blog, about pesel , temporary residence registration, epup, Driving licence exchange and lot more . you are life saver , again thank you so much , this is one stop solutions for all
Thank you for your kind words and for reading JustAsk Poland sir.
Thank you Maciek for all the detailed information. I really appreciate the quality of information you provide here in your page.
thank you Rafael
Thank you Maciek for the superb blog! Definitely made this year’s renewal a breeze! Where were you 5 years ago ๐
I just had some input. I went to request for a PESEL at the Warsaw office and the lady required more documents from me (in addition to your instructions)
1) Copy of front page of passport
2) Copy + Sworn translation of Birth Certificate
3) Letter from Voidship office confirming need for PESEL (I wrote a podanie with the same paragraph you had above and stating I need for ePUAP access and they wrote up a podanie on the spot for me)
Cheers! Keep up the amazing work!
EDIT: I’m an Expat from Canada
Hello James, thank you! ๐ Copy of the front page of your passport is understandable, although in Krakow they make copies on their own, which is super nice of them. Birth certificate and the letter from the Voivodeship Office are weird and unexpected, please keep me updated about any progress if you don’t mind. My email address is [email protected]
Thank you for this article! Your guide is perfect.
But I have a question. I already got a pesel and in Urzad they did not say anything about confirmation from ePUAP. If I will not confirm it or will not create an account in ePUAP portal my pesel will be valid?
Hello Stanislav. A PESEL is issued once for life. However, in Krakow they rather ask for the confirmation and I believe that it’s honest to finish the procedure, even if you won’t provide the office with the confirmation.
Hi, I was living in Poland for a year and I moved out, now my polish number is closed and I am trying to change the authorization number on my certified profile however I am not receiving the sms on my new number! do you know if it works with foreign numbers or if it takes time for the new number to kick in!?
Hello Hamsa. So you were living in Poland for a year and back then you set up your ePUAP, then you moved out, then you changed your number and now you cannot receive an sms message on your new number?
Hello, first of all congrats and thank you for your blog, it’s very helpful for foreigners like me. I just want to ask for the most recent status of PESEL. I’ve come across different blogs saying as of Jan 1 2018, it’s been very easy for foreigners to get this number by going to municipilaty with your tenancy agreement & passport ?
Thank you
What office I should go to ask for the pesel? I live in Mordor (Mokotow – Sluzewiec) and I have permanent residence as EU-citizien ๐
Thanks!!!
Thanks a million for the information. You saved my life.
Hi Maciek. Thanks for this great blog. I have a question about the Profil Zaufany. I can register it online, but at the authorization point the system always gives a server error. They told me it might be because I have special letters (umlaut) in my name. On the other hand I was refused confirmation when I substituted the umlaut with the equivalent Latin character (e.g. รค -> a). What is the way to create a profile with non-Polish letters?
Hello Maciek
I was born and live in England but am thinking about retiring to Poland. I bought a summer house in Poland in 1996 and holiday there several times per year and would like to retire there in a year or so.
Both my parents were born in Poland before the war and I was issued a Polish passport in 1998. I am reasonably fluent in reading and writing Polish.
Went to the Polish Consulate in London today and was told that a new Polish passport cannot be issued to me without a PESEL.
Can I apply for a PESEL with my current UK address as my summer house in Poland does not have a formal address.
Hi, from where do I book the appointment to PESEL registration office.
Hi Maciek. Thanks so much for a clear an informative article on the PESEL process. I will definitely be back to the site for more info.
Can you confirm if this information has been updated based on the January 2018 changes?
Thank you!