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.
Many of the problems which expats face in Poland cannot be avoided, but quite a few of them result only from the lack of imagination of Polish lawmakers. In my opinion a PESEL number issue is one of the most bizarre and incomprehensible problems that should never happen. We’ve spent a long time looking for a way to get PESEL numbers for children from non-EU countries and, thanks to Jullie Giovanna, we finally got it.
What a PESEL number is and why you need it
PESEL is an 11-digit number, in principle issued once for life. Those who have it use it for various purposes, such as for personal income tax identification, to register a car, open a bank account, take out a loan, submit forms in the state offices, register a domain for a website, or even obtain power of attorney in order to collect someone else’s registered letters at the post office.
Most importantly, Poles use their PESEL for identification in the NFZ (Polish National Health Fund) databases that are checked in order to verify that your insurance is valid every time you go to a public doctor.
Most foreigners have problems obtaining a PESEL
Before 2015 all foreigners could obtain their PESEL numbers the same way as Polish citizens. Unfortunately the rules have changed. Although EU citizens still have no problems obtaining their PESEL numbers, it’s more complicated for people from non-EU countries. There are several exceptions for non-EU expats who have:
- permanent residency
- long-term EU residency
- Pole’s card
- card of the family member of an EU citizen
- refugee status
- subsidiary protection
- asylum
- permit for tolerated stay
- temporary protection
- authorization to stay for humanitarian reasons
- who are spouses or children younger than 21 y.o. of a refugee status or subsidiary protection holder
- who are children older than 21 y.o. or parents of a refugee status or subsidiary protection holder if they’re financially dependent on him/her or his/her spouse
But if you’re a citizen of a non-EU country and none of those conditions apply to you, you won’t obtain a PESEL automatically.
Is it possible to survive without a PESEL?
Although the lawmakers changed the rules of issuing PESEL numbers, they didn’t manage to successfully change the system of personal identification. In practice the percentage of people who don’t have their PESEL numbers is so small that although theoretically you shouldn’t feel any inconvenience due to not having your PESEL number, your life would be much easier with it.
For example you may have problems with some banks which still require PESEL numbers to open accounts (check more here). Also, you will have to explain your situation numerous times to various clerks and companies when they ask you for your PESEL number for insurance, service, purchase of a product, or an administrative procedure. You will also need some alternative number for tax identification, so you will have to apply for a NIP (NIP number for foreigners).
Among all the problems you’re going to have the biggest one will be using the public health care system. Since you cannot be put in the NFZ database, medical facilities won’t be able to check if your insurance is valid. For every visit to the hospital or doctor you will have to bring the ZUS ZUA sheet to confirm that you’ve been admitted to the public health care system, together with ZUS ZCNA to confirm that the insurance also covers your children and spouse, and also with the most recent ZUS RMUA report to confirm payment of health insurance for the previous month.
That’s why although it’s possible to live without a PESEL, people desperately look for a way to obtain it.
Non-EU foreigners have to prove that they must have a PESEL
Even when you’re not allowed to obtain a PESEL ex officio like Polish or EU citizens do, you will still get one if you prove that you need it for some reason. It’s not that easy though, because you need to provide the office with the legal provision that says that you must have a PESEL number for some particular purpose.
Many legal acts which used to require PESEL numbers for identification have been modified since 2015, so they now alternatively accept birth dates or passport numbers in place of PESEL numbers. There are only a few situations which don’t accept any alternative for PESEL numbers. One of them regulates the system called ePUAP. This is an online system used for communication with some administrative bodies and public institutions in Poland. Every user of it must have a PESEL and foreigners have the right to use it. You can read more about it here.
How you can get a PESEL for your child
In many cases it’s easy to obtain a PESEL when a child is born on the territory of Poland, but usually children relocate to Poland together with their parents. What can be done in a situation like this?
Minors are not allowed to register for ePUAP. I was contacted by several parents frustrated by the fact that they could get PESEL themselves but knew no way to obtain it for their children. We’ve spent months looking for any legal basis that could work for children and then Jullie Giovanna showed up and solved our problems. She told me about two legal provisions to use. We’ve tested them with four different readers and now we can spread the good news – there is a legal basis to obtain a PESEL for children.
Legal basis depends on the age of your child
Younger children
If your child is 3 years old or younger, please use the following legal basis:
Art. 3a ustawy z dnia 4 lutego 2011 r. o opiece na dziećmi w wieku do 3 lat (Dz. U z 2016 poz. 157 ze zm.)
Among other things it says:
“Rodzic ubiegający się o objęcie dziecka opieką w żłobku lub klubie dziecięcym albo przez dziennego opiekuna przedstawia, w formie oświadczenia lub zaświadczenia, następujące dane: (…) imię, nazwisko, datę urodzenia oraz numer PESEL dziecka (…)” – Parent who applies for taking custody of their child at the nursery or in the kids club or by a caretaker shall present the following data in the form of the statement or certificate: (…) first name, surname, birth date and a PESEL number of the child (…).
As I said, we tested this legal basis with four parents. In three cases it worked without any problems. The fourth parent, however, was told by a clerk that they can apply for a nursery for their child without having a PESEL number. This is not true. After 2015 almost all legal acts which used to require the PESEL number have been changed and were given alternatives, but this legal provision is different and mentions only a PESEL number.
If a similar situation happens to you, insist on submitting the form anyway in order to force the office to issue a written decision. It’s crucial because then the lawyer will be able to address this decision if you decide to use legal assistance.
Older children
For older children write:
Art. 92k ust. 2 pkt 2 ustawy z dnia 7 września 1991 r. o systemie oświaty (Dz.U. z 2017 poz. 2198 ze zm.)
This legal provision describes rules for organizing recreation for school-age children, for example field trips or camps. It says that the organizer of the trip is required to create a qualification card containing – among other things – some key data about the child participating. One of the pieces of data included to this card must be the child’s PESEL number which confirms the child’s valid health insurance. Again, there is no alternative for it here.
One of the parents who helped me test those legal provisions was told that their child was too young to go on school trips. If such a situation happens to you, please insist on submitting the request anyway in order to force the office to issue a written decision that you will then show to a lawyer.
How to obtain a PESEL
How to fill out the form
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 wypełniania w trzech krokach – Instructions for completion in three steps
- Fill out the form with CAPITAL LETTER
- Use one of the given symbols in order to check options
- Fill the form out with black or blue coloured ink
1
Wnioskodawca – The applicant – Fill out this part using the data of the parent who will sign the form
- Imię – First name
- Nazwisko – Surname
- Adres do korespondencji… – Your mailing address
- Ulica – Street
- Number domu – House number
- Numer lokalu – Flat number
- Kod pocztowy – Post code
- Miejscowość – City
2
Dane osoby, której dotyczy wniosek – Data of the person concerned – Fill it out with your child’s data
- Imię – First name
- Imię drugie – Middle name
- Imiona kolejne – Other names
- Nazwisko – Surname
- Płeć – Sex
- kobieta – female
- mężczyzna – male
- Data urodzenia – Date of birth (dd-mm-yyyy)
- Kraj urodzenia – Country of birth
- Kraj miejsca zamieszkania – Country of residence
- Obywatelstwo lub status bezpaństwowca – Citizenship or the status of stateless persons
- polskie – Polish
- bezpaństwowiec – stateless person
- inne – other
- Ostatnio wydany paszport obywatela polskiego – The most recent passport of a Polish citizen (skip it)
- Dokument podróży cudzoziemca lub inny dokument potwierdzający tożsamość i obywatelstwo – Travel document of a foreigner or other document confirming identity and citizenship
- Seria i numer – Series and number
- Data ważności dokumentu – Expiration date of the document (dd-mm-yyyy)
3
Dodatkowe dane osoby, której wniosek dotyczy, oraz dane jej rodziców – Extra data of the person concerned, and data of their parents
Wypełnij, jeżeli dane są dostępne i wynikają z przedstawionych dokumentów – 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 miejscowości) – Place of birth (name of the locality, for example city)
- Oznaczenie aktu urodzenia – Number of the birth certificate
- Oznaczenie urzędu stanu cywilnego, w którym został sporządzony akt urodzenia – Identification of the registry office where the birth certificate was issued
- Imię ojca (pierwsze) – Father’s first name
- Nazwisko rodowe ojca – Father’s family name
- Imię matki (pierwsze) – Mother’s first name
- Nazwisko rodowe matki – Mother’s family name
Ostatnio wydany dowód osobisty obywatela polskiego – The most recent ID card of a Polish citizen
Skip it.
4
Dane o stanie cywilnym osoby, której wniosek dotyczy – Marital status of the person concerned
Wypełnij, jeżeli dane są dostępne i wynikają z przedstawionych dokumentów – Fill it out, if data are available and are confirmed in the documents
- Stan cywilny – Marital status
- kawaler/panna – unmarried
- żonaty/zamężna – married
- Then if you checked żonaty/zamężna you should fill out the next part. Otherwise skip it.
- Imię małżonka – Spouse’s first name
- Nazwisko rodowe małżonka – Spouse’s family name
- Numer PESEL małżonka – Spouse’s PESEL number (only when issued)
- Then if you checked żonaty/zamężna you should fill out the next part. Otherwise skip it.
- rozwiedziony/rozwiedziona – divorced
- wdowiec/wdowa – widowed
5
Ostatnie zdarzenie mające wpływ na małżeństwo – The last event affecting your marriage
Wypełnij, jeśli osoba, której dotyczy wniosek, kiedykolwiek zawarła związek małżeński. Zaznacz tylko jedno, najbardziej aktualne zdarzenie i uzupełnij pozostałe 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 związku małżeńskiego – act of marriage
- rozwiązanie związku małżeńskiego – dissolution of marriage ties
- unieważnienie związku małżeńskiego – declaration of invalidity of marriage
- zgon małżonka (zaznacz, jeśli znasz datę zgonu) – spouse’s death (check it only if you know the exact date of death)
- zgon małżonka – znalezienie zwłok (zaznacz, jeśli małżonek zmarł, ale znasz jedynie datę znalezienia ciała) – 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 małżeństwa albo sygnatura akt sądu, który rozwiązał/unieważnił małżeństwo, albo numer aktu zgonu małżonka – 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 urzędu stanu cywilnego, w którym sporządzono akt małżeństwa albo akt zgonu, albo oznaczenie sądu, który rozwiązał/unieważnił małżeństwo – 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 upoważniająca do otrzymania numeru PESEL – wskazanie przepisu, z którego wynika obowiązek 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
Use one of the provisions from this article.
8
Podpisy – Signatures
Miejscowość – City
Data – Date (dd-mm-yyyy)
Własnoręczny podpis wnioskodawcy – The handwritten signature of the applicant
Go to the office
With the form in hand go to the office where you’ve registered yours and your child’s address of residence (zameldowanie). Most of my readers live in big cities, so they should go to their city hall. Usually city halls have branches dedicated to particular parts and districts in the city.
If you haven’t registered your child’s address of residence yet, please give the clerk both forms – for a PESEL and for zameldowanie – at the same time.
The PESEL should be issued in 15 minutes for no cost.
Read more
Legal basis for a PESEL number for ePUAP users
Registration of the address of residence in Krakow
Hi Maciek,
Is there a legal basis for a child who is born in Poland, to non-EU citizens to have a Pesel number?
Regards
Amit
Hello Amit. I will let you know in up to two weeks.
Hello Amit, I have very good news. There’s 99% chance that starting from 1st of January all foreigners will be allowed to obtain their PESEL numbers no matter the type of their residence permits. In this situation please wait a little bit and complete “zameldowanie” (address registration) of your child in January in order to obtain a PESEL number automatically.
Thanks Maciek,
Tomorrow I am going for the address registration for my daughter. I will inform you how it goes .
Regards
Amit
Hello Amit, there rules for issuing PESEL numbers have changed starting from today. Right now all non-EU citizens can have their PESEL numbers automatically too. Please don’t bother with this form and simply register the address of your daughter in order to obtain her PESEL.
Hello I have a question.
My daughter born in mexico. She is 9 years old and we started the process to make her polish passport. Now we have her birth certificate from Poland. But I’m confused if I could make her the Pesel online or I need to make it in the embassy. I don’t like the idea to make it in the embassy will be good if you help me for the best solution. Thanks
I did registration late December, and I got my kartą pobytu this week. But no pesel number whatsoever.
If the new law is in effect, can I reapply for this pesel number? And what’s likely to be the outcome of it.
Thanks