Zameldowanie in Poland: how to register your address

Is it compulsory

By law, anyone who lives at an address for more than three months must register no later than the 30th day after arriving. You do not need it to get a PESEL UKR, but without it some matters take longer: enrolling a child at the local catchment school, some benefits, registering a car.

Temporary or permanent

• Pobyt czasowy — temporary registration for a set period, most often the term of the rental agreement. Suits most Ukrainians.
• Pobyt stały — permanent registration with no end date. Foreigners can have it only with certain residence permits.
• You can have one permanent and one temporary registration at the same time.

What you need

• A passport or another identity document.
• A document confirming your right to the property: a rental agreement or, if there is none, the owner's confirmation on the registration form.
• Your PESEL number, if you have one.

Online or at the office

1. Online: on gov.pl choose the “Zamelduj się” service, log in with Profil Zaufany or mObywatel, enter your details and attach a scan of your rental agreement. If the property owner also has Profil Zaufany, they can confirm the application electronically.
2. In person: go with your documents to the urząd gminy (in a big city, the urząd dzielnicy) for the property's address. Registration is done on the spot.
3. Collect or download the registration certificate (zaświadczenie o zameldowaniu) — schools and employers often ask for it.

Moving and deregistering

When you move, you only need to register at the new address — you are deregistered from the old one automatically. If you leave Poland, it is worth deregistering separately (wymeldowanie) so that old letters and benefits do not go to someone else's address.

Registration for the term of a contract ends by itself. If the contract is extended, extend your registration too.