Buying property in Poland as a foreigner
The complete guide to buying property in Poland as a foreigner. Read about how to buy Polish property, average prices, fees, and more.
The government of Poland has opened its borders to refugees arriving from the ongoing war in Ukraine. So anyone who is escaping from Ukraine and reaches the border will be admitted into Poland.
Helplines for more information:
Hotline: +48 47 721 75 75
Website: www.ua.gov.pl
Ukrainian refugees can stay in EU countries to live, work, receive medical care, housing and education for 1 year without applying for asylum. If the conflict continues and it is not safe to return to Ukraine, this support can be extended to refugees for another 2 years.
Refugees coming by car, train, or foot are all allowed to cross the border. If you have a specific destination or place to stay, you can proceed to that location in the country. If not, the government is giving provisions for refugees at reception points within Poland.
Here is a list of reception points in Poland:¹
Location | Address |
---|---|
Dorohusk-Jagodzin | Suchodolski Palace Communal Culture and Tourism Center, ul. Parkowa 5, 22-175 Dorohusk |
Dolhobyczów-Uhrynów | Border Culture and Recreation Center, ul. Spółdzielcza 8, 22-540 Dołhobyczów |
Zosin-Ustyluh | School Complex in Horodło, ul. Piłsudskiego 58, 22-523 Horodło |
Hrebenne-Rawa Ruska | Primary School in Lubycza Królewska (back of the sports hall), ul. Jana III Sobieskiego 5, 22-680 Lubycza Królewska |
Korczowa-Krakowiec | Common room, Korczowa 155, 37-552 Korczowa |
Medyka-Szeginie | Sports Centre - Medyka 285, 37-732 Medyka |
Budomierz-Hruszew | Primary School in Krowica Sama 183, 37-625 Krowica Sama |
Krościenko-Smolnica | Former Primary School in Łodyna, Łodyna 41, 38-700 Ustrzyki Dolne |
Reception points will provide information about staying in Poland and:
You do not need any specific documents that allow you to cross into Poland. And when you do cross, you are legally allowed to stay in Poland and are not required to register or submit any applications.
But it is important to carry and present any of the following documents:²
Any dogs, cats, and ferrets you have with you must be microchipped and vaccinated. Other types of pets don’t have restrictions but the decision for entry into Poland is made at the border by the National Revenue Administration.
Cars are allowed to come into Poland but the ultimate decision is done at the border by the National Revenue Administration.³
⚠️ While Poland has procedures for entering into the country, it does not have jurisdiction on the border procedures crossing from Ukraine |
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Once you have entered Poland, you are allowed to move around the country. Here are some options to reach your destination:
PKP, Poland’s largest train operator, runs through major towns and cities in the country. Ukrainian citizens may ride the train for free until March 25, 2022, as long you can show an ID.⁴
Buses tend to be convenient to get to with bus stations usually in the center of most towns or cities. The journeys can be longer than a train but can be more accessible to smaller stops across the country. There are both public and private operators in the country.
Flixbus is providing free rides to all nationalities that are coming from Ukraine that are at the Poland/ Ukraine border towns. You can request free tickets through their website chat:
If it is easier, you can also send an email to service@flixbus.com.ua with the required subject line of “UKRAINE”. The body of the email must have the following to qualify for a free ticket:
You will receive an automated email as a response, but a representative will get in touch with you within a couple of hours, if not sooner.
Alternatively, here are a few coach bus companies within Poland that can be found at local bus stations:
Websites like e-podroznik can help plan and navigate the bus system. ⁵
Poland has traditional taxi operators and modern taxi apps, like Uber. Both are available in the major cities in the country.
Uber is offering 2 free rides of up to 300 PLN each from the Ukraininan border points of Hrebenne, Dolhobyczow, Dorohusk, Zosin, Budomierz, Korczowa, or Medyka to the Polish cities of Lublin or Rzeszow. The codes to use are: POMOCLUBELSKIE or POMOCPODKARPACKIE. Keep in mind that these may be updated so check on the Uber website blog.
iTaxi has a Ukrainian language version of the app to help make bookings easier⁶
Here are numbers for traditional taxis in major Polish cities:⁷
If you are thinking of continuing on from Poland, the government of Poland suggests first contacting the embassy of the country you are looking to go to.
For travel to a neighbouring country, there are options to get there by bus, trains and flight depending on the destination city.
Here are a few options for travelling from Poland to a neighbouring country:
By bus, Flixbus is offering free tickets to surrounding countries
There are free Eurocity crossborder tickets are available for Ukrainian passport or ID holders on the following train services:
For Germany, there are 8 Eurocity long-distance trains from Poland that are allowing Ukrainian passport or ID holders to ride for free. The Eurocity long-distance trains are leaving from Warsaw, Gdansk, Przemyśl, Krakow, and Wroclaw.⁸
The Hungarian airline Wizz Air is offering 100,000 free seats on flights for Ukrainian ID holders. The seats can be on selected flights leaving from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, to the destinations within its network. But destinations to Iceland, Canary Islands, and UAE will not be serviced. ⁹
Here is a quick list of the major transportation hubs in Poland. Most cross border travel can be done from these hubs, or are spots to change trains or buses:
Poland has over 330 bus stations across the country to connect domestically, and a few that connect internationally. The ones in the smaller towns are less formal and can be a stop along a road or parking lot, while major cities will have more facilities and amenities at the stations.
Sources:
All sources checked as of 5 March, 2022
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