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PROPERTY

Renting a flat – Media and admin fees?

When trying to calculate how much you will pay for additional costs (media and admin fees), you need to take the following into account:

  • the size of the apartment (the bigger the flat, the higher the bill for heating)
  • the state of the apartment (poor insulation, as well as leaky or drafty windows will get result in higher bills for heating)
  • number of tenants (with more people living in the flat the total you will have to pay will be higher, but when divided, your individual bills will be a lot lower)
  • monthly usage of media
  • type of heating (electric heating is a lot more expensive than central or gas heating)

Electricity – once a month the electricity reading is converted into a bill for the month’s kilowatt-hour consumption. Cost of gas and water is calculated per used cubic meter m3, heating in GJ. The rates depend on the supplier and therefore can differ per city, or even per building.

Generally speaking, for a single person living in a studio apartment, the costs of media and admin fees should be around 350 zł.


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Renting a flat – What is included in media and admin fees?

When renting an apartment in Kraków, on top of the rent you will be required to pay additional costs commonly referred to as  media and admin fees.

Media includes the following:

  • electricity
  • water
  • heating
  • gas
  • phone
  • internet
  • TV

Admin fees are:

  • maintenance of the building and common areas
  • waste disposal
  • repair fund

Of course, not all of the costs mentioned above will be applicable,. for instance, there may be no gas in the building.


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Renting a flat – How do I pay media and admin fees?

It is up to the owner of your flat to decide how you’re going to pay for the media.

There are two options, which are popular on the property market in Kraków:

  • the landlord will ask you to pay rent directly to their bank account.  Once you sign your lease for the flat you will be required to sign the contract for all other media (from electricity to TV and internet).

    In this way all the bills will be in your name and if you are late with the payments the landlord will not be burdened with your debts.  Each month you will receive the invoices and you will have to make the payments yourself.

  • the landlord commits to covering all bills for both media and admin fees for you and then requires you to repay him together with your monthly rent.

    In this case, the landlord should always show you the bills so you have proof of the costs the landlord incurred.   It’s worth mentioning that these payments may be based on actual usage or they might consist of fixed amounts (e.g. each month you will make advance payments and towards the end of your lease there will be an annual clearing – recalculation of how much you’ve used against how much you’ve paid).

Of course, a combination of both options is also possible. Very often landlords are willing to cover all the costs and only ask you to repay them with your rent, however, they ask you to arrange your own internet contract.


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Renting a flat – How to find a flat?

The internet is of course an obvious choice. There are many websites dedicated to flat/property searching.

The most popular are: gumtree.plwww.morion.plwww.olx.pl and www.otodom.pl.

This option however is for those who understand at least a little bit of Polish or are willing to learn the language quickly, as most listings are in Polish only.

  1. Using real estate agent’s services is recommended for those who don’t have time for searching for an apartment on their own and prefer to leave it to the experts.As a bonus, if you don’t speak Polish, all the formalities and communication with the landlord will be taken care of for you. You should be aware that such service costs up to one month’s rent.
  2. People say that print is dead, however, we need to remember that plenty of listings can be found in local newspapers, information points at the universities or in offices.
  3. Through friends or if this is not successful, try Facebook groups such as Kraków Expats or Kraków Property,  Kraków wynajem, Mieszkanie na wynajem

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Renting a flat – How much is the deposit?

In Poland, the standard deposit on a house or flat is the equivalent of one month’s rent.

That is: if you’re supposed to pay 1500 zł rent + utilities, you should expect to pay a deposit of 1500 zł. For high standard flats though the deposit may be 2 times the monthly rent.

The actual rates are not regulated by Polish law; however, the deposit must not be higher than 12 times the monthly rent.


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Renting a flat – How to resolve deposit disputes?

Unless stated otherwise in the contract, the landlord has one month to return the deposit to the tenant after they have moved out. If the refund does not take place or the deposit was only partially paid, you can consider taking one of the following measures:

  1. Write a friendly note to your landlord or try to get him to talk to you.  At the end of the day the delay might have been caused by lack of communication (especially if you don’t speak the same language – try and ask a Polish speaking friend to talk to the landlord for you). Once you get hold of him you may find out that he kept the deposit rightfully (e.g. for replacing or fixing broken items, covering unpaid bills).
  2. If the problem has not been resolved in a friendly manner send a demand letter to your landlord, preferably by means of a certified letter.  In most cases this will be enough to get your landlord to repay the deposit (how to write a demand note: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/small-claims-book/chapter6-4.html)
  3. If you sent the demand note and you still haven’t received your money back you can take the matter  to court.  Please contact a lawyer for advice regarding this.

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Renting a flat – Agents commission – how much & what for?

When it comes to flat rentals, the real estate agent’s commission usually amounts to one month’s rent. In some cases this may be open to negotiation with your agent, always ask first.

What can I expect from an agent?

  • interview clients to determine their needs and preferences with regard to the properties they are seeking
  • advise clients on market conditions and prices
  • search for an apartment that will meet client’s standard, in the desired area of the city and within their financial budget
  • connect with property owners and / or other agencies in order to cooperate with them on rentals
  • co-ordinate viewings
  • negotiate the end rent rate for the client
  • represent their client throughout the process of renting the flat
  • accompany client during visits to properties
  • check or prepare documents regarding the rental, making sure the client understands what they sign
  • answer any questions a client might have with regard to the flat to rent

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Renting a flat – How much should I budget?

Property rental rates in Kraków vary considerably. The main factors which play a role in defining the rent are: size of the flat, location, standard. 

Generally speaking larger flats are more expensive than small ones; rent is higher in the city centre, lower in the outskirts/suburbs.

At the same time, two flats in exactly the same area and same size but different standard will be priced differently.


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Renting a flat – Use an agent or deal privately?

When to use real estate agent’s services:-

  • you do not speak Polish and are  finding it difficult to find a place on your own
  • you need a flat fast and you don’t have time for searching
  • you want to be sure someone checks the lease for you so that you don’t sign something you don’t understand

Do remember, there is an agent’s fee for their services that amounts to one month’s rent of the flat they found for you to rent

Consider trying to find a place on your own if:

  • you speak Polish or have a friend who can help you out with arranging viewings and communication with the landlord
  • you don’t mind spending lot of time searching for a flat which meets your requirements.
  • you do not wish to spend more money than necessary on the rental

Finding a flat on your own is free of charge but is also very time consuming and can be frustrating.


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Renting a flat – What are restrictions for foreigners?

Provided that a foreigner is entitled to stay in Poland, there are no restrictions for them renting a flat, with one exception: occasional lease (Polish: najem okazjonalny).

If the landlord demands that an occasional lease is to be signed, you will be asked to indicate a place where you could live in case of a potential eviction and you are required to provide the formal consent from the owner of that place. The indicated place must be in Poland.

If you’re new in Kraków / Poland and you do not have friends who own a house or a flat who would be willing to agree to let you live in their home in case of eviction,  you cannot sign the occasional lease.


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Buying Property – Restrictions for foreigners?

The restrictions for foreigners buying a property in Poland depend on what kind of property they want to buy and what nationality they are.

Citizens of the European Union, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway are free to buy any property they want (except for agricultural land), as long as they have the financial ability to buy or take a loan.

For non-EU citizens the situation is more complicated.

If a non-EU citizen would like to buy a flat, they can do so without any restrictions.

When it come to buying a house or a piece of land, in general they would need to get a permit to purchase, obtained by submitting an application to the Minister of Interior.

A Permit to purchase is not required if it’s been more than 5 years since the non-EU citizen moved to Poland and obtained a permit to stay here or if they are married to a Polish person.


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Buying Property – How much are property taxes?

When you buy a flat from the primary market you do not have to pay taxes on the purchase. 

In case of secondary market, you’re supposed to pay the so called “podatek od czynności cywilnoprawnych (PCC)” – the tax on civil law transactions. This tax is 2% of the transaction. This means that if you buy a flat for 300 000 PLN, you will have to pay 6 000 PLN tax.

Once the transaction is complete and the apartment is yours, you will have to pay property tax every year. This tax is calculated based on the size of your flat, the rate for 2016 was 0,75 PLN per square meter.


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Renting a flat – Landlord Access?

If a landlord enters your flat when you’re not there and they failed to arrange the visit with you beforehand, it is against the law.

Similarly if the landlord entered your flat when you were present (it does not matter whether you let them in or they broke into the flat) and they stay in the flat against your will, they have committed a crime.

In such case you should report the circumstances to the Police as a crime. Depending on the situation you might do it either at the police station or, if the landlord is still in your flat, you can call the police and ask them to attend.

The possible penalties are: a fine, restriction of liberty or prison for even up to 1 year.


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EDUCATION

Which International Schools do you recommend?

We suggest the following  International schools:-

Open Future International School

OFFERS: Kindergarden – Primary – Middle – High School
LOCATION – Ruczaj/Kliny
SUMMARY (from schools website)

Open Future International School is a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorisation as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy – a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Open Future International School believes is important for our students. Only schools authorised by the IB Organisation can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted.

Embassy International School

OFFERS: Early Years – Primary – Secondary – Summer School
LOCATION – City Centre
SUMMARY (from schools website)
The Embassy International School offers an educational experience for the international and local community of all ages, from 3 to 19, from Nursery (Kindergarten) to end of school exams (internationally renowned A levels, eventually IB Diploma programme). Our teaching philosophy, based on the principles of Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner 1983),  facilitates and inspires learning for all children and young people. Within this framework all children learn to believe in themselves and their potential; we show them how to love learning, how to seek to challenge themselves and how to develop their own minds and personalities.
  

When choosing which school would best service the educational needs for your kid/s, you obviously need to take into account a number of factors, the priorities of which will differ for each family.

For some the education system and accreditation, ie UK or US based, IBO, teaching language – Polish and English or only/mainly English etc, together with the school’s performance and results will be most important.  Sometimes location and school facilities are important, and of course costs can be an important factor.

Many of the schools hold open days, or seek out parents with kids at the school you are considering and ask for feedback and opinions , via social media – Krakow Expat Families or perhaps IWAK (International Woman’s Association of Kraków.

Of course you can and should arrange a visit to the school to check out the facilities and chat wth staff who will always be happy to help you make the best choice for your families educational needs.

BUREAUCRACY

What are Kraków’s Districts?

Kraków is divided into 18 administrative districts, (dzielnica) each with a degree of autonomy within the municipal government.

Kraków  Districts
Krakow Districts

Is there a limit on cash movement – travelling within the EU ?

Abdulkarim_Altareb_3219847b

For Intra EU travel, this  depends on the regulations within each EU state, for example for the UK you do not have to declare cash, when entering the UK from another EU state.

Of course, if you find yourself being stopped for a random customs check whilst entering the UK, and you are found with a substantial amount of cash, then you will have to answer some pretty valid questions in relation to Counter Terrorism and Money Laundering, but providing you have a valid reason there should be nothing to worry about.  That said, money can be seized to allow further enquiries to be carried out.

This from the UK HMRC (Customs) Page:

Travelling in the EU
If you bring cash to the UK from another EU country,  you don’t need to declare it.

You may need to declare cash you take in to other EU countries – check with the authorities in the country you’re travelling to.

This advice from the EU seem’s contradictory, but relates to the fact that some countries, within the EU, may have separate rules on declaration.

“I recently had a large amount of cash confiscated by customs on arrival in another EU country, for failing to report it. I thought there were no limits on the amount of money I could carry around the EU”

You’re right in principle – although you are obliged to declare large amounts of cash (or equivalent, such as travellers’ cheques, promissory notes, monetary orders) to customs.

EU law still allows individual EU countries to have national cash control measures, provided they’re not excessive, including obligatory declaration.

One of the main reasons is the public interest, especially public security – to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Remember also that when leaving or entering the EU, you must declare all cash (or equivalent) worth €10 000 or more.

source: http://ec.europa.eu/finance/capital/faqs/index_en.htm

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FINANCE

Which Bank do you suggest ?

One of the most commonly asked questions on the Kraków Expat FB Forum, and one which usually receives as many answers as there are banks to choose from.

Thats said, these three banks, which all have English language online banking,  keep coming out on top based on the experiences of our expats:-

Millennium Bank
ing logo
ING Śląski Bank
Alior-Bank_-LOGO
Alior Bank

More info to follow.

Cost of Living (Budget) ?

How much do I need to live in Kraków?

Generally the misconception that you can live like a Lord in Kraków on UK/US or ‘western’ wages, may have been true 20 years ago,  but is not quite so true today.

Definitely, your money will go further here, but all of a sudden the realisation hits, you find that the cost of living quickly adds up and is much closer in many regards to where you came from and more than you expected, or hoped!

Of course, this is always a generalisation as it depends on which country you are from, your personal circumstances, way of life and your living standards set against your expectations.

  • In general, food shopping, eating out, entertainment, public transport are cheaper. (compared to UK)
  • Fuel, cars, clothing are roughly about the same.
  • Electronics, and any ‘luxury’ goods are more expensive.

For a more detailed comparison, check out the cost of living comparison sites below, or to get the local perspective from Kraków Expats, go to the  icon-facebook-alt  Kraków Expats Facebook group and ask the members for their experiences.

expatisan logo

flat club logo

numbeo logo

study in krakow

 

 

What is the average salary ?

According to the official Central Statistics Office of Poland (GUS) the average monthly gross wage is 3899,78 pln (data from 2015).

The most recent figures, relate specifically to the ‘enterprise sector’ which show that the average monthly gross wage in January 2016 was 4101.36 pln

 

Other unofficial salary comparison sites offer more detailed and often varied information.

Salary Explorer suggests the average monthly salary in Kraków is 7,252 pln.
Whereas Trading Economics, suggests 4066,95 pln as the average monthly wage.

FAMILIES

Things to Do for Families?

There are a number of family related resources available in English and Polish
kids-in-krakow
Kids in Krakow Website (English)
Kids in Krakow FB (Polish)
Lots of up to date information on kid friendly and family events.

Krakow Families on www.krakow.pl (Official City Website – Polish)

Kraków Expat Families (English) FB
A place for International families living in Krakow with young kids. Our Krakow Expat group is mostly adult orientated, so Kraków Expat Families is where mums, dads, child minders or guardians, can come to share ideas, events and support each other.

Krakow for Kids (English) Blog
A great picture rich blog, run by Karina, a friend of Kraków Expats Directory.

‘I live my dream and I share my passion for kids and photography. When I moved to Krakow a few years ago, I discovered that although there are a number of places for kids in Krakow, not much is written about them is English. The Krakow for Kids site is intended to fill this gap by providing useful information in English about kid-tested, parent-approved places for young kids in Krakow. Included photography is my subjective ‘review’. You decide if – based on what you see – the place is worth visiting.’   Karina

Which International Schools do you recommend?

We suggest the following  International schools:-

Open Future International School

OFFERS: Kindergarden – Primary – Middle – High School
LOCATION – Ruczaj/Kliny
SUMMARY (from schools website)

Open Future International School is a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorisation as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy – a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Open Future International School believes is important for our students. Only schools authorised by the IB Organisation can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted.

Embassy International School

OFFERS: Early Years – Primary – Secondary – Summer School
LOCATION – City Centre
SUMMARY (from schools website)
The Embassy International School offers an educational experience for the international and local community of all ages, from 3 to 19, from Nursery (Kindergarten) to end of school exams (internationally renowned A levels, eventually IB Diploma programme). Our teaching philosophy, based on the principles of Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner 1983),  facilitates and inspires learning for all children and young people. Within this framework all children learn to believe in themselves and their potential; we show them how to love learning, how to seek to challenge themselves and how to develop their own minds and personalities.
  

When choosing which school would best service the educational needs for your kid/s, you obviously need to take into account a number of factors, the priorities of which will differ for each family.

For some the education system and accreditation, ie UK or US based, IBO, teaching language – Polish and English or only/mainly English etc, together with the school’s performance and results will be most important.  Sometimes location and school facilities are important, and of course costs can be an important factor.

Many of the schools hold open days, or seek out parents with kids at the school you are considering and ask for feedback and opinions , via social media – Krakow Expat Families or perhaps IWAK (International Woman’s Association of Kraków.

Of course you can and should arrange a visit to the school to check out the facilities and chat wth staff who will always be happy to help you make the best choice for your families educational needs.

TRANSPORT

What are the toll Fees, Kraków-Katowice?

List of charges for Autostrada A4 – section Katowice – Kraków

section / vehicle motorcycles vehicles up to 4 wheels vehicles with 4 wheels and trailer
vehicles with 6 wheels and 2 axles *
vehicles with 3 axles *
vehicles with more than 3 axles *
vehicles with 3 axles and trailer *
Katowice
Mysłowice
Jaworzno 5,0 zł 10,00 zł 16,5 zł 26,5 zł
Chrzánóv 5,0 zł 10,00 zł 16,5 zł 26,5 zł
Alwernia/Krzeszowice 5,0 zł 16,5 zł 113,10 zł 26,5 zł
Kraków 10,0 zł 20,00 zł 33,00 zł 53,0 zł

* For drivers of vehicles weighing over 3.5 tonnes is recommended to read information about ViaToll.

Fees are collected at toll gates Myslowice and Balice

How much do public transport tickets cost?

Public Transport, Buses & Trams, are run by the MPK, and is generally great value and very efficient, though best hope you get one of the more modern trams, with heating and air con.
MPK Ticket Prices

Anyone going by car to….?

Many of our Expat Community have used and recommend the car sharing site BlaBlaCar.

Check out more information here

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Where can I find public transport route maps?

Maps of the bus and tram networks are published on this website.

Transport Maps

The maps show temporary route changes and are available in the following versions:-

 

DRIVING IN KRAKÓW

Driver Licensing FAQ’s

Understanding Driver Licensing requirements is just one of the many hurdles facing expats in Kraków, so we posted a poll on the Kraków Expats Facebook Group, asking what the main issues were.

Thanks to Maciej at DAKAR Driving School for answering the questions and helping out with this FAQ.

How to convert a foreign (non EU) Licence?
It doesn’t matter if it’s an EU or non EU license, usually it’s allowed to convert it by passing the State theory exam.

How to sit the written and driving exams as a non Polish speaker?

The test (written exam) is translated to English. For the practical part the presence of a sworn translator is needed and we can recommend this kind of service.

What are the costs/fees for lessons/courses?
The price for B category course is 1800PLN. Additional costs are approx 500PLN (medical certificate, both parts of the exam, sworn translator).

What forms are required?

Non EU citizens require a “Karta Pobytu”, for EU citizens it’s also good to have “Karta Pobytu” but if not then Polish residency should be registered in the same “Urząd Miasta” where the Karta Pobytu was issued.

Do I need to convert my EU licence to a PL licence?
If you are staying here temporarily, and your license is valid here: NO.  If you live here permanently it is much better to convert it (in case of registering a car here for example).

How long can I drive for on a non PL licence?

In the case of EU citizens there is no limit here. Non EU citizens are obliged after 185 days to convert it into  Polish licence.

How long does it take?

The standard course for B cat. takes about a month and a half.

How about applying for a new licence from scratch?

The  majority of our students have absolutely ‘zero’ experience, and it’s our job to prepare that person for driving in Kraków traffic.

What if i need to upgrade my existing EU license to a different category?

First you need to convert your B cat. license into a Polish one and then you can apply for the next category.

If I change my current EU driving licence to a Polish one, do I need to relinquish my current licence?
Yes.

DAKAR driving school offers driving tuition and assistance to foreigners, in English or Polish, conveniently located in a city centre location at Rondo Mogilskie/Lubicz, next door to Kraków Opera.

 

PETS

How to Register your Dog

To register your dog a fee of 36.00 must be paid by the end of May each year.  The good news is that you can register your dog online by completing  this form.

The fee can be paid in person at the office of KTOZ ul. Floriańska 53
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9.00 – 15.00 and Tuesday 11.00 – 17.00
Or by bank transfer to bank account 83 2030 0045 1110 0000 0390 3540

ktoz

Find out more about registration, adoption, microchipping, events and how to support animal welfare at the KTOZ website.

What are rules for dog walking in National Parks?

ojcow national parkPoland has 23 National Parks, generally walking dogs is strictly controlled, unless otherwise stated in specified areas.  Parks are patrolled and the guidelines are strictly enforced. Best to check the regulations for each specific park.
Dogs should be muzzled and on a lead.

Atywni z Psami.pl  (Polish) has each park listed .

Psie Chadzanie (Polish) also has  great general information, not only for National Parks.

In Ojcow, dogs have to be on the lead at all times. Tatra National Park -Tatrzański Park Narodowy (Zakopane) has a full ban on dog walking except for Chocholowska Valley where you can walk with your dog on a leash.

Keep in mind also, that if you are visiting the ‘Polish Seaside’ where the beach is within a National Park Area, dogs are banned from the beach, again this is strictly enforced.

NEWS & MEDIA

Where can I find Polish News in English?

Locally in Kraków there are two main English language news portals, the long established Krakow Post and the new kid on the block, Cracow Today.

Krakow Post
Krakow Post

Krakow Post, a high quality News Magazine recently returned to print in April 2016, and will be available Free of charge!  from over 200 distribution points across the city.

Inside Poland provides news and features from across Poland.

Radio Poland
provides National and International News, in English, together with an English language radio programme..

New Eastern Europe provides more political and opinion pieces from Central and Eastern Europe.

We highly recommend that you also utilise Google Translate and keep abreast of the Polish News outlets, Gazeta Krakowska, Wyborcza – Kraków (PL) and the main City Portal,  krakow.pl

MEDICAL

Where can I find an English speaking therapist ?

Krakow Counselling provide counselling (psychotherapy) and workshops in English with over 12 years experience practicing in the UK.here-for-you

SAFETY

How to report a racist Incident ?

Racism Logo

Racism, exists in practically all cultures and countries, and regrettably, is also present here in Poland. In the latter part of 2015 there were a number of widely publicised, but still relatively few racist incidents involving violence against individuals and attacks on property. 

Should you find yourself a victim of Racism there is a very helpful campaign website“Racism. Say it to fight it” in various languages, where you can obtain advice and support and report the incident online.  Ultimately it will be a matter for the Police to investigate, but reporting the incident through this portal should help make sure that appropriate action is taken.  Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is not always the case, when trying to lodge a complaint with local Police.Racism languages

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uHJXnmk3-8

The following information is from the campaign website:-

The information campaign “Racism. Say it to fight it” is conducted within the framework of the project titled Immigrants against hate crimes – how to effectively assert your rights, carried out by the Ministry of the Interior. The project has been originated by the Human Rights Protection Team operating within the Department of Control, Complaints and Petitions of the Ministry of the Interior, which, on a day to day basis, monitors cases related to hate crimes and takes actions in order to prevent that kind of incidents.

The idea of creating a Poland-wide information campaign has appeared as a response to an increasing number of foreigners coming to Poland, who may fall victim to such crimes. The need for broadening knowledge concerning procedures of reporting and combating hate crimes was signalled to the Human Rights Protection Team during meetings with immigrants residing, working and studying in Poland.

The purpose of activities undertaken within the campaign is to inform foreigners about the following issues:
• what hate crimes are and how they are regulated by Polish law,
• what steps may be taken by a victim of such a crime, and what this person may expect from respective authorities,
• what institutions a victim of a hate crime may turn to, what competences and tasks of these institutions are, and what procedures carried out by law enforcement agencies will look like in outline.

We would like both this website and leaflets distributed among the foreigners to be treated as a compendium of information which might help all foreigners being victims of hate crimes to pursue their rights efficiently. The leaflets and posters are also available in the Police stations, in official institutions, at universities and in other public institutions; therefore, you can come across them in various places around Poland. Their presence proves that a particular institution is engaged in the campaign.
Under the campaign, we would like to encourage all foreigners to report crimes they have fallen victims to or they have witnessed to Polish law enforcement agencies.

We hope our actions will contribute to an increase of the immigrants’ trust in Polish public institutions and to establishing communication between aggrieved foreigners and public administration. We believe that, as a result of this, foreigners will feel safe in Poland.

The project Immigrants against hate crimes – how to effectively assert your rights is co-financed with funds of the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals.

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RECREATION

What are rules for dog walking in National Parks?

ojcow national parkPoland has 23 National Parks, generally walking dogs is strictly controlled, unless otherwise stated in specified areas.  Parks are patrolled and the guidelines are strictly enforced. Best to check the regulations for each specific park.
Dogs should be muzzled and on a lead.

Atywni z Psami.pl  (Polish) has each park listed .

Psie Chadzanie (Polish) also has  great general information, not only for National Parks.

In Ojcow, dogs have to be on the lead at all times. Tatra National Park -Tatrzański Park Narodowy (Zakopane) has a full ban on dog walking except for Chocholowska Valley where you can walk with your dog on a leash.

Keep in mind also, that if you are visiting the ‘Polish Seaside’ where the beach is within a National Park Area, dogs are banned from the beach, again this is strictly enforced.

SHOPPING

Shopping FAQ

Shopping Answer

Shopping Question

This is a shopping question


TRAVEL

Travel Question 2

This is  another travel question

Travel FAQ

This is a travel FAQ

JOBS

Job FAQ

Job FAQ

What is the average salary ?

According to the official Central Statistics Office of Poland (GUS) the average monthly gross wage is 3899,78 pln (data from 2015).

The most recent figures, relate specifically to the ‘enterprise sector’ which show that the average monthly gross wage in January 2016 was 4101.36 pln

 

Other unofficial salary comparison sites offer more detailed and often varied information.

Salary Explorer suggests the average monthly salary in Kraków is 7,252 pln.
Whereas Trading Economics, suggests 4066,95 pln as the average monthly wage.

EDUCATION

Which International Schools do you recommend?

We suggest the following  International schools:-

Open Future International School

OFFERS: Kindergarden – Primary – Middle – High School
LOCATION – Ruczaj/Kliny
SUMMARY (from schools website)

Open Future International School is a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorisation as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy – a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Open Future International School believes is important for our students. Only schools authorised by the IB Organisation can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted.

Embassy International School

OFFERS: Early Years – Primary – Secondary – Summer School
LOCATION – City Centre
SUMMARY (from schools website)
The Embassy International School offers an educational experience for the international and local community of all ages, from 3 to 19, from Nursery (Kindergarten) to end of school exams (internationally renowned A levels, eventually IB Diploma programme). Our teaching philosophy, based on the principles of Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner 1983),  facilitates and inspires learning for all children and young people. Within this framework all children learn to believe in themselves and their potential; we show them how to love learning, how to seek to challenge themselves and how to develop their own minds and personalities.
  

When choosing which school would best service the educational needs for your kid/s, you obviously need to take into account a number of factors, the priorities of which will differ for each family.

For some the education system and accreditation, ie UK or US based, IBO, teaching language – Polish and English or only/mainly English etc, together with the school’s performance and results will be most important.  Sometimes location and school facilities are important, and of course costs can be an important factor.

Many of the schools hold open days, or seek out parents with kids at the school you are considering and ask for feedback and opinions , via social media – Krakow Expat Families or perhaps IWAK (International Woman’s Association of Kraków.

Of course you can and should arrange a visit to the school to check out the facilities and chat wth staff who will always be happy to help you make the best choice for your families educational needs.

EVENTS

Event FAQ

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SPORT

Sport FAQ

Sport FAQ

SERVICES

Services FAQ

Services FAQ

ORGANISATIONS

Organisation FAQ

Organisation FAQ

ESSENTIALS

Driver Licensing FAQ’s

Understanding Driver Licensing requirements is just one of the many hurdles facing expats in Kraków, so we posted a poll on the Kraków Expats Facebook Group, asking what the main issues were.

Thanks to Maciej at DAKAR Driving School for answering the questions and helping out with this FAQ.

How to convert a foreign (non EU) Licence?
It doesn’t matter if it’s an EU or non EU license, usually it’s allowed to convert it by passing the State theory exam.

How to sit the written and driving exams as a non Polish speaker?

The test (written exam) is translated to English. For the practical part the presence of a sworn translator is needed and we can recommend this kind of service.

What are the costs/fees for lessons/courses?
The price for B category course is 1800PLN. Additional costs are approx 500PLN (medical certificate, both parts of the exam, sworn translator).

What forms are required?

Non EU citizens require a “Karta Pobytu”, for EU citizens it’s also good to have “Karta Pobytu” but if not then Polish residency should be registered in the same “Urząd Miasta” where the Karta Pobytu was issued.

Do I need to convert my EU licence to a PL licence?
If you are staying here temporarily, and your license is valid here: NO.  If you live here permanently it is much better to convert it (in case of registering a car here for example).

How long can I drive for on a non PL licence?

In the case of EU citizens there is no limit here. Non EU citizens are obliged after 185 days to convert it into  Polish licence.

How long does it take?

The standard course for B cat. takes about a month and a half.

How about applying for a new licence from scratch?

The  majority of our students have absolutely ‘zero’ experience, and it’s our job to prepare that person for driving in Kraków traffic.

What if i need to upgrade my existing EU license to a different category?

First you need to convert your B cat. license into a Polish one and then you can apply for the next category.

If I change my current EU driving licence to a Polish one, do I need to relinquish my current licence?
Yes.

DAKAR driving school offers driving tuition and assistance to foreigners, in English or Polish, conveniently located in a city centre location at Rondo Mogilskie/Lubicz, next door to Kraków Opera.