If you are moving to Poland, you may want to open a new bank account. Even if you plan to maintain existing chequing or savings accounts at home, in order to pay certain bills or to manage your savings, you may find that you need a local account too. A local account will allow you to pay local expenses, and your salary can be deposited into it. Your other options, with regard to banking, include opening an international account with your current bank, if they allow this, or opening an offshore bank account that can be accessed from wherever you are.   more ...

Poland offers free, government-funded healthcare to the large majority of its residents. Despite this, the country has a lower-than-EU-average life expectancy of 78 years (the average being 81 years). Women live, on average, eight years longer than men, as they experience lower rates of suicide, alcoholism, and socioeconomic deprivation.   more ...

A wide variety of sports are played in Poland. As an expat, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty in finding a group, club or facility to join. Soccer is the most popular team game, with hundreds of teams across the country at various different levels. Volleyball is also popular, and, at time of writing, the Polish national men’s team is third in the World FIVB rankings.   more ...

Looking after your mental health is important wherever you are, but it can become particularly important when you are living in a new country and are far from friends and family. If you are an expat living in Poland, then note that there is still some stigma around mental health issues, and many Poles are embarrassed to discuss the topic. However, attitudes are changing, particularly among younger people.   more ...

Poland is a popular destination for medical tourists, and expats living there find that they can access high-quality treatment at much lower costs than in the UK and the USA. The Polish government has a strict regulatory regime for medical professions, which is applied to private hospitals and clinics as well as those run by the state. By law, only qualified medical doctors and dentists are allowed to describe themselves as offering treatment to patients and clients, which makes it easier for you to find reputable practitioners.   more ...

Poland’s National Health Fund (NFZ) is the country’s public healthcare provider, and it covers about 93% of Poland’s residents and citizens. It covers most of the costs associated with giving birth in a hospital, from pain relief to several days’ recovery time, and it does not depend on the circumstances of the birth. It even applies for C-section births. For uninsured women, pregnancy and childbirth care is also covered for free.   more ...

Poland has a national healthcare system, which everyone living and working in the country is obliged to pay into, and which is free at point of access. Retired expats can pay into the scheme voluntarily.   more ...

If you are living and working in Poland, you will have a number of options when it comes to healthcare. Firstly, there’s cover under the national health insurance scheme. Secondly, you can opt to pay for treatment out of pocket. And thirdly, you can take out private health insurance, whether you arrange this yourself or benefit from group cover through your employer. Furthermore, if you are from an EU nation, you will be able to use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in Poland.   more ...

Both Poland and the UK have nationalised healthcare systems that provide free healthcare for residents and citizens at the point of use. Though the UK’s oncological treatment has been flagged in the Telegraph as being worse than that of the average European nation, it offers better treatment options than Poland for some diagnoses. However, Poland has better outcomes for other diagnoses, even though the UK spends more than Poland on cancer care.   more ...

Poland (officially the Republic of Poland) is a Central European country, which is divided into 16 administrative subdivisions. With a population of nearly 38.5 million people, Poland is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union. The country covers some 312,696 square kilometres (120,733 sq mi) and mostly enjoys a temperate climate. The Polish are known for their friendly hospitality, vodka, pierogi and more.   more ...