PESEL — personal ID number¶
To register a JDG (and not only for that) you’ll need to get a PESEL number and use it to register Profil Zaufany.
What PESEL is¶
PESEL Number
It’s a personal number assigned to everyone who legally lives in Poland. Kids get it at birth. You need it pretty much everywhere: dealing with government, opening a bank account, getting healthcare, and so on.
What the digits mean¶
A PESEL number has 11 digits:
PESEL example
|910503|014|5|9|
- Digits 1–6 — date of birth with century (YYMMDD format). For example, someone born 3 May 1991 starts with PESEL 910503
- Digits 7–9 — serial number
- Digit 10 — sex: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 for women; 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 for men
- Digit 11 — check digit to validate the whole number
Where and how to get it¶
You have to be legally in Poland to get PESEL. Show up with your passport at the city urząd (Urząd Miasta) or the district one (Urząd Dzielnicy). Google the nearest: “Urząd Dzielnicy + your district” or “Urząd Miasta + your city”. You can go to any urząd — doesn’t matter where you live.
At the urząd take a ticket for PESEL. You’ll need to fill in an application — you can download it here and print it ahead of time. Or grab a form at the urząd and fill it there.
Grounds for getting PESEL¶
You can get PESEL on these grounds:
- Meldunek (residence registration)
- For tax purposes (without meldunek)
PESEL via meldunek¶
The easiest option. Go to the urząd with your rental agreement, passport, application, and get PESEL. For the application you use form EL/ZC/1. You need the meldowanie service — at one window they’ll do meldunek and give you a paper with your PESEL number. You can also get a meldunek certificate, but it costs 17 złoty and you can do that anytime, not necessarily right away.
PESEL for tax purposes¶
Since 1 June 2021 foreigners can officially obtain a PESEL for tax purposes — a standard procedure recommended by the tax administration itself (KAS); no workarounds are needed anymore.
Employed foreigners need this same PESEL. The application can be filed in person or via an authorized representative (przez pełnomocnika).
Go to the urząd with your passport and a filled application (or fill it on the spot). In the application write this legal basis:
Legal basis — tax purposes (adults)
ART. 3 UST. 1 PKT 1 USTAWY Z DNIA 13 PAŹDZIERNIKA 1995 R. O ZASADACH EWIDENCJI I IDENTYFIKACJI PODATNIKÓW I PŁATNIKÓW, W ZWIĄZKU Z ART. 7 UST. 2 USTAWY Z DNIA 24 WRZEŚNIA 2010 R. O EWIDENCJI LUDNOŚCI
Texts of the acts: taxpayer registration and identification act, population register act
A fallback basis — PESEL is required to obtain a Profil Zaufany:
Legal basis — Profil Zaufany
ZAŁĄCZNIK NR 1 PKT 1 ROZPORZĄDZENIA MINISTRA CYFRYZACJI Z DNIA 29 CZERWCA 2020 R. W SPRAWIE PROFILU ZAUFANEGO I PODPISU ZAUFANEGO (DZ.U. 2020 POZ. 1194)
Basis for children under 3 (nursery)
ART. 3A USTAWY Z DNIA 4 LUTEGO 2011 R. O OPIECE NAD DZIEĆMI W WIEKU DO LAT 3 (DZ.U. 2011 NR 45 POZ. 235)
Basis for children aged 3 to 18 (school, camps)
ART. 92K UST. 2 PKT 2 LIT. F USTAWY Z DNIA 7 WRZEŚNIA 1991 R. O SYSTEMIE OŚWIATY
If one urząd refuses PESEL without meldunek or tells you to wait 30 days — try another urząd.
You don't have to buy the 17 zł residence confirmation. If you say the child needs it for school/kindergarten, they'll print it free.