TURKPOL help

Guide to life in Poland

Step-by-step guides on residence, PESEL, healthcare, banking, housing and work — in Turkish, Polish and English.

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Before you enrol: universities in Poland that Türkiye does not recognise

If you plan to use your Polish diploma in Türkiye, one check before you enrol can save you three years. YÖK names the institutions it does not recognise — seven of them are in Poland.

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Finding a flat or a room safely

This is where most newcomers lose the most money and the most sleep. The market moves fast, but the fixes for the common frauds are simple and always the same: see it, verify who owns it, get it in writing, photograph everything.

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Health insurance and finding a doctor in Poland

Public cover in Poland works through NFZ, but who is covered and how differs by employment and student status. What to check, how to register with a doctor, and the difference between a primary-care visit and an emergency.

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Opening a bank account and setting up your Trusted Profile

A Polish bank account is the hub almost everything else runs through — salary, rent, official fees. It is also, through most banks, the fastest way to a Trusted Profile: the electronic signature every other Polish office will later ask you to use.

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PESEL, address registration and the residence card: the complete chain

Three separate procedures that most newcomers experience as one chain. What each one is for, the order that actually works, and what happens if you get the order wrong.

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Work permits and your right to work in Poland

For most non-EU nationals the employer applies for the permit, not the employee — and Turkish citizens are not covered by the simplified procedure some other nationalities use. What to check before you travel, and why the contract type matters as much as the permit itself.

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Glossary of Polish official terms

The Polish words on forms and letters, with their Turkish and English equivalents.

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