Poland: Various travel information
Formalities, visas
Entry requirements for EU citizens to Poland
On December 21, 2007, the Schengen Agreement came into force in Poland. Together with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Malta, you can also enter these countries without border controls from this point on. For example, a Spaniard can get to Estonia without any controls and a Finn via Estonia to Portugal. As of December 21, 2007, a total of 24 states belong to the Schengen area.
In the Moselle town of Schengen in Luxembourg, it was decided in 1985 to gradually abolish border controls in the participating countries, but to increase controls at the external borders.
Import and export of goods
The import and export of weapons, ammunition or explosives is strictly prohibited. In addition, the import and export of plants and animals that are protected under the Washington Species Protection Act is prohibited. Violation can result in severe penalties.
Duty-free food and luxury goods can be imported and exported to Poland up to a certain maximum amount, e.g. 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos (weight less than 3 g each), 200 cigars, 1 kg smoking tobacco, 10 liters of ethyl alcohol, 90 liters of wine and fermented drinks (including a maximum of 60 liters of sparkling wine), 110 liters of beer and 20 liters of spirits (sherry, postage, etc.). Travelers under the age of 17 are not allowed to import alcohol or tobacco products.
From July 3rd 2004A pet pass must be presented for each animal, which has been issued by a veterinarian authorized by the competent authority. Each animal must be identified either by a clear tattoo or by a microchip.
The export of local currency and foreign currency is allowed up to an amount equivalent to € 10,000 without formalities. The export of works of art and antiques is subject to restrictions: Permission is required for permanent export, which is issued by the Minister of Culture. For a one-time export, a permit is required, which is issued by the voivodship conservator for antiques.
How to get to Poland
Car
Most visitors to Poland from Germany certainly come by car. To enter the country, you need a national driver’s license and the green insurance card; an additional card is required for caravan trailers. Warning triangles, first-aid kits and nationality symbols are also required. Anyone who has forgotten the green insurance card can take out additional insurance at the border. If you are traveling with a borrowed car, you must be able to present the officially certified power of attorney from the vehicle owner. Otherwise, in Poland it is assumed that the car has been stolen.
Since December 21, 2007, there have been no regular controls at the borders between Poland and Germany in accordance with the Schengen Agreement.
Travel in the country
National currency, souvenirs
Currency
The national currency of Poland is the zloty = 100 groszy.
Cheap or country-specific goods, souvenirs
Typical Polish goods are embroidered linen tablecloths, hand-woven carpets, silver and amber jewelry, Bunzlau crockery, hand-painted porcelain from Wloclawek, leather goods, Tiffany lamps, wicker, wooden figures, Pierogi dumplings, pickled Zytnia, vodka (Wyborowa; Zubrówka with marinated grass) and Danziger Goldwasser (liqueur with gold flakes).
Flight connections
There are regular flight connections to Poland from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. There are flights with LOT, Lufthansa, Delta Airlines and Eurowings and EasyJet, among others. Travel agencies can provide information on destinations and departure times.
Bus and rail The
railways and buses of the state rail companies PKP and PKS have a large route network. The rail network is a total of 22,560 km. Practically every place in Poland can be reached by public transport.
Deutsche Touring GmbH (Europabus) offers regular bus connections to Poland in cooperation with other tour operators. The main lines lead to Warsaw and via Wroclaw to Krakow. Children up to the age of 4 travel for free without their own seat, children from 4 to 10 years receive a 50% discount.
Deutsche Touring GmbH
Am Römerhof 17
60486 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. +49 (0)
69/79 03 50 [email protected]
http://www.deutsche-touring.com
Several long-distance express trains run daily between all major cities in Germany and Poland. There are good direct connections from Berlin to Warsaw and Wroclaw/Krakow also from Frankfurt/Main (via Leipzig and Dresden). Deutsche Bahn offers a fixed economy price for trips from every German train station to every train station in Poland; the Polish section is very inexpensive.
Driving, roads
There is a lot of traffic in Poland. The number of car owners has increased more than tenfold since 1990. The road conditions can now be described as satisfactory to good. So far there are some very good motorway connections in Poland, but there are still too few. Most of the new motorway from Frankfurt/ Oder to Warsaw was completed in 2012 for the European Football Championship.
When driving on Polish roads, the following traffic rules must be observed: From November 1st to March 1st, drivers must generally drive with dipped headlights. Seat belts are compulsory on all seats. Children up to 12 years of age are only allowed to travel in the back seat. The alcohol limit is 0.2. Any fines levied must be paid on the spot. Telephoning while driving is prohibited, with the exception of hands-free systems. Trams always have right of way. Cars registered in Poland. must be equipped with a fire extinguisher – but this does not apply to foreign visitors.
Diesel is called olej napędowy in Polish, ON for short.
Rental cars
If you want to rent a car on site, you will find international providers (eg Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz) in all major cities and at the airports; the rental prices correspond to western levels.
Blood
alcohol limit In Poland, the limit for the maximum blood alcohol level for drivers is 0.2.
Top speeds
From January 1st, 2011 the following speed limits for cars will apply in Poland: In town
50 km/h – from 23:00 to 05:00 h 60 km/h.
Outside of built-up areas 90 km/h
expressways 120 km/h
motorways 140 km/h
Cars with trailers may not drive faster than 70 km/h on wider country roads and no more than 80 km/h on motorways.
Emergency
In case of an accident or other problems with the car or motorbike to reach information and assistance at the following numbers:
Tel.: 061 831 98 88
Mobile: 0048 – 61-831 98 88
The ADAC can be reached 24 hours in Munich at the following Number:
0049 – (0) 89 – 22 22 22
International license plate
According to Abbreviationfinder, the international license plate of Poland is:
| PL |
Tourist office
Polish Tourist Office in Germany
Kurfürstendamm 71
10709 Berlin
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 21 00 92-0
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.polen.travel/de
Infectious Diseases
In Poland, no diseases that are not widespread in Germany or in Central and Western Europe are to be expected. However, there is an increased risk of being bitten by ticks, especially in the wooded areas of the country. The result can be Lyme disease or early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE). The main months of infection are between June and September.
Vaccination requirements
There is no compulsory vaccination for visits to the country. However, it is important to ensure that the vaccinations that are usual in Germany are available.
Poland: Diplomatic missions
Visit Countryaah for a full list of Poland embassies and consulates in each country around the world.
Representations of Poland in Germany
The embassy of the Republic of Poland is currently based on Lassestrasse in a villa in Berlin’s Grunewald district. Until 1994 the embassy had its seat in Berlin-Mitte “Unter den Linden” 70-72. The building there was built between 1963 and 1964 based on designs by Emil Leibold and Christian Seyfert. The reinforced concrete structure with a curtain wall made of glass and aluminum is now a listed building. The building is to be demolished for a new building for the Polish embassy. The new building should be ready for occupancy in 2017 at the latest.
But after that the embassy should move back here.
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Berlin
Lassenstrasse 19-21
14193 Berlin
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 223 13-0
https://berlin.msz.gov.pl/de/
Consulate General in Hamburg
Gründgensstraße 20
22309 Hamburg
Tel: 0049 – (0) 40 – 61 18 70
Consulate General in Cologne
Lindenallee 7
50968 Cologne
Tel: 0049 – (0) 221 – 93 73 02 13
Consulate General in Munich
Röntgenstrasse 5
81679 Munich
Tel: 0049 – (0) 89 – 4 18 60 80
Honorary consulates can be found in: Bremen, Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart.
German representations in Poland
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw
ul.Jazdow 12
00-467 Warsaw
Tel: 0048 – 22 – 584 17 00
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.warschau.diplo.de
Consulates
Consulate General in Wroclaw ul.Podwale
, 76
50-449 Wroclaw
Tel: 0048 – 71 – 377 27 00
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.breslau.diplo.de
Consulate General in Gdansk
Aleja Zwyciestwa 23
80-219 Gdansk
Tel: 0048 – 58 – 340 65 40
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.danzig.diplo.de
Consulate General in Kraków
ul Stolarska 7
31-043 Kraków
Tel: 0048 – 12 – 424 30 00
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.krakau.diplo.de
Honorary consulates can be found in: Olsztyn, Bydogszcz, Gliwice, Kielce, Lodz, Lublin, Poznan, Rzeszów and Szczecin.
Austrian representations in Poland
Austrian Embassy in Warsaw
ul Gagarina 34
00-748 Warsaw
Tel: 0048 – 22) 841 00 81/-82/-83/-84
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.aussenministerium.at/ warsaw
Consulate in Cracow ul.Napoleona
Cybulskiego 9
31-123 Cracow
Tel: 0048 – 12 – 424 99 30
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: https://www.botschaft-konsulat.com/at/ representation/2626/ Austria-in-Krakow
Honorary Consulate in Wroclaw
ul Buska 9/5
53-326 Breslau (Wroclaw)
Tel: 0048 – 71 – 361 75 60
E-Mail: [email protected]
Honorary Consulate in Katowice
ul.Modelarska 12/803
PL-40-142 Katowice
Tel: 0048 – 32 – 358 37 00
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.pzzp.pl
Honorary Consulate in Lodz
ul.Klaretynska 9
91-117 Lodz
Tel: 0048 – 42 – 652 72 12
E-mail: [email protected]
Representation of Poland in Austria
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vienna
Hietzinger Hauptstrasse 42c
1130 Vienna
Tel: 0043 – (0) 1 – 870 15 100
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: https://wieden.msz.gov. pl/de /
Honorary Consulate in Innsbruck
Valiergasse 60
6020 Innsbruck
Tel: 0043 – (0) 512 – 277 684
E-Mail: [email protected]
Honorary Consulate in Graz
Joaneumring 18/3
8010 Graz
Tel: 0043 – (0) 316 – 33 82 51
Honorary Consulate in Klagenfurth
Koschatstrasse 7
9020 Klagenfurt
Tel: 0043 – (0) 463 – 555 53
E-Mail: honorarkonsulrp@ Amerika-holzer.at
Honorary Consulate in Salzburg
Nonntaler Hauptstraße 1
5020 Salzburg
Tel: 0043 – (0) 662 – 84 00 33
Swiss representations in Poland
Swiss Embassy in Warsaw
Aleje Ujazdowskie 27
00-540 Warsaw
Tel: 0048 – 22 – 628 04 81/-82
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.eda.admin.ch/warsaw
The Swiss embassy in Poland is still responsible for Belarus (Belarus).
Representation of Poland in Switzerland
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Bern
Elfenstrasse 20a
3006 Bern
Tel: 0041 – (0) 31 – 358 02 02
Email: [email protected]
