For people who work or deal with Polish offices but do not live there
PESEL is the personal identification number that Polish employers, the tax office and ZUS, the social insurance institution, ask for. Residents normally receive it when they register their address. If you cannot register one but a specific law requires you to have the number, you can request it at a commune or city office, and the application has to name that law.
How it works
Get a personal identification number if you work or have dealings in the country without living there.
Some countries give a personal identification number to people who do not live there but need one, for example to work, pay tax, own property or receive benefits. Examples are the Dutch RNI registration with a BSN, the Belgian BIS number, the Spanish NIE for non-residents, the Polish PESEL without address registration and the Icelandic system ID. You usually apply in person with your passport and proof of why you need the number. If you live in the country, register as a resident instead.
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At a glance
Phone first if your case is not a standard one
Commune and city offices each run their own residents’ register desk, and some treat this request separately from ordinary address registration, with their own booking or queue routine.
Guides
Related services
Learn what the welfare centre can offer, how the social worker’s visit works and which centre covers where you live.
How a trusted profile works for people living in Poland, what to bring to a confirmation point and which kinds of office can confirm it.
Understand how tax registration works, when a NIP is needed and how to reach the tax office that covers your address.
Learn what the departure report is, how it affects permanent and temporary registration and who may file it, then find the office.
See when you need a new ID card, how an online start works and why a visit to the office is still required, then pick an office.
See how re-registering at a new address works, who can do it online and which office takes it, then find the counter in your city.
Other countries
Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.
Most offices in Barcelona, A Coruña, and Alicante
Most offices in Berlin, Augsburg, and Chemnitz
Most offices in Amsterdam, Alkmaar, and Almelo
Most offices in Aalst, Antwerp, and Ghent
Where to next
Compare the residents’ register desks that process PESEL requests from people without a registered address and see what each one needs from you.
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