The complete checklist for moving to Poland

Before the move: 8 to 12 weeks and 4 to 6 weeks out

A move to Poland goes smoothly when the early weeks do the heavy lifting. The point of starting two to three months out is that nothing has to be rushed in a single evening.

8 to 12 weeks before

• Register for £99. This opens your secure online account and sends your strong double-wall packing kit to your door. The £99 is non-refundable and yours even if plans change, so it is the first thing to lock in.
• Pick your run. Our corridor leaves once every month, so choose the run that fits your timing and work backwards from it.
• Get a figure. Put rough box counts and any furniture into the quote calculator. The move is priced by the mile, and the exact distance and price come from the calculator, not a guess on a page.
• Sketch your scope. Decide early what is coming and what is being sold, given or thrown away. Less to pack means less to price.

4 to 6 weeks before

• Gather your three customs documents. Passport or ID, an inventory of goods, and proof of residence in Poland. Our customs documents guide sets out exactly what each one is.
• Start the inventory. List goods box by box with honest, approximate values. Build it as you pack rather than all at once.
• Read up on ToR relief. Most personal-effects moves qualify for Transfer of Residence relief, which clears owned and used belongings free of import duty and VAT. We guide you through the claim.
• Upload as you go. Load documents into your account whenever they are ready, so nothing is left to collection week.

Packing and collection: 2 weeks out and the week itself

By now the kit is at your door and the admin is in hand. The last stretch is about packing well and being ready when the van comes.

2 weeks before: pack with the kit

• Use the supplied boxes. The kit is strong double-wall card chosen for an international run, so pack into it rather than into odd boxes that may not survive the journey.
• Number every box. Write a number on each box and match it to your inventory line, so the list and the labels agree. This is what customs and the crew read from.
• Pack heavy low, light high. Books and tools in small boxes, bedding and clothes in large ones. Fill gaps so nothing shifts. Our packing guide covers fragile items and grouping in detail.
• Keep an essentials bag. Documents, chargers, medicines and a change of clothes stay with you, not in the load.

The week of collection: confirm and finish

• Confirm your final box count. Once the count is known you pay the balance, and that secures your collection and delivery slot on the run.
• Check your documents are complete. Open your account and make sure the passport, inventory and proof of residence are all uploaded and clear. We flag anything thin before the run leaves.
• Seal, label and stage. Tape the last boxes, label them, and stack everything by the door or in one room so collection is quick.
• Be reachable. Keep your phone to hand on collection day. If you want a sense of how the day runs, our moving day guide walks through it. Outbound covers any mainland UK or Northern Ireland (BT) postcode, door to door.

After delivery: the admin to do in Poland

Once your boxes are delivered to Kraków, Stary Sącz or your onward address in Poland, there is a short list of admin to settle so you can live and work there properly. Keep your residence documents to hand, because most of these steps ask for them.

• PESEL number. This is the national identification number used for tax, healthcare and most official forms. You apply at your local commune office (urząd gminy) after you have an address in Poland.
• Register your address (meldunek). Poland asks residents to register where they live. You do this at the same local office, and you will usually need your tenancy or property document.
• Utilities and internet. Set up or transfer electricity, gas, water and broadband for your new home. A registered address and ID make this straightforward.
• Healthcare. Look into registering with the public health system (NFZ) or arranging private cover, depending on your work and status.
• Banking and tax. A Polish bank account and an understanding of your tax position help once you are settled and working.

We are a removals company, so treat this as a practical pointer rather than legal advice. Confirm the current rules and steps with the official Polish government service at gov.pl and your local commune office, because procedures and the order of steps can change. For the bigger picture on what the move itself costs and how the by-the-mile price and customs side fit together, see our guide on how much it costs to move to Poland, and the full route detail on our UK to Poland overview.