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PESEL number for foreigners: how to get it
You get a PESEL number automatically when you register at your address in Poland for a stay of more than 30 days. If you cannot register but an office requires a PESEL, you apply at any municipal office. It is free, and non-EU foreigners must apply in person.
Option 1: automatically with registration
If you register for a stay in Poland longer than 30 days, the municipal office assigns your PESEL ex officio (art. 16–17 of the Act on population records). See address registration.
Option 2: apply if you cannot register
- Apply at any municipal office (urząd gminy) if you cannot register but a Polish office requires your PESEL.
- Bring the application form (download it or get it at the office), which you must sign by hand, and a document that confirms your identity and the data you enter.
- In the application, write the actual legal basis that obliges you to have a PESEL.
- The clerk accepts your application at once. If there is a basis, you get a notification that the number was assigned. If something is missing, you are asked to complete it.
Who must apply in person
If you are not an EU or EFTA citizen (or a Swiss citizen, or a covered British citizen, or their family member), you must file the application in person at a municipal office. This does not apply to children born in Poland.
Cost and time
The service is free of charge. The clerk takes your application immediately.
Why you need it
A PESEL is required to set up a trusted profile (profil zaufany), which you need to file residence applications in the MOS portal. See the trusted profile guide.
Sources
- gov.pl: Get a PESEL number (service for foreigners)
- Dziennik Ustaw: Act on population records (consolidated text 2026)
- Legal basis: Act on population records art. 7, 16–17 (Dz.U. 2026 item 384); Regulation on assigning PESEL numbers
Facts checked against the official MOS portal on 25 Oct 2026. Rules and amounts change, so check the source before you act.