Where to get PESEL in Warsaw: complete guide to district offices in 2025

What is PESEL and why it’s needed

PESEL (Powszechny Elektroniczny System Ewidencji Ludności) — is a universal identification number for every resident of Poland. Like SSN in the USA or identification code in Ukraine, only more important.

PESEL number structure

11 digits that tell everything about you:

• Digits 1-6: birth date (YYMMDD)
• Digits 7-9: serial number
• Digit 10: gender (odd — male, even — female)
• Digit 11: checksum

Example: 95061512345 — male, born June 15, 1995.

Why foreigners need PESEL

Without PESEL in Poland, you’re nobody. With it you can:

• Open bank account — without PESEL maximum basic account
• Sign employment contract — employer must enter PESEL
• Register in ZUS — for pension contributions
• Get NFZ medical care — assigned automatically
• Buy SIM card — prepaid only with PESEL
• Rent apartment — official contract requires PESEL
• Get credit — banks check credit history by PESEL
• Enroll child in kindergarten/school — mandatory requirement

Who can get PESEL

By law, PESEL is assigned to:

• Polish citizens — automatically at birth
• Foreigners with residence card — at first registration
• Foreigners with 90+ day visa — upon application
• Refugees and protected persons — mandatory
• EU citizens — at residence registration

Real case: student from India came on 6-month visa. Couldn’t open bank account without PESEL. Came to office with visa — got PESEL in 15 minutes, problem solved.

Where to get PESEL in Warsaw: all addresses

Warsaw has 18 district offices (Urząd Dzielnicy) where you can get PESEL in Warsaw. Choose any — doesn’t have to be by residence!

Central districts (smaller queues)

Śródmieście (Center)

• Address: ul. Nowogrodzka 43, 00-691 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 8:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00
• Metro: Centrum (5 minutes walk)
• Queues: average (30-60 minutes)

Wola

• Address: al. Solidarności 90, 01-003 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 8:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00
• Metro: Ratusz Arsenał
• Queues: short (15-30 minutes)

Ochota

• Address: ul. Grójecka 17a, 02-021 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 8:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00
• Metro: Ochota
• Queues: short in morning

Large districts (long queues)

Mokotów

• Address: ul. Rakowiecka 25/27, 02-517 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 8:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00
• Metro: Pole Mokotowskie
• Queues: long (1-2 hours)

Praga-Południe

• Address: ul. Grochowska 274, 03-841 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 8:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00
• Tram: 3, 6, 9
• Queues: very long

Peripheral districts (almost no queues)

Rembertów ⭐ We recommend!

• Address: ul. Cyrulików 100, 04-402 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 10:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-15:00
• How to get there: SKM train to Rembertów
• Queues: practically none!

Wesoła ⭐ We recommend!

• Address: ul. 1 Praskiego Pułku 33, 05-075 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 8:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00
• How to get there: train to Wesoła
• Queues: 5-10 minutes

Wawer

• Address: ul. Żegańska 1, 04-713 Warszawa
• Hours: Mon 8:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 8:00-16:00
• Bus: 115, 142, 173
• Queues: short

Life hack from locals

Want no queue? Go to Rembertów or Wesoła! Yes, far from center, but:

• Get PESEL in 15 minutes, not 2 hours
• Staff calm, help with documents
• Can manage during lunch break
• Round trip ticket 7 PLN versus nerves in center

Documents for getting PESEL

Document list depends on your status. Prepare everything in advance — office won’t accept without complete set.

For residence card holders

Simplest option — PESEL Warsaw given automatically:

• Passport — original
• Residence card — original
• Application — fill on site

That’s it! 10 minutes and PESEL is yours.

For visa holders

With national visa (type D) for 90+ days:

• Passport with visa — original + copy
• Document about stay purpose:
  • Employment contract
  • University certificate
  • Apartment rental agreement
• Application — form on site
• Photo — 1 piece 35×45 mm (sometimes required)

For EU citizens

European Union citizens get PESEL at registration:

• Passport or ID card
• Certificate of residence registration — if you have
• Work/study document — optional

For newborns

PESEL assigned at birth registration:

• Birth certificate from hospital
• Parents’ passports
• Marriage certificate — if applicable
• Parents’ residence cards

Documents NOT in Polish

All foreign documents require:

• Sworn translation — 50-100 PLN/page
• Apostille — for Hague Convention countries
• Legalization — for other countries

Tip: do translations in advance with verified translators. List on Ministry of Justice website.

Step-by-step instructions

Let’s go through entire process of getting PESEL Warsaw from A to Z.

Step 1: Choose office

Don’t go to nearest — choose with short queue:

• Best: Rembertów, Wesoła, Wola
• Worst: Mokotów, Praga-Południe, Bielany
• Queue check: kolejka.um.warszawa.pl

Step 2: Book online (if possible)

Some offices allow booking:

• Website: um.warszawa.pl
• Choose district → Appointment booking
• Choose service “PESEL number assignment”
• Reserve time

But live queue works more often — come at opening.

Step 3: Take number

At office:

• Find ticket machine
• Choose “Registration matters / PESEL”
• Take ticket
• Wait for your number on display

Step 4: Submit documents

At window:

• Say “I want to get PESEL number”
• Submit documents
• Fill application
• Check data

Step 5: Receive confirmation

You’ll get:

• Certificate of PESEL number assignment — document with number
• Cost: 17 PLN (card accepted)
• Time: immediately on site

Step 6: Check correctness

Must check in certificate:

• Name and surname correctness
• Birth date
• Gender (last digit)
• Address (if provided)

Mistakes are hard and long to fix!

PESEL for child and newborn

Children need PESEL from birth — without it no benefits, no kindergarten enrollment.

Newborns (up to 6 months)

Procedure for babies:

1. Get birth certificate at hospital
2. Translate to Polish if born outside Poland
3. Go to USC (Civil Registry Office) for registration
4. PESEL assigned automatically at registration
5. Get Polish birth certificate with PESEL number

Deadlines: if child born in Poland — 21 days for registration. Abroad — 3 months.

Children over 6 months

For children who came to Poland:

• Procedure like for adults
• Child’s presence mandatory
• Parents submit documents
• Need birth certificate with translation

PESEL for school and kindergarten

Without PESEL child won’t be accepted to:

• State kindergarten
• School
• Extra classes
• Sports sections

Tip: get PESEL immediately upon arrival, don’t wait for school year — huge queues in August!

Child benefits

With child’s PESEL you can receive:

• 500+ (800+) — 500-800 PLN/month per child
• 300+ — 300 PLN for school supplies
• Becikowe — 1000 PLN one-time at birth
• Żłobkowe — nursery subsidy

Queues and online booking

Main problem getting PESEL in Warsaw — queues. Let’s see how to avoid them.

Online queue monitoring

Site kolejka.um.warszawa.pl shows:

• Current queue at each office
• Average waiting time
• Number of people waiting
• Daily forecast

Check before leaving — save hours!

Best time to visit

From thousands of clients’ experience:

• Monday 8:00 — huge queues
• Tuesday-Thursday 14:00-15:00 — minimum people ✅
• Friday afternoon — empty ✅
• First week of month — hell
• Mid-month — optimal ✅

Online booking

Only some offices allow booking:

• Żoliborz — full online booking
• Wilanów — partial booking
• Ursynów — test mode

How to book:

1. Go to um.warszawa.pl
2. Choose district
3. Find “Book appointment”
4. Choose PESEL service
5. Reserve time
6. Get code by email

Express service

Some offices have express windows for simple matters:

• Only for PESEL (not registration)
• If all documents ready
• Service 5-10 minutes

Common problems and solutions

Collected top problems getting PESEL and solutions.

Problem 1: Refusal due to visa under 90 days

Situation: Tourist visa for 30 days — refused PESEL.

Solution: Apply for residence card, with stamp they’ll give PESEL.

Problem 2: No rental agreement

Situation: Renting room without contract.

Solution: Ask owner for residence declaration. Or show work/study contract.

Problem 3: Error in data

Situation: Wrong name spelling in PESEL.

Solution: Submit data correction application. Correction time 14-30 days.

Problem 4: Lost PESEL certificate

Situation: Lost certificate.

Solution: Go to any office, get duplicate for 17 PLN.

Problem 5: PESEL already assigned

Situation: System says PESEL already exists.

Solution: Possibly got earlier and forgot. Check at office by passport — they’ll restore number free.

Problem 6: Refusal without reasons

Situation: Just said “we can’t”.

Solution: Demand written refusal (refusal decision). With it can appeal or go to another office.

FAQ: questions about PESEL in Warsaw

Can I get PESEL without residence card?

Yes, with visa over 90 days can get PESEL. Even with short-term visa sometimes given if valid reasons (work, study, treatment).

How much does getting PESEL cost?

PESEL itself free. Pay only for certificate — 17 PLN. Can pay by card or cash.

Can I get PESEL in another city?

Yes, PESEL can be obtained in any Polish city, not necessarily by residence. But small cities often have smaller queues.

What if passport has two names?

In PESEL they’ll write both names with hyphen or space. Important: then write everywhere exactly same, otherwise identification problems.

Need to change PESEL when changing passport?

No, PESEL assigned once for life. When changing passport just update data in PESEL system, number stays same.

Can they take away PESEL?

PESEL not taken away. Even if you leave Poland, number stays yours forever. On return use same number.