We recommend that you prepare for your departure very carefully and as early as possible. It is often difficult and time-consuming to complete all formalities and prepare the necessary papers.

Before you leave: 

• Make sure your passport (or your national ID, for EU citizens) is valid for whole period of your stay in Poland. It is advised that the validity of your passport exceeds the duration of your planned stay in Poland by at least 6 months;
• If necessary, apply for a Polish visa (contact the closest embassy or consulate in your country for more information). When coming for an international students exchange you must apply for a national visa;
• Before you leave, it is recommended to make a health insurance in your home country, that will cover your stay in Poland. EU citizens are highly recommended to obtain European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It allows you to use medical services in public hospitals in all of the EU countries, as well as, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in Poland) as people insured in that countries. Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider;
• Make sure you take all important papers and documents with you - if your high school certificate/diploma needs to be recognized in Poland, you will need the original of it or a notarized copy (with Apostille). Get a written confirmation, from your bank, that you have sufficient financial support for the entire period of study. You may need it for residence permit procedure later on;

Poland's climate is a mix of 2 types of climates: Oceanic and Warm-summer humid continental. Poland is placed in the middle of Europe, between different climate types, and as the result, Poland's weather patterns are transitional and variable, thanks to the collision of diverse air masses above the country's surface. This causes seasons to differ from one another, year-to-year. 

Early autumn is generally sunny and mildly-warm (temperature varies daily between 5 and 15 degrees) before the period of rainy, windy, colder weather in October/November, that indicates beginning of the transition into winter. Winter, which may last from one to three months, might bring frequent snowstorms and drastic drop of average temperature, even to below 0. Winters do differ each year - one year it will be snowing constantly, and the temperature will drop to even -15 or -20 degrees; the other year it will be rainy, and the average daily temperature will oscillate around 0 degrees. The spring arrives slowly in March or April, bringing mainly sunny days after a period of alternating wintertime and springtime conditions. Summer, which extends from June to August, is generally sunny and warm. Sometimes, showers and thunderstorms alternate with dry sunny weather. Occasional hailstorm is also not unheard of. 

Yearly average temperature varies between 7-9 degrees, with ever-registered maximum being 40,2 C and minimum -41,0 C degrees. 

It is advised to prepare clothing for every type of weather. Especially for autumn and winter, it is recommended to have water- and wind-proof clothing, including boots. Early spring can turn out to be cold and rainy as well. Late-spring and summer might turn out very hot, so light wear should also fit into your baggage. Very hot summers tend to cause very cold winters, so warm cloths, like a jacket, hoodies, caps, scarfs, are a must when coming to Poland (especially, when your home country is generally warm/hot throughout the year). To get more information about climate and weather in Poland and Warsaw in particular click here. 

Poland's official currency is Złoty (code: PLN; short: zł); 1 złoty = 100 groszy. The currency comes in coins (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Groszy and 1, 2, 5 Złoty) and bills (10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Złoty). The Polish Złoty is fully convertible and available at numerous exchange points and banks throughout Warsaw and all other Polish cities. Banks in your country might not have Złoty immediately available but it is usually possible to order them in a currency exchange. The exchange rates are relatively stable but there are some slight fluctuations (approx. 1 USD = 3.70 PLN and 1 EUR = 4.20 PLN).  In order to check the current exchange rate please visit the website of the National Bank of Poland here (rates are available here) 

The safest places to exchange currencies are banks. They may, however, offer lower exchange rates than other currency exchange points. Some of them collect service fees (about 2-3% per transaction). Banks are usually open from Monday to Friday (on average from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.) and some of them on Saturdays (on average till 1.00 p.m.). Better exchange rates are offered by specialized currency exchange points. However, those in airports usually offer unfavorable exchange rates (even worse than in banks). 

You can also withdraw money from your own bank or credit account using ATMs that are widely available all over the city. Look for a "Bankomat" sign. "Euronet" is global electronic payment service provider and their ATM's are numerous around the cities of Poland. Generally, the service is free of charge for Polish bank's account, but might charge you additionally when using external bank account.

Here are few major banks offering their services in Poland:

• CITY BANK
• MILLENIUM BANK
• PKO BANK
• ALIOR BANK

A complete list of all banks in Poland can be found at the National Bank of Poland website.

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A reasonable total monthly budget would be about 2000 - 2500 PLN (excluding travels outside Poland as well as the tuition). Although some students live on a much tighter budget. Note, that the students are often offered various discounts (shops, transportation, theater, cinema, museums, bookshops). Always remember to present your student card. Examples below are based on good standard of accommodation:

Examples of prices for products and services in Warsaw in 2018 given in PLN. Usually the exchange rate for EURO is about PLN/EUR = 4.2-4.3/1

Student ticket refers to Public Transportation Company (ZTM) tickets. Those tickets are valid to use in buses, trams, metro and selected railway company's trains as well (SKM, limited usage in KM and WKD).

You should expect additional expenses which may occur during your stay. Those might be:

• A refundable deposit for your accommodation (usually 1 or 2 month's rent)
• Initial expenditures (sheets, towels, cooking utensils, books, etc. depending on the accommodation provider)
• Utilities (if they are not included in rent)
• Tickets, entrance fees, reservations if you would like to do sightseeing in Poland
• Different fees and subscriptions, monthly tickets for public transportation, internet etc.
• Health insurance (mandatory for non EU students)

More details about cost of living in Warsaw click here.

1. Travelling around:

In order to move around Warsaw and other major cities it is advised to use "jakdojade" website or mobile app - an online timetable of all of public transport in 44 cities, like:

• Warsaw,
• Gdańsk and Tri-city,
• Kraków,
• Wrocław,
• Toruń,
• Poznań.

Public Transport:

Before entering any mean of public transport (buses, trams, metro, trains) you should obtain a ticket. Ticket selection is wide, so you should make sure you buy correct one. Range of the buses is divided into two ticket zones - if you are not planning on leaving Warsaw's premises you can buy zone-1 only tickets, as zone-2 are sububrans only. They are much cheaper, compared to tickets valid in both zones. 

Tickets available are:
time limited (20 minutes, 75 minutes, 90 minutes)
short-time (1-day, 3-days, weekend)
long-time tickets (30-days, 90-days)

All those tickets allow for unlimited number of rides, on all of the means that accept above mentioned tickets. Here you can see complete list of tickets and their costs.

Time limited and short-time tickets come in paper form, while long-term tickets must be coded on special, personalized cards. Your students ID can take the role of such personalized card - meaning you can use it as your travel card. It is recommended for students to buy 30- or 90-days tickets as it turn out much cheaper overall, if you will be using public transport everyday.

How to use "jakdojade":

Step 1:

• Enter www.jakdojade.pl
• Select the city from the drop list or with the use of search engine

Step 2:

• After you pick the city, you'll see it's map. Now you have to establish the route
• You should input "Punkt startowy" (starting point) and "Punkt docelowy" (final destination) or you can select it on the map - simply click "pokaż przystanki" (show stops)

Step 3:

• Set the starting point - for example Chopin Airport (Lotnisko Chopina)

Step 4:

• Select final destination of your travel - for example "Pimot", stop the nearest to the university

Step 5:

• Select the time. You can input the time manually or use arrows - each click moves the time 10 minutes back or forth
• Select the date. When clicked a calendar will drop down
• Choose between departure (odjazd) or arrival (przyjazd) time that will be shown
• Proceed with green arrow button

Step 6:

• Now you will see droplist with planned routes for you. It will show time untill departure, number of means of transport, the time of travel, departure and arrival times
• You can choose alternate route (marked grey) or you can alter it by yourself

Step 7:

• When you select your transportation, you can check the details of your chosen route

2. Entertainment 

Poland is a place with great history, spaning on a period of over 1000 years. Warsaw, de facto capital of Poland since 1611, is an ideal place to discover some of Poland's most recent history as well as much more distant times. Mentioned below are places worth seeing during your stay in Poland, as they will provide you with an overview of Polish culture:

• National Museum,
• Warsaw Uprising Museum,
• Old town and the Royal Castle,
• Royal Baths Park "Łazienki",
• Warsaw ZOO,
• Museum of Warsaw,
• Wilanów Palace and Park,
• Chopin Museum,
• Museum of the History of Polish Jews,

Also, in and around Warsaw you'll find multiple places to spend your free time, if you are not a museum type. Those mentioned below are definetely worth your time to check it up:

• Vistulan Boulevards,
• Fountain Park by the Old town,
• Zegrze Lake,
• "Nowy Świat",
• "Krakowskie Przedmieście",
• Cinema Park (4D cinema),
• Praga Beach by the Vistula,
• Gardens on the roof of Warsaw University Library,

If you rather spend your time actively here are some examples of places that you can do just that:

• KillHouse - Paintball ground, placed inside unused manufacturing hall. Available throughout the whole year. Except for Paintball, Killhouse also offers Laser Tag, Air Soft and Nerf- games. 
• LetMeOut - escape room right next to city center. There are multiple escape rooms scattered around the city.
• Hangar 646 - a trampoline park - basically huge hall filled with trampolines, landing zones and springboards.
• A1Karting - one of the biggest Go-Kart covered track, open all year, 7 days a week. It's placed across the street from the university. 
• HulaKula - bowling alley and club, just across the street from the university.
• Copernicus Science Centre - interactive museum-exhibition popularizing science in Poland, consisting of over 450 exhibitions.

Warsaw is the host city to multiple regular and periodic events. Just to name a few:

• Warsaw Orange Festival - music festival, spanning over few days.
• Warsaw Film Festival 
• "Zimowy Narodowy" on National Stadium - football pitch turns into winter sports arena, available to anyone. National Stadium (Stadion Narodowy) host mulitple different events (excpet for sport events) throughout the year, like: concerts, races (eg. Top Gear, Drift Championship), exhibitions (LEGO exhibition, International Cat Exhibition).
• Festival of Colours 
• International Chopin Piano Competition

And if you are not keen on sightseeing or on visiting any of the above mentioned attractions, here are some of places worth even a second of your time:

• Observation deck on roof of the Palace of Culture and Science,
• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
• The Monument in Memory of Fallen Polish Airman in World War II,
• The Mermaid of Warsaw Monument (Old town and Vistulan boulevards),
• The Little Insurrectionist Monument,
• Grand Theatre,
• Sigismund's Column,
• Janusz Korczak Monument,
• Old Town Observation deck,
• "Służewiec" Horse Velodrome, 

If you need any basic needs products you can visit one of below mentioned shoping centers. The variaty of shops available makes them the best place to buy all the necessities that one might need. 

Shoping Centers in Warsaw:

• ARKADIA (Jana Pawła II st. 82); List of shops
  Mall: Monday - Saturday: 10:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 10:00 – 21:00;
  Carrefour: Monday – Saturday: 08:30 – 23:00; Sunday: 09:00 – 22:00;
  Cinema City: Monday – Sunday: 09:30 – 22:30.
• ZŁOTE TARASY (Złota st. 59); List of shops
  Mall: Monday - Saturday: 09:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 09:00 – 21:00;
  Carrefour: Monday – Saturday: 10:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 10:00 – 20:00;
  Multikino: Monday – Sunday: 09:00 – until last screening.
• GALERIA MOKOTÓW (Wołoska st. 12); List of shops
  Mall: Monday - Saturday: 10:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 10:00 – 21:00;
  Carrefour: Monday – Sunday: 09:00 – 22:00;
  Cinema City: Monday – Sunday: 09:00 – until late night hours.
• BLUE CITY (Al. Jerozolimskie 179); List of shops
  Mall: Monday - Saturday: 10:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 10:00 – 20:00

3. Emergency

Legal assistance:

If you need a legal assistance, you may contact the Information Center for Foreigners in order to get it free of charge (http://interwencjaprawna.pl/cic/information-centre-for-foreigners/).

Contact:
Address: Siedmiogrodzka st. 5/51
Tel. (+48) 22 629 56 91 

EMERGENCY NUMBERS 

In order to call an emergency service via public phone, please dial:

999 – Ambulance
998 – Fire Fighters 
997 – Police
986 – Municipal Guard (Straz Miejska)

In order to call an emergency service via mobile phone, please dial:

112 – All the above services.

Calling any of emergency numbers is free of charge.

Emergency Services (by city districts):

• Śródmieście - Poznańska st. 22
• Praga Południe - Grenadierów st. 34
• Wola - Górczewska st. 27/35
• Mokotów - Puławska st. 120
• Żoliborz - Wrzeciono st. 41
• Marymont - Słowackiego st. 52/54
• Praga Północ - Brzeska st. 12
• Ochota - Joteyki st. 9
• Ursynów - Jastrzębowskiego st.  22
• Wilanów - Morszyńska st. 33
• Ursus - Sosnkowskiego st. 18
• Bemowo - Kartezjusza st. 2
• Białołęka - Marywilska st. 44
• Targówek - Łojewska st. 6
• Międzylesie - Dzieci Polskich st. 20

EU/EEA student applicants:

An EU or EEA country citizen (except for Switzerland) can enter Poland with his/her valid ID document (e.g. passport, national ID card). If a student intends to visit Poland's neighboring countries (not all of them are EU Member States), a passport is recommended. Citizens of Switzerland can enter Poland only on the basis of a valid passport. 

For stays of up to 3 months no legalization of stay will be necessary. For stays exceeding 3 months, all EU students will have to register their stay at the Department of Foreigners. The form together with other documents should be submitted to Department of Foreigners of the Mazovian Voivodeship Office on 3/5 Marszałkowska St. in Warsaw (Wydział ds Cudzoziemców, ul. Marszałkowska 3/5). Registration is free of charge and the meeting doesn't require booking in advance. For more information and to download the registration form please visit the department's website here. 

Non-EU/EEA student applicants:

Applicants from non-EU/EEA country can enter the territory of Poland on the basis of a valid travel document (passport) and a visa. Before arriving to Poland foreign students from non-EU countries must apply for a student visa in the Polish Embassy or consulate in their home country. A short-term visa entitles the holder to stay in Poland for up to 3 months and a long-term visa up to 1 year. Applicants have to apply for a yearly students visa valid for 365 days. 

In order to prolong the legalization of stay, non-EU students may choose from two options:

1. either apply for a new student visa in the Polish Embassy in their home country,
2. apply for a Polish Temporary Residence Permit (karta pobytu) in Warsaw. 

Residence Permit (karta pobytu):

Instead going back to your country in order to make a visa, the second option for non-EU students is to apply for the Temporary Residence Permit (karta czasowego pobytu) at the Department of Foreigners on 3/5 Marszałkowska street in Warsaw (Wydział Spraw Cudzoziemców w Warszawie, ul. Marszałkowska 3/5).
Legally, you can apply a day before your current travel documents expiry, but it is better if student submits all the required documents 2-3 weeks before that date. 

You can find the list of required documents on the official website of the Department. In order to book an appointment please call +48 22 695 67 71 or write to wniosek@mazowieckie.pl
For more information and assistance on temporary residence permit procedure for students please visit Department for Foreigners website. 

INSURANCE

Foreign students from outside of European Union do not participate in the Polish national health care system. On the basis of state bilateral agreements, they can be attended free of charge only in case of emergency. However, the costs of medical care in hospital and appointments to general physicians will have to be covered by the students. These costs are relatively high and usually start from around 100 zlotys per visit. Therefore, they should buy health care and casualty insurance for the period of their stay in Poland in their home countries. Alternatively, the insurance may also be purchased in Poland after your arrival. Note that you might be required to have insurance in order to obtain Polish national visa. 

If you are a EU or EEA citizen and you already have a valid health insurance in your country, you are entitled to receive free health care services from the health care providers who have contracts with NFZ. For this purpose you have to go to the doctor approved by NFZ and show your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

For more details please call +48 22 572 62 68 or click here. 

If you are non-EU citizen and you do not have any valid health insurance from your country you will have to make a so-called “voluntarily insurance”. In order to do so you will have to submit the copy of your passport, residence permit (visa or karta pobytu), your previous insurance (or document containing the information about its duration) along with the filled in registration form to the nearest NFZ office (Chałubińskiego st. 8 in Warsaw).

For details please call +48 22 456 74 01 or visit: http://www.nfz-warszawa.pl/kontakt/dane-teleadresowe/

LUXMED PRIVATE MEDICAL SERVICE

When you experience any health problems, do not wait – call a doctor or arrange a visit in LUXMED calling to: (+48) 22 33 22 888. All international full-time students of Kozminski University are entitled to use free basic medical services (General Practitioner, Polish: INTERNISTA) at Luxmed clinics with their student ID card. Kozminski University covers the costs of visits to the general practitioner and the cost of laboratory tests obtained by referral from an internist in LUXMED. Check-up covered by the University:

• Chest X-ray,
• Full blood exam,
• Blood film,
• VDRL,
• HIV,

The cost of visits to other specialists are not refunded by the University, but you can get a 10% discount after presenting a Kozminski Student ID card. 

The nearest LUXMED to Kozminski University is situated on Władysława Szernera st. 3.