Moving into a new flat in Poland – a checklist: meters, registering your address

Within the first month you must register your address (by day 30), file the IN-1 information (14 days from acquisition), transfer meters and utility contracts and update your address wherever the law requires it – for example in the car's registration certificate. Below you will find a checklist with a "what / deadline / where / online?" table, a sample calendar and the indicative cost of a removals firm.

Key facts

• You must register your address at the latest on day 30 after arriving at the new place. The owner of a unit with a land and mortgage register can do it online by giving its number – the certificate downloaded this way costs nothing.
• You do not replace your ID card – for years it has not contained an address. You report a change of data in the vehicle registration certificate to the starost within 30 days.
• You file the IN-1 information for property tax within 14 days of acquiring the flat. The rate for a unit in Warsaw and Wrocław in 2026 is 1,25 zł/m² a year.
• You do not have to notify the tax office separately: if you do not run a business, it is enough to give the new address in your next PIT return.
• Waste charge in 2026: in Warsaw 85 zł a month per household in a block, in Wrocław 55 zł per person (from 1 September 2026).

Moving into a new flat – a checklist with deadlines

The formalities right after picking up the keys – the defects report, the notarial deed, the first steps before finishing – we described in the article Stan deweloperski – what next?. This checklist concerns the moment you actually move in: when the flat is already finished and you change your address.

What	Deadline	Where	Online?
Registering at a permanent address (zameldowanie)	at the latest on day 30 after arriving	the city (district) office competent for the flat	yes – a service on gov.pl or an e-form with a trusted, personal or qualified signature
Deregistering from the old address	together with the new registration	you report it when registering	yes
The IN-1 information	14 days from acquiring the flat	the city office – local taxes	yes – electronically or on paper
Vehicle registration certificate	30 days from the change of data	the starost (in cities with county rights – the city office)	depends on the office
Driving licence	30 days – only if the address is entered in the document	the starost	depends on the office
The tax office (a person without a business)	at the next PIT return (or earlier on form ZAP-3)	the head of the tax office	yes – e-Tax Office
Electricity, gas, internet	before the move	the energy seller, the operator	usually yes
Advances to the association and waste	monthly, by the 10th	the building's board or manager	bank transfer
Flat insurance	before bringing in belongings	an insurer of your choice	usually yes
Bank, employer, postal operator, other contracts	no statutory deadline – best at once	each institution separately	mostly yes

Registering your address in a new flat online and at the office

A Polish citizen must register at a place of permanent or temporary residence at the latest on day 30 after arriving (Art. 27(1) of the Population Register Act). Registration is purely a matter of record – it confirms the fact that you live here and neither gives nor takes away any rights to the unit (Art. 28(4)). You have three routes:

• The Minister of Digital Affairs' electronic service (gov.pl). If you are the owner and your right is disclosed in the land and mortgage register, you give the register number. The system itself checks in the electronic land registers your name, PESEL and address (Art. 28(2e), (2f) and (2j)). You can download the certificate of registration straight away – free of charge (Art. 32(6) and (8)).
• An e-form to the municipal office with a trusted, personal (e-ID) or qualified signature. You attach a document confirming your legal title to the unit or a scan of it, for example a notarial deed or an extract of the land and mortgage register (Art. 28(1)(2), (2a)–(2b)).
• A visit to the office with an ID card or passport and a document confirming the legal title to the unit, which must be shown (Art. 28(1)(1) and (2)).

The trap of a new flat: the land and mortgage register of the unit is opened on the basis of the deed transferring ownership, and the entry of your ownership by the land registry court may take a while. If the automatic verification fails, the notification goes the ordinary electronic route – with a signature and a scan of the deed (Art. 28(2k)). So do not wait with registration for the entry in the register. How to check whether the entry is already there is explained in the article Land and mortgage register – how to check it online.

You do not have to deregister separately from the old address. Deregistration takes place when you register at the new place (Art. 33(3)). You can act through an attorney (Art. 24(4)), and a parent can register a child online (Art. 28(2g)).

Changing your address after the move – where to report

ID card and driving licence

You do not replace your ID card after moving. The Act on ID Cards lists the data placed in the document – among them first names, surname, PESEL, date of birth and citizenship, but no address (Art. 12). A new card is issued when the data it contains changes (Art. 46(1)(2)), so a change of address alone does not require replacement.

For a driving licence the rule is similar: you have 30 days to notify the starost of a change of data contained in the document (Art. 18(1) of the Act on Drivers of Vehicles). Check your document – if it has no address, the move changes nothing here.

The car's registration certificate

The owner of a registered vehicle must, within 30 days, notify the starost of a change in the factual situation that requires a change of data in the registration certificate (Art. 78(2)(2) of the Road Traffic Law). If your address appears in the certificate, report the move at the transport department. In Warsaw and Wrocław – cities with county rights – the starost's tasks are performed by the city mayor.

The tax office – ZAP-3 or PIT?

If you do not run a business and are not an active VAT payer, the law treats giving the new address in a filed return or another tax document, for example in a PIT return, as an update. You can also report the address earlier on the ZAP-3 update form (Art. 9(1d) of the Act on the Rules of Registration and Identification of Taxpayers and Payers). A business owner updates the data within 7 days (Art. 9(1)), and sole traders do so through the CEIDG. When buying from a developer you do not file a PCC-3 – more in the text Do you have to report the purchase of a flat to the tax office? (in Polish)

The bank, the employer, the post and other contracts

There are no statutory deadlines here, but overdue correspondence can cost you. Update your address at the bank, with your employer (who sends the PIT-11), with the car insurer and the phone operator. For the first weeks look into your old letterbox or check whether your postal operator offers mail redirection.

Transferring meters in a new flat and utility contracts

In a new block you usually do not "transfer" meters from a previous tenant but conclude the first contracts. Before the move, check:

• Electricity – a contract in your name with an energy seller. If a temporary contract applied during finishing or the developer settled the meter, take a reading on the day of takeover and keep a photo.
• Gas – only if the building has a gas installation. Many new blocks have no gas, and the kitchen is induction.
• Water and heat – in blocks they are most often settled by the manager in advances, based on sub-meters. Ask about the date of the first reading.
• Internet – check which operators have infrastructure in the building. Order the installation in advance.

The association, waste and property tax – charges from the first month

You pay the advances towards the costs of managing the common property in advance, by the 10th day of each month (Art. 15(1) of the Act on the Ownership of Premises). In a multi-unit building with separated units the owners' duties regarding waste are taken over by the association (Art. 2(3) of the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities). So you usually pay the waste charge together with the service charge, and the declaration for the city is filed by the board. In practice the manager will ask you for the information needed to calculate the charge – in Wrocław it is counted per person.

Charge (2026)	Warsaw	Wrocław
Waste – multi-unit buildings	85 zł/month per household (from 1.04.2026)	55 zł/month per person (from 1.09.2026)
Waste – a 2+1 family	85 zł/month	165 zł/month
Tax on a residential unit	1,25 zł/m² a year	1,25 zł/m² a year
Tax – a 45 m² flat (excluding the share in the land)	56,25 zł a year	56,25 zł a year

You file the IN-1 information within 14 days of acquiring the flat, and the tax obligation arises from the first day of the following month (Art. 6(1) and (6) of the Local Taxes and Charges Act). Calculations with the share in the land you will find in the article Property tax on a flat 2026.

After moving in, remember too that some changes outside the unit require the association's consent. This concerns especially enclosing a balcony, awnings or the outdoor unit of an air conditioner. We describe the rules in the texts A balcony, terrace and garden in a new flat – what is allowed and Air conditioning in a block flat (both in Polish).

Looking for a flat you will move into this year? We will select a unit in a building already put into use and guide you through buying a flat from a developer – from reservation to picking up the keys. For the buyer usually with no commission – the fee is typically paid by the developer.

Flat insurance after handover

The building is usually insured by the association – insurance is among management costs (Art. 14 of the Act on the Ownership of Premises). Your policy covers the unit, the finishing, the equipment and third-party liability towards neighbours. When should you insure the flat after handover?

• the policy should work before you bring in furniture and appliances – installations in a new building are only starting to work under full load, and a flood from a neighbour can happen at any time;
• set the sum insured according to the cost of finishing, not the price from the notarial deed – after finishing the value of the fixed elements rises considerably;
• with a mortgage the bank usually requires a policy with assignment of rights to the bank – check the requirements in the loan agreement.

Moving logistics: the lift, parking, the cost of a firm

In a new block your move coincides with neighbours' moves and the work of crews. A few days earlier ask the manager:

• whether the lift must be booked and protected (mats, covers) and during which hours furniture may be carried;
• where a delivery van may stand – whether it will fit into the underground car park (height) and whether a remote is needed;
• whether the common areas already have a handover report – it is better to document damage to the staircase with photos before bringing in your belongings.

The cost of a removals firm depends mainly on working time. A van with two people to carry costs indicatively 160–230 zł per hour, and with three people – about 200–250 zł (indicative ranges from firms' price lists, September 2026). Some firms quote net prices and apply a minimum booking time.

Example: a calendar and budget for moving into a 2-room flat

You are buying a completed 2-room flat in Wrocław for 699 thousand zł. That is the median price of 2-room flats in completed developments according to TM Invest offer data, as of 27.09.2026. You sign the deed on 14 October and move on 1 November, the two of you with a child.

• by 28 October – IN-1 at the city office (14 days from the deed); tax is charged from 1 November;
• by 31 October – electricity and internet contracts, a policy from the day of the move, booking the lift;
• 1 November – the move: 4 hours × 200 zł = 800 zł for a van with two people (at 160–230 zł/h: 640–920 zł);
• by the end of November – registering all three (30 days) and reporting the change of data in the registration certificate (30 days);
• by 10 November and every following month – the advance to the association, including waste: 3 × 55 zł = 165 zł a month.

Flats ready to move into – in our offer

If you want to move within a few months rather than years, look in buildings already put into use. According to TM Invest offer data, as of 27.09.2026, 1101 flats are available in completed developments. When moving, a lift and a storage room for things that will not fit in the flat also count:

Completed developments	Warsaw	Wrocław
Number of developments	37	24
Available flats	673	428
Developments with a lift in the description	31	7
Developments with storage rooms in the description	25	9
Median price – 2 rooms	727k zł (40,7 m²)	699k zł (44,8 m²)
Median price – 3 rooms	902k zł (58,2 m²)	839k zł (59,6 m²)

You can browse current offers on the pages new flats in Warsaw and new flats in Wrocław. The schedule of works before the move you will find in the guide Finishing a developer-standard flat step by step.

Frequently asked questions

Summary

A move is closed out by several deadlines: IN-1 within 14 days of the deed, registration and a change in the registration certificate within 30 days, advances to the association by the 10th of the month. You do not replace your ID card, and you give the tax office your new address in the PIT. You can register online – if the land and mortgage register has no entry yet, attach a scan of the deed. Plan utilities, the policy, the lift and the removals firm a week before the date.

Want to move in quickly? We will help you choose a flat in a completed building or one with a near completion date and guide you through buying a flat from a developer: the reservation, the agreement, the handover and the deed. For the buyer usually with no commission – the fee is typically paid by the developer. We have been on the market since 2016.

Legal status as of September 2026. The sample calculations and service prices are indicative; the article does not constitute legal or tax advice.

Sources

• Population Register Act (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 item 384 (Art. 24, 27, 28, 32, 33).
• Act on ID Cards (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 1753 (Art. 12, Art. 46).
• Act – Road Traffic Law (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2024 item 1251 as amended (Art. 78(2)).
• Act on Drivers of Vehicles (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 1226 (Art. 18(1)).
• Act on the Rules of Registration and Identification of Taxpayers and Payers (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 item 151 (Art. 9(1) and (1d)).
• Act on Local Taxes and Charges (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 707 (Art. 6); 2026 rates: M.P. 2025 item 726, resolution no. XXIX/1066/2025 of the Warsaw City Council and resolution no. XXV/500/25 of the Wrocław City Council.
• Act on the Ownership of Premises (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 item 232 (Art. 14, 15).
• Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities (in Polish) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 733 (Art. 2(3)).
• Warsaw City Hall – waste charge rates from 1 April 2026 (in Polish)
• Resolution no. XXXV/827/26 of the Wrocław City Council (in Polish) – Dz. Urz. Woj. Doln. 2026 item 3398 (the waste charge rate from 1.09.2026).
• Flat prices: TM Invest developments catalogue, as of 27.09.2026.