November 11th 2019, Poland’s Independence Day, will be the first day on which Poles can travel to the United States without needing a visa.
Poles will still need a visa to work, study, or live in the States, but for most recreational or business trips, only an electronic authorisation with the ESTA system will be necessary. A single ESTA authorisation is valid for two years and can be used for multiple trips. It costs 14USD and is completed online.
The changes are due to the addition of Poland to the US Visa Waiver Program, after the country met the final requirements.
To be considered for the Visa Waiver Program countries need less than 3% of their visa applications to the US to be rejected each year. In September, new figures showed Poland’s rejection rate had dipped below the threshold and President Trump later announced that he had agreed to Poland becoming the 39th country to join the programme.
The change means Poles will no longer face long queues at consulates and complicated bureaucracy to get a visa. President Duda said on Wednesday that it was symbolic Poland was joining the programme on its independence day.
Information on ESTA:
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/
The UK’s ambassador to Poland, Johnathan Knott, has written an open letter to British nationals in Poland to offer advice on preparing for Brexit.
In the letter, published yesterday, ambassador Knott reminds British nationals to make sure they have registered their stay in Poland at their local voivodeship office.
In Gdańsk, this can be done at the Voivodeship Office in Śródmieście.
The letter also reminds Brits to swap their UK driving license for a Polish one if they wish to drive in Poland after Brexit and make sure they are registered for healthcare in Poland unless they wish to pay for private healthcare.
British nationals should also ensure they have a passport valid for at least 6 months, and, if they wish to return to the UK, should check what rules would apply to any non-British family members.
A link to the ambassador’s letter can be found below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/letter-from-ambassador-knott-to-uk-nationals-in-poland–2
Mayor of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, has been looking back over her time in office.
Posting on Instagram on Wednesday, Mayor Dulkiewicz said 2019 had been full of challenges, but thanked Gdanskers for meeting those challengers together.
Under the post, some commenters suggested Dulkiewicz run in the upcoming Polish presidential election. The Mayor responded „thank you for your support, but I must still take care of my little homeland”.
And the Euro Ice Hockey Challenge starts tomorrow at Gdańsk’s Hala Oliwia.
The tournament is a friendly competition with Poland, Hungary, Italy, and Japan all playing each other over the weekend.
A day ticket costs just 30zl and a pass for the whole weekend is just 80. You can find a link to buy tickets below:
Weather: Another mild day for this time of year, reaching about 8° Celsius, or 46° Fahrenheit. A slight chance of some light rain tonight and we’re expecting some fog overnight and into tomorrow morning.
