Message from Ambassador Knott to UK nationals in Poland
An update from Her Majesty's Ambassador Jonathan Knott to the UK nationals in Poland.
In a video message before Christmas I explained that the UK is set to leave the European Union (EU) on 31 January with a Withdrawal Agreement in place.
This UK legislation is now in its final stages and we will therefore be leaving next Friday with a deal. I wanted to explain what that means for you and to remind you that there is no immediate impact.
The Withdrawal Agreement contains some really important protections for your rights as UK nationals resident in Poland:
- you can continue to live and work in Poland
- your UK pension will continue to be uprated
- your access to healthcare will be the same as now
Once we have left the EU, the UK will enter the “implementation period”. This period:
- will end on 31 December 2020
- allow the UK and the EU to negotiate an agreement for a future relationship
- permit you to still move to any other member state to live or work
For information non-EU citizens in Poland are unable to vote in local elections, but we are working with the Polish Government to explore whether any solution can be found for UK Nationals residing here.
We are aware that the Polish Government are planning a series of updates to their webpages over the coming days. During the implementation period they will release more information about any procedures you might need to follow in 2021.
In summary, there are no immediate steps that you need to take as a result of our exit. In the meantime:
- if you haven’t done so already we encourage you to register your stay with your local Voivode
- please follow us on Facebook and Twitter;
- register here for email updates
- visit the Living in Poland guide for updates coming shortly