Moving to Kraków: Costs Process & Districts

Since 1990, Kraków has been divided into 18 districts (dzielnice). District I, Stare Miasto, covers the Old Town within the first ring road with Wawel Hill, as well as the formerly independent towns of Kazimierz and Kleparz. South of the Vistula lie Podgórze and Dębniki, to the west Krowodrza, Bronowice and Zwierzyniec, and to the east district XVIII, Nowa Huta, which was built after the Second World War as a socialist planned town. For the move, the locations differ greatly: a restricted traffic zone applies in the Old Town and parts of Kazimierz, period buildings often lack lifts, and in prefab blocks the walking distances are long. Which location suits you depends on your commute, schools and budget; we plan the transport to match the address.

We do not quote specific rents because they depend heavily on location, condition and timing; compare current listings on Polish portals and calculate in złoty. Kraków is home to the Jagiellonian University and the technical university AGH, and has developed into a location for IT and service centres. If you start looking early and have the flat secured before the moving date, you can plan in a more relaxed way. Only sign the tenancy agreement once the transport can be planned; you need it in the original for registration. Notice in Berlin, deregistration at the citizens' office (Bürgeramt) and registration in Kraków are best planned backwards from moving-in day. For the private move we coordinate the arrival with your key handover. If the flat is not yet available, we store your belongings in Berlin in the meantime and deliver on the agreed date.

Small moves start with us from €365 for a 1-room flat. Somewhat larger moves, such as a 2-room flat, cost from €579. A 3-room flat comes to from €905, a 4-room flat to from €1,324. If you live in a house or villa, you receive an individual quote from us. For long-distance moves a price from €4.20 per kilometre applies. The quickest way is a free survey.

The decisive factors for the price calculation are distance (from €4.20/km), volume, floor and lift. Any parking restriction zone (Halteverbotszone) needed on site also plays a role. Additional services such as furniture assembly or a part load increase the total accordingly.

We plan moves from Berlin (Stromstraße 21), including to other EU countries. The locations overview shows places with their own pages; for long routes, read more under Long-distance moves. We plan the return route from Kraków to Berlin in the same way.

Kraków's Old Town and parts of Kazimierz are restricted traffic zones. According to the City of Kraków, entry by car is generally prohibited there and is marked by the B-1 sign with an additional plate. Exceptions apply, among others, to journeys to a property, a garage or a parking space and to deliveries, but only for the duration of loading and within set time windows. The Stare Miasto area covers the entire area within the first ring road plus the surroundings of Wawel; in Kazimierz, plac Nowy and 15 streets are included, among them Szeroka, Józefa and Estery.

The authority responsible for entry permits is the Zarząd Dróg Miasta Krakowa (ZDMK, ul. Centralna 53). According to ZDMK, procedure ZDMK-70 concerns vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes; short-term permits, for example for a move, take about 5 days, and long-term ones up to 30 days. No fees are charged for issuing them. The permit does not exempt you from parking charges in the central parking zone. The ZDMK page is dated July 2020; we check the current version of the procedure before your appointment, as well as the procedure for heavier vehicles.

Read more about the route in the guide Long-distance move to Poland and under International move.

During the survey we clarify with you whether your address lies within the zone, how long the carrying routes are from the van to the front door and which time window suits loading. That way we can prepare the application and the schedule early.

The registration obligation (obowiązek meldunkowy) also applies in Kraków. According to the City of Kraków, EU, EFTA and Swiss citizens and their family members register by the 30th day at the latest after arriving at their place of residence. The responsible office is the Wydział Spraw Administracyjnych (Administrative Affairs Department) of the Urząd Miasta Krakowa. You can also register at the Punkty Obsługi Mieszkańców (residents' service points) in Bronowice, Bonarka and Serenada; you book appointments at umawianiewizyt.um.krakow.pl, and information is available on tel. 12 616 55 55.

• Registration form for permanent or temporary residence
• Valid passport or identity card
• Proof of the right to use the flat in the original, for example a tenancy agreement or land register extract
• If represented: ID and written power of attorney

According to the city, EU citizens with a PESEL number can register electronically via gov.pl, with a Profil Zaufany (trusted profile), a qualified signature or an electronic identity card. A stamp duty of 17 złoty is only charged for the certificate of temporary residence. An overview of documents can be found in the checklist for moving to Poland and in the guide Customs, formalities and process.

Plan the registration appointment straight after arrival and bring all the originals. We coordinate the arrival of the van with your key handover so that you are on site and can oversee the unloading calmly before going to the authorities.