{"id":478,"date":"2009-02-12T11:54:56","date_gmt":"2009-02-12T15:54:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/?p=478"},"modified":"2009-02-12T11:54:56","modified_gmt":"2009-02-12T15:54:56","slug":"pleasantly-surprised-with-city-hall-in-gdansk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/pleasantly-surprised-with-city-hall-in-gdansk\/","title":{"rendered":"Pleasantly Surprised with City Hall in Gda\u0144sk"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised with the speed and efficiency of Polish governmental offices. With the exception, perhaps, of Urz\u0105d Skarbowy<\/strong> (Tax Office), but then again, you can\u2019t expect too much from the Taxman. They\u2019re only fast if THEY want something from you, right?<\/p>\n

But all the other offices I\u2019ve dealt with so far \u2013 I have no complaints. Just the opposite, in fact.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if this is just a local thing in Gda\u0144sk<\/strong>, or if things are equally speedy and efficient in other towns. But I have to say, whatever they\u2019re doing in Gda\u0144sk<\/strong>, they\u2019re doing it right.<\/p>\n

Last week I had to submit some documents to Urz\u0105d Miejski w Gda\u0144sku<\/strong> (City Hall in Gda\u0144sk<\/strong>). So I showed up bright and early, handed my documents to the lady in the appropriate room and half expected her to have a cow. She admitted that one document was from a country she never even heard of, and the other – written in a script she didn\u2019t know how to read. She wasn\u2019t even sure if she was holding it upside down or not. But both papers were accompanied by that hateful thing required on official documents \u2013 apostille, and had translations (done by a sworn, official translator \u2013 t\u0142umacz przysi\u0119g\u0142y<\/strong>) stapled to them, so she took them and made me sign a few papers and pay some money.<\/p>\n

I had read on the internet that the average processing time for this type of document but issued by a Polish authority was about 30 days. So imagine my shock and surprise when two business days later a phone call came. This time I fully expected it to be about problems. But no. My documents were accepted and approved and I could send someone over to pick up the Polish versions.<\/p>\n

This has been about the fourth time when the official offices in Gda\u0144sk<\/strong> exceeded my wildest expectations. Whether dealing with Urz\u0105d Miejski<\/strong> or Urz\u0105d Wojew\u00f3dzki<\/strong> or Urz\u0105d Stanu Cywilnego<\/strong>, my experiences were surprisingly pain-free and wholly positive.<\/p>\n

The same however cannot be said about Urz\u0105d Skarbowy<\/strong>. C\u2019mon Skarb\u00f3wka<\/strong>, get on with the program! You\u2019re ruining the good image for the rest of them.<\/p>\n