Setting Up a Profil Zaufany (Trusted Profile) in Poland

Step-by-Step

1. 1

   Make Sure You Have a PESEL Number

   numer PESEL

   1. Confirm you hold a PESEL number, are at least 13 years old, and have full or limited legal capacity
   2. If you do not yet have a PESEL number, obtain it first — it is a non-negotiable prerequisite
   3. A newcomer's path is sequential: PESEL number first, then the Trusted Profile

   💡 Tip: The Trusted Profile sits downstream of the PESEL number, so resolve the PESEL number before starting here.

2. 2

   Open the Setup Page

   1. Go to the official setup page and start a new Trusted Profile application
   2. Have your identity data ready, as the system verifies it against the population register

   💡 Tip: The dedicated Trusted Profile portal is presented in Polish and Ukrainian only; if you do not read Polish, have your PESEL number and identity data ready and use a trusted translation aid.

3. 3

   Choose a Confirmation Method

   1. Pick how you will confirm your identity: electronic banking (*bankowość elektroniczna*), the e-dowód with NFC, a video call with an official (rozmowa wideo z urzędnikiem), a qualified certificate (certyfikat kwalifikowany), or an in-person confirmation point (*punkt potwierdzający*)
   2. Electronic banking, e-dowód, and qualified certificate complete fully online in a single session
   3. The video call and the in-person confirmation point are the routes for those without supported banking or an e-dowód

   💡 Tip: If your bank is not on the participating-bank list, you can still get a Trusted Profile via the e-dowód, video-call (rozmowa wideo z urzędnikiem), or in-person confirmation-point (punkt potwierdzający) route.

4. 4

   Confirm Through Electronic Banking

   If you use the electronic-banking method

   1. From the setup page, choose your bank from the list of participating identity providers
   2. Log in to your bank's online banking as you normally would; the bank pre-fills your verified identity data
   3. Complete the on-screen registration form and confirm with the bank authorisation code, usually an SMS code

   💡 Tip: Banks that have supported setup this way include PKO Bank Polski, Bank Pekao, and ING Bank Śląski, among others — confirm the current list at setup, as banks change. If Santander appears, note that bank is mid-rebrand.

5. 5

   Or Confirm By Another Method

   If you do not use electronic banking

   1. e-dowód: tap your electronic ID card to an NFC reader or NFC smartphone — no office visit needed
   2. Qualified certificate: confirm using an NFC reader and the Podpis GOV app
   3. Video call: book and join a Microsoft Teams call with a clerk, who checks your identity against your ID document on camera

   ⚠️ Watch out: If none of the online routes fit, submit the application online and then confirm in person at a confirmation point (a punkt potwierdzający), within the allowed window, with your identity document — a clerk verifies you and activates the profile.

6. 6

   Receive and Start Using Your Profile

   1. Once confirmed, you receive an email with confirmation of the profile and your unique identifier
   2. Use the profile to sign documents online with a *podpis zaufany* (trusted signature), which carries the same legal weight as a handwritten signature with public-administration systems
   3. Log in to government e-services with your username, password, and SMS code

   💡 Tip: Confirmation points are run at municipal offices, district starostwa, public-health-fund (NFZ) branches, tax offices, and post offices; the network spans well over a thousand locations across Poland and abroad.

7. 7

   Renew Before It Expires

   Przedłuż ważność

   1. A profile stays valid for three years from the day the application is confirmed
   2. Before it lapses, log in, open your profile details, and choose Przedłuż ważność (extend validity)
   3. This adds another three years; renewal is free

   💡 Tip: If the validity lapses, you re-confirm rather than starting from zero, so renew before the three-year mark to avoid interruption.