Phone contract rights in Poland: 24 months, 30-day complaints, SIM
Short answer: Per UKE's guide: first fixed-term contract max 24 months, 14 days to withdraw a distance contract, provider has 30 days to answer a complaint (12 months to file).
A Polish phone or internet contract is easy to sign and surprisingly easy to get wrong. Many expats find out about the contract length, the automatic extension or the 30-day complaint window only after the first dispute. This guide summarises the consumer rights described in the telecom regulator's own guide ("Masz prawo!", published by the Consumer Information Centre of the Office of Electronic Communications, UKE), checked on 18 October 2026. The guide is undated, so treat the details as a starting point and confirm them with your provider or UKE.
Prepaid SIM: registration with an ID document
You can buy a prepaid starter pack in a provider's shop, a store or a kiosk. According to the UKE guide, the card must be registered by filling in and signing a form. You give your name and either a PESEL number or the name, series and number of an identity document. The guide says that if you have no PESEL, you give your passport or residence card number. That makes prepaid practical for a newcomer who has not yet received a PESEL.
Contract length: 24 months at most for the first contract
The guide states these rules for a fixed-term contract:
- The first fixed-term contract with a provider cannot be longer than 24 months.
- If the provider sells fixed-term contracts, it must offer at least one option of up to 12 months.
- If the provider only sells open-ended contracts, it does not have to offer a 12-month option.
- When you extend a fixed-term contract, the annex can run longer than 24 months.
Read the end date on the contract and put it in your calendar. A cheaper device or a promotional price usually comes with a longer commitment.
Automatic extension and one-month notice
If a fixed-term contract turns into an open-ended one automatically, the guide says you can end it at any time with a one-month notice period. You pay the subscription during that month. The provider should tell you, no later than 30 days before the commitment ends, about the automatic extension, how to end the contract and the best tariffs on offer.
Signed at a distance: 14 days to withdraw
A contract signed away from the provider's premises or at a distance, for example at home or online, can be withdrawn from within 14 days of signing. Sending the statement before the 14 days run out is enough. The provider cannot then charge a contractual penalty for early termination. The right does not apply to a contract signed in the provider's shop.
* Photos: SIM card of the Polish network NJU (cover) and a mobile phone transmitter in Tomaszów Mazowiecki (body), CC0 and public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Changing provider and keeping your number
You do not cancel the old contract yourself when you port a number. The guide says you approach the new provider, which handles the formalities, and that number portability is free. You can choose when the move happens: after the notice period, earlier (the old provider may then claim compensation equal to the subscription for the notice period) or at the end of the promotional terms. Ending a contract before its term can also bring the contractual penalty. After the contract ends, you keep the right to port the number for at least one month.
For an internet contract, the guide says you have the right to continuity of service when you switch, unless that is technically impossible. The new provider must activate the service no later than one business day after the old contract ends.
Roaming and premium numbers
In the EU and EEA, the guide says roaming is charged on the "Roam Like At Home" principle, with possible limits under a fair use policy. Providers must set a default data cap in roaming of 50 EUR a month, warn you at 80 percent and block data after the limit unless you ask to continue. Outside the EU and EEA the protection applies if the foreign network allows data monitoring.
For premium-rate services, the default cost limit is 35 zl per month or billing period. You can change it, and providers must offer limits of 0, 35, 100 and 200 zl. You can ask for premium-rate services to be blocked free of charge.
Complaints and free mediation
If the provider did not start the service on time, did not deliver it or billed it wrongly, you can complain in writing, by email, by phone or in person at a shop. The guide says the provider has 30 days to answer, and that silence means the complaint is accepted. You have 12 months from the problem to complain. UKE's current complaints page confirms the 12-month limit and lists what to include: your details, what you dispute and for which period, the contract or phone number, any compensation you ask for and a bank account for payment.
If the answer is not satisfactory, consumers can use free out-of-court mediation run by the President of UKE. You must have complained to the provider first, and the procedure is only for consumers, not for contracts signed for a business.
What the sources do not say
The UKE guide does not discuss foreigners beyond the prepaid registration rule, and it is written for Polish-language contracts. If your contract is in English, the same statutory rights should apply, but the guide does not address this. Check the date of the current rules before relying on a figure, as the guide carries no publication date.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a prepaid SIM without a PESEL?
Yes, according to the UKE guide. If you do not have a PESEL, you give your passport or residence card number on the registration form.
How long can my first phone contract be?
The first fixed-term contract with a provider cannot exceed 24 months. A provider that sells fixed-term deals must also offer one of up to 12 months.
How long does the provider have to answer a complaint?
30 days, says the UKE guide. If there is no answer in that time, the complaint is treated as accepted. You have 12 months to file it.
Can I cancel a contract signed online?
Yes, within 14 days of signing, without a contractual penalty. This does not apply to contracts signed in the provider's shop.
