How to get the COVID-19 vaccine without a PESEL number?

The COVID-19 vaccination is now being rolled out to the Polish population in descending age order. Once your age group becomes eligible, you get an electronic doctor’s referral, which allows you to book a vaccination appointment online (by logging in to pacjent.gov.pl), by phone or in a vaccination centre. The referral is valid for 90 days. If you want to log in to pacjent.gov.pl, you can do so by using your online bank account or your Trusted Profile (read more: Trusted Profile in Poland - what is it and how do you get one?). Note that the website is available in Polish only, so you may need to ask a Polish-speaking friend for help.

What to do if you do not have a PESEL number? If you are:

• A foreign student/doctoral student
• A foreign citizen permitted to work in Poland
• A diplomat
• A spouse or a child of a person permitted to reside in Poland

you can contact a primary care physician and ask them for a vaccination referral. When filling in the electronic referral form, the doctor should enter your passport number or your ID card number instead of a PESEL number (in the “patient’s data” field). Remember to bring the relevant document to your vaccination appointment.

How do you book an appointment?

Once you have received an e-referral, you can make an appointment in one of three ways:

• Call the 24/7 hotline: 989
• Send a text message with the word: SzczepimySie to 664 908 556 or 880 333 333
• Visit a vaccination centre of your choice (click to see the map)

Remember that the vaccination is free and you can request a doctor’s referral only after your age group becomes eligible to book a vaccine. The current registration schedule is as follows:

Source: www.gov.pl/web/szczepimysie

What is a PESEL number? Find out more in our article!