Help-I am an American who was the victim of crime(s) in Poland. Is it true I need a mailing address in Poland before an investigation can start?
Help-I am an American who was the victim of crime(s) in Poland. Is it true I need a mailing address in Poland before an investigation can start?
25 comments
They have given you a very straight answer. If you are not residing in Poland anymore you will have to hire someone to represent you.
Yes.
I mean, investigation will go on on its own, you just won’t be formally informed about its results and thus won’t be able to exersice your rights as the aggrieved party. So if you wish to take active part in the investigation you need an attorney, otherwise don’t bother.
They gave you a pretty straightforward answer. You need to provide them with EU address, where all the official correspondence will be sent. You don’t need to hire a attorney but considering that you don’t have a residency here anymore, local lawyer as a representative would make things easier.
Reading this post and the comments by the OP gave ma cancer.
Polish law system sux. Hire lawyer. Sorry for inconveniece.
I would understand this differently – hire local lawyer – once they represent you, all communication will be going through their address, you probably don’t need to have actual address in Poland yourself…
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Mate, it took me 5 seconds to Google “legal advice for Americans in Poland”. There is at least 4 law firms advertising that they speak English and will consider the case.
Are you sure you even have a case to begin with? I doubt that law firms will deny you services if you had a case.
This was clarified for you: for the legal process to be relatively smooth (with emphasis on relatively) you need someone to represent you here in Poland – and a solicitor will offer both temporary mailing address and ability to communicate in Polish – the first one required and the second one to speed things up.
Mate you need to hire a lawyer. And this is how it is handled in most of the world because suppose the court sends you an official correspondence, how are you going to show up in court or receive mail if you are across the ocean?
Thats why you hire a lawyer to handle this stuff for you, not to mention if you don’t speak polish it is very useful to have a lawyer who does and even if you do speak the language you should always hire a lawyer for legal stuff.
You wouldn’t operate on your self would you if you are sick? You would get a doctor, so get a lawyer!
Bro. You’re talking about an entirely different country. If you want justice for perceived wrongs, you need to hire a lawyer. You follow their rules. That’s what it is.
If they were here, they’d be forced to follow our rules. It’s that simple.
Don’t like it? Drop the issue and move on with your life. It was your choice to be in Poland. These are the results of your actions.
Is it even worth it to hire a lawyer? What’s the probabilty that the investigations goes your way? Do you plan to get some compensation form the criminal?
Welcome to Polish bureaucracy. Despite the great economic advances the country has made in the last few decades the legal system still operates under communist era principles and is designed to make life as hard as possible for the average person. If you’re not connected to the right people you will not have any leverage and will be sent on an endless spiral that goes nowhere and slowly sucks you of all time and resources. There will ALWAYS be some bullshit technicality that they will catch you on that will prevent you from moving forward with anything. I would honestly start with an American lawyer who specializes in your rights as a citizen abroad to see what your options are before getting tangled up in anything abroad.
Let me guess. Went to a ‘club’ and the entertainment rinsed your cards?
Not necessarily a legal rep. Only a somebody who will collect and pass correspondence for you. Same time it might be a lawyer depends of a situation . You do not need a lawyer to get a divorce in Poland. Most of info is on the net .
Contact embassy
Lol I need serious advice – I’ll post on Reddit
What happened? Were you robbed and bitten by strippers in Gdańsk?
Go to the us embassy or contact the state department
I am not really sure what is so unclear about the instructions you were provided. You need a physical address within the EU. If you don’t have one, they suggest you hire an attorney. If you don’t speak Polish, I would definitely recommend hiring an attorney.
Why are you downvoting OP? I get that it seem obvious for us, as we literally live in this country, but the US has totally different law system. The OP is probably stressed as well and he is asking for advice. Just be a bit kinder, gosh
So If i get raped i need a Mail Adresse so iam Worth it?
Wow, reading these comments makes me glad I left Poland.
If you guys read his email, it says the case cannot START until he provides an EU address.
That is absolutely BS, and if that’s the official stance for investigations into crimes (crime = criminal, not a civil complaint) then Poland is even more backwards than I imagined. No, that’s NOT how the “rest of the world” works to whoever said that.
That being said, OP, are these indeed crimes, or are they civil complaints? Have you actually been to the police station and filed a report? They should open an investigation into this regardless of your status if they’re following EU laws. A lawyer would help, but should never be necessary in an EU country. There are agreements between the EU and the US and that is a completely irrelevant answer.
Lastly, just cover your bases. Now, you might be completely in the wrong here but to the people commenting I wonder how many of them are actually familiar with the process. If you want to SUE someone though you need a lawyer. You do not, in any modern country, need a lawyer to file a criminal complaint to a police officer.
Now, if you have and the local prosecutor is refusing to take the case because of your address – that’s completely BS if it’s a criminal investigation. But you didn’t specify if it’s a civil dispute or if this is a criminal complaint.
Also – I’m still skeptical OP, who actually send you this email? Is this the US embassy in Poland?
Wait… you want to sue the med school because you were bullied and had no friends???
If you don’t live in the EU, you need to consult the US embassy. Their job literally is to protect you and offer legal advice.