At Ella Business Center in Glendale you can send money to Poland in person, with a photo ID; funds are available the next business day. The agency also arranges container shipping of cars to European destinations such as Gdynia, and helps with notary services, apostilles and translations.
The Polish community in New York lives in two countries at once. Money for parents in Poland, a car that should follow its owner who is moving back for good, a power of attorney to sell an apartment in Kraków, or a birth certificate needed by an American office – these are not errands for just any service counter. Ella Business Center on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale has handled them in Polish for years, in the same office that takes care of taxes and insurance.
Sending money to Poland – how it works in practice
According to the agency’s website, transfers are sent in person at the Glendale office. You will need a photo ID. Staff collect the sender’s and recipient’s details, the type of transfer and the amount, and once the order is approved, the client receives a transaction confirmation.
The agency says the transfer is available the next business day. It also asks clients to check every detail carefully before approving – a typo in the recipient’s name or account number can delay the whole transaction. It pays to arrive with the recipient’s details written down in advance, ideally exactly as they appear on the recipient’s documents.
Shipping a car from the U.S. to Europe
The second service people ask about when they move back is car shipping. Ella Business Center arranges transport of vehicles in a secured container across the Atlantic to destinations such as Gdynia, Rzeszów, Bremerhaven and Rotterdam. As the agency describes it, its team oversees the whole process and handles the paperwork on the client’s behalf, while local customs agents at the destination coordinate customs clearance and import procedures.
A key question is customs duty. The agency states that a car can be shipped duty-free if it qualifies as relocation property – meaning it was used, insured and registered in the U.S. for at least six months before shipping. The final decision on whether the conditions are met in a specific case rests with the customs office in the destination country, so it is worth reviewing the vehicle documents and proof of relocation before booking transport.
Notary, apostille and translation – documents that have to cross the ocean
Ella Business Center also lists notary services, apostilles and translations among its services. In Polish-American matters these three often go together.
- A notary public verifies a signature on a document – for example on a power of attorney, a statement or a consent form that has to be sent to Poland.
- An apostille is an official certification of a public document that allows it to be recognized in another country that belongs to the Hague Convention. Both the United States and Poland are parties to that convention.
- A translation is usually needed when a document issued in one country is filed with an office in the other.
The order of steps depends on the document and on the institution that will accept it – an inheritance case in a Polish court looks different from a birth certificate for an American agency. It is worth checking the requirements in advance, because they determine whether a document needs a notary, an apostille, a translation, or all three.
One office instead of several trips
For families in Ridgewood, Glendale and Middle Village, the biggest advantage is being able to take care of all this in one place, often alongside other matters. Ella Business Center also handles immigration paperwork, business formation, taxes and insurance. Someone preparing to move back to Poland can ask in the same office about shipping the car, a power of attorney for the family and the tax return for their last year in the States.
We cover that last topic separately – in our article on tax returns, including back years, at Ella Business Center. Another article covers home, auto and business insurance with broker Ella Insurance Brokerage.
What to bring
For a money transfer – a photo ID and the recipient’s exact details. For car shipping – the title, registration, proof of insurance and the destination. For documents – the original and, if possible, information from the Polish institution about the form in which the document must be filed.
Cost and timing depend on the type of service and the specific order, so the details are best confirmed directly with the office before you start.
Ella Business Center is located on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale, Queens. The full list of services, contact details and office hours are in the Ella Business Center listing in the Polish Pages business directory.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or customs advice. Every case requires an individual assessment – please contact Ella Business Center.
