Residence permit in Poland

The residence card is an official document that confirms the right of a foreign citizen to live, work, and study on the territory of the Republic of Poland. It is a residence permit. What exactly: temporary / permanent, depends on the type.

The certificate contains information about the subject, it confirms the legality of the stay in Poland. It looks like an internal passport of an EU citizen. In addition to text information, it contains a photo, biometrics of the owner, the PESEL number.

The Polish Karta pobytu performs the functions of a visa at the same time, that is, having this document, a foreigner is freed from the need to obtain an entry permit - when crossing the border, it is enough to show the employee his foreign passport + plastic card.

The application to the residence card must be submitted if you are going to live in Poland for more than 3 months and your main purpose is employment.

An application for a temporary residence permit must be submitted in person at the Main Office of the Regional Administration (Urząd Wojewódzki) or by post, no later than the last legal day of stay in Poland. It should be remembered that the date of submission of the contribution to the residence card is considered the day of submission at the post office or if you submit the application in person at the Office.

If you submit an application on time and there are no formal deficiencies in it or report/deport within the deadline specified by us, your stay will be legal from the date of submission of the application until the day when the decision on this matter becomes final. Remember that if you change the address of your place of residence and employer during the current consideration of the case, be sure to report it.

Documents to be submitted:

1. Application for a temporary residence permit (Wniosek o pobyt czasowy). The form is filled out by you and only in Polish.
2. Appendix No. 1 to the application (Załącznik nr 1 od pracodawcy). The application is filled out by the employer. The form must be signed by a person who has the right to represent the company, according to the entry in the KRS. For individuals running an individual business, the signature of the business owner is required. In turn, firms require the signatures of all its members, unless otherwise stipulated by the company contract (for reference).
3. A photocopy of a valid travel document (original for reference).
4. 4 biometric photos, as per passport, taken no later than 6 months. A foreigner who wears a headdress in accordance with the rules of his religion may add a photo of him in the headdress to the application, if the image of the person is fully visible. In this case, the foreigner's statement about belonging to a religious community is attached to the application.
5. Confirmation (original) of payment in the amount of PLN 440.00 to the account of the city administration. In the name of the transfer, it is necessary to indicate the name of the person who submits the contribution to the mortgage.
6. Old age information (labor market test). The application should be accompanied by the original information of the relevant headman in connection with the main place of your work. The information cannot be issued later than 180 days before the payment is made to the debit card. If you are a person exempted from submitting information to the elder, attach documents confirming this fact. Remember that the terms and conditions set out in the Warden's Information must be in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in Appendix #1 to your contribution. Professions exempted from the need to submit the information of the headman in the territory of your voivodeship are presented on the website of the regional administration.
7. Documents confirming the availability of medical insurance in accordance with the provisions of the Law of August 27, 2004 On State-funded Medical Services or confirmation of insurance coverage of medical expenses in the territory of the Republic of Poland, if you perform work under an employment contract.
8. Statement of business activity.
9. If you work in a regulated activity (a regulated profession, as required by the acquisition of a qualification), attach to the application documents confirming the presence of a formal qualification (right to the profession, driver's license, certificate of qualification).
10. Certificates from the employer about the length of time worked at the customer's employer, indicating the end date of 18 months of employment with this employer (in the case of employment through an employment agency).
11. If the performance of work in the territory of the Republic of Poland is based on the performance by a foreigner of a function in the board of a legal entity, which is subject to entry in the register of entrepreneurs, where the foreigner does not have shares or participation - documents confirming that the legal entity assigns the work, fulfills the relevant conditions - the information concerns - temporary residence permit for the purpose of conducting business, will be indicated below in Temporary residence permit - economic activity).
12. You can also add to the application information about the address that will be indicated on the residence card, as well as confirmation (original) of the payment of the fee for issuing the beat card in the amount of PLN 100.00 to the account of the municipality (city council). In the Name of the transfer, enter the name and surname of the person who applies for the issuance of the card. If it is necessary to clarify the evidence available to the body in the case of your contribution, during the case review, the foreigner may be called to provide other documents or to give evidence confirming the circumstances specified in the application (the contribution to the card is broken).

Importantly! A residence permit (residence card) is issued for a period of no more than 3 years. The period of permission depends, first of all, on the period for which the employer intends to entrust you with work.

The permit gives the right to work in Poland only under the conditions specified in it. You cannot work for another employer on the same basis. The exception is permits issued in cases where you are exempt from the obligation to have a work permit.

It is your duty to notify the voivode who issued your permit about your termination of employment within 15 days of losing your job. If you want to work for another employer, you must apply for a change of temporary residence and work permit. If you have not submitted an application for changing your temporary residence and work permit or a new application for temporary residence and work or a change of decision, we will start the procedure for revoking your residence permit, as the purpose of your stay, which you declared when you submitted your application for temporary residence, has ceased. If you do not do this, the voivode may refuse to change / grant another temporary residence permit.