Polish residence card (karta pobytu): the complete 2026 guide

What a residence card is and how it differs from a permit

Two things are easy to confuse. A residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt) is the voivode's administrative decision: it states your ground of stay (work, studies, family and so on) and how long it is granted for. The residence card (karta pobytu) is the plastic document issued after a positive decision. It confirms your identity and your right to stay in Poland. There is no card without a decision, and when you change your ground of stay you need a new decision and a new card.

The Act on Foreigners provides three main types of permit that lead to a card:

• temporary residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy) — for the period your purpose requires, up to 3 years (work, studies, family, business, EU Blue Card, CUKR and other circumstances);
• permanent residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt stały) — for people in specific situations, including Polish origin, holders of the Karta Polaka and certain family situations;
• EU long-term resident permit (rezydent długoterminowy UE) — an EU-wide status for people who have lived in Poland legally and without interruption for many years.

A separate category is the residence card of a family member of an EU citizen, which has its own procedure. A residence card is not a visa, not a PESEL number and not UKR status: people under temporary protection from Ukraine can move to a card through the CUKR procedure.

Who needs a residence card

You need a residence card if you are a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland and want to stay in Poland longer than your visa, visa-free period or current permit allows. Typical situations:

• your visa or visa-free period is ending but your job in Poland continues;
• you are starting or continuing studies at a Polish university;
• you are joining a spouse or parent who holds a permit in Poland;
• you run your own company in Poland;
• you hold UKR status and want a more stable residence title;
• you have lived in Poland for years and are thinking about permanent residence or EU long-term resident status.

The most important practical rule: you must file no later than the last day of your legal stay. If you file on time and your application has no formal defects (or you fix them within the deadline), your stay is legal until the decision becomes final. So before you start collecting documents, check exactly when your current legal stay ends.

Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland do not apply for permits under the Act on Foreigners. Their non-EU family members use a separate residence card for family members of EU citizens, and that application is not filed in MOS.

Residence grounds: which route fits you

Your ground of stay decides the document list, the stamp duty and what you are allowed to do in Poland. If more than one route could work, compare them before filing — since 5 March 2026 the stamp duty is not refunded if the voivode refuses.

Rules people often miss

• Since 1 June 2025 you no longer need the starosta's information (labour market test) for a residence and work permit — the requirement was repealed.
• The voivode may refuse to open single-permit proceedings if, on the filing date, you are in Poland on, for example, another Schengen state's tourist or visiting visa, or on a Polish visa issued for certain purposes.
• Seasonal work has its own, lower stamp duty of PLN 170.
• A change of employer or working conditions usually requires an amended permit or a new application — see our guide to renewal and employer change.

Companies hiring foreigners will find their MOS obligations in a separate guide for employers.

How the procedure works in 2026 (MOS)

Since 27 April 2026 applications for temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident permits are filed only through the Moduł Obsługi Spraw (MOS). The change was introduced by the Act of 21 November 2025 amending the Act on Foreigners (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1794). In short:

1. Ground and documents. Each route needs different evidence — see residence card documents.
2. Fees before filing. You pay the stamp duty and the PLN 100 card fee to two separate bank accounts. You cannot pay inside MOS; you only attach the payment confirmations.
3. Account and form. You open a MOS account via login.gov.pl, complete the form and add a digital photo and passport scans.
4. Employer or university attachment. If your ground requires it, MOS sends a link to your employer, university or internship organiser. The link is valid for 30 days, and you cannot send the application until the attachment is signed.
5. Signature and UPO. You sign with a trusted profile (profil zaufany), a personal signature (podpis osobisty) or a qualified e-signature and receive the official proof of receipt (UPO).
6. Certificate instead of a stamp. Once the office has verified the application, you download a certificate of filing (zaświadczenie) from MOS. It replaced the old passport stamp.
7. Summons to the office. The voivode summons you in person, with at least 7 days' notice, to show your passport and give fingerprints and a signature specimen. The office sets the date outside MOS. For additional documents you get at least 14 days.
8. Decision and card collection. The decision arrives by post or via e-Doręczenia, not through MOS. After a positive decision you are told the card is ready for collection.

Failing to attend the summons, refusing fingerprints or a signature, or not showing your passport leads to discontinuation (umorzenie) of the proceedings. Children under 6 and people who cannot attend for medical reasons (specialist's certificate issued no more than 3 months before filing) are exempt from the personal appearance.

Some applications are still filed on paper, including intra-company transfer (ICT) cases, family reunification when the family member is outside Poland, and applications to issue or replace the card itself. The full step-by-step guide with common mistakes: filing your application in MOS.

How long it takes and what art. 100d means

By law, the voivode has 60 days to decide on temporary residence and 6 months on permanent residence and EU long-term resident status; the appeal stage has 90 days. The 60 days run from the later of two events: an application free of formal defects (or the defects being fixed) and the submission of documents the office asked for (or the deadline for them passing).

In 2026, however, what really matters is art. 100d of the special act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens, extended by Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203. Until 4 March 2027 time limits in temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident cases do not start, and those already running are suspended. This applies to all foreigners, not only Ukrainians. In practice:

• you cannot effectively enforce the 60-day or 6-month limit with a formal reminder (ponaglenie) or an inactivity complaint;
• plan trips, job changes and moves with a generous buffer;
• your stay remains legal during the proceedings if you filed on time and without formal defects;
• asking for faster handling makes sense only in exceptional, documented situations, such as humanitarian ones.

No voivodeship office publishes an official average processing time. Details and practical tips: residence card processing time. What to do after a negative decision: refusal and appeal.

How much a residence card costs

The cost has two parts: government fees and — if you use professional help — the service fee.

Since 5 March 2026 stamp duty is not refunded if the voivode refuses the permit or discontinues the proceedings. Example: a single permit in Wrocław with full MaViAl support costs PLN 1990 for the service, PLN 440 stamp duty and PLN 100 for the card. All packages, fees and worked examples are on our price list.

Wrocław: in-person help from MaViAl

MaViAl is a Wrocław company. We handle clients from all over Poland online, and for people living in Wrocław and Lower Silesia we also offer in-person meetings.

• Residents of the Lower Silesian voivodeship are handled by the Dolnośląski Urząd Wojewódzki we Wrocławiu, Wydział Spraw Obywatelskich i Cudzoziemców (Department of Civil and Foreigners' Affairs), pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1. Its branch offices (delegatury) in Legnica, Jelenia Góra and Wałbrzych also serve foreigners.
• An in-person organisational meeting with MaViAl in Wrocław costs PLN 250 per appointment: we can go through your originals together, prepare the data for the MOS form or get you ready for your visit to the office.
• We help Wrocław employers with MOS attachments for the foreign staff they hire.

Local office guide: residence card in Wrocław — the DUW step by step. Scope and prices of in-person help: MaViAl assistance in Wrocław.

Voivodeship offices: where your case goes

Your application is decided by the voivode for the place where you live. MOS is the same nationwide, but summonses, appointment booking, fee bank accounts and branch offices differ from one voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki) to another. That is why each voivodeship has its own guide:

Each office publishes its own bank account numbers; the Office for Foreigners keeps a combined list on its fees information page. Always check the current details on your office's website before making a transfer.

How MaViAl helps

We do not file the application for you and we never take over your login. We prepare your case so that you can file it yourself, safely. Depending on the package, we:

• identify the right legal ground for your stay;
• prepare a document checklist for your situation and check that everything is consistent;
• prepare the MOS form data together with you — you log in via login.gov.pl and sign personally;
• coordinate the employer or university attachment;
• give you payment instructions and prepare you for the fingerprint appointment;
• respond to summonses (wezwania) within the agreed scope, monitor the status and explain the next steps.

We work in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and English. Packages do not include government fees, sworn translations, notary costs or travel; court representation only if the written offer says so. We do not guarantee decisions or deadlines and do not offer any "unofficial acceleration". Describe your situation through our contact form and we will tell you which route fits and what it will cost. Answers to common questions are collected in our residence card FAQ.

Frequently asked questions