No online booking: your date arrives by post
ZUW suspended online visit booking on 18 October 2023 and has not brought it back. Since 1 April 2025 the office sets dates itself, in the order cases come in, and sends them by letter. The informacje dla cudzoziemców page still describes this rule in terms of pre-MOS postal filing, but the principle stands: the office picks the date, not you.
Since 27 April 2026 the statute adds its own rule: for fingerprints, a signature specimen and showing your passport in a MOS case, the voivode summons you at least 7 days ahead. Seven days is not much if the letter is waiting at the post office with a collection slip (awizo) while you are away for work.
ZUW states plainly that asking to change the date means losing priority. Failing to attend a summons in a MOS case leads to discontinuation (umorzenie) of the proceedings. Reschedule only if there is truly no other way, and do it before the visit date.
Szczecin or Koszalin
| Location | Address | What official pages say |
|---|---|---|
| ZUW seat | ul. Wały Chrobrego 4, 70-502 Szczecin | General information 91 43 03 500. The foreigners' pages name no specific building or room, so take the details from your letter. |
| Koszalin branch | ul. Władysława Andersa 34, 75-626 Koszalin | “Sprawy paszportowe i cudzoziemców” desks: Monday 8–18, Tuesday–Friday 8–15. |
If you live in Stargard, Police or Świnoujście, Szczecin is the natural place. From Kołobrzeg, Szczecinek or Białogard, Koszalin is closer, and ZUW explicitly lists foreigners' matters for that branch. The office does not publish how MOS cases are split between the seat and the branch, though, so the address in your summons is what counts.
In Szczecin, your postal address is half the battle
Because everything comes by letter, check this part of your application more carefully than anywhere else.
- Enter in MOS the address where you actually receive mail, with the flat number and your name on the letterbox. Staying with friends or in a workers' hostel? Agree who collects your post.
- Moving during the case? Tell the office in writing. Letters go to the address the office knows, not to wherever you happen to live now.
- Consider an e-Doręczenia mailbox (electronic delivery). Offices use it for letters and decisions, and you get a notification even when you're away from home.
- Leaving for a few weeks? Ask someone you trust to check your letterbox and collection slips, so the 7-day window doesn't pass without you knowing.
The 24-hour automated infoline and its limits
ZUW describes 91 44 12 000 as a “całodobowa, automatyczna infolinia dla cudzoziemców”, a round-the-clock automated line for foreigners. On its obywatele państw trzecich and informacje dla cudzoziemców pages the office warns that the line may have temporary outages. Today's official pages give no consultant hours, languages or menu option numbers, so don't rely on older tips like “press 6”.
If the line is silent, you still have the office's general information number, 91 43 03 500, and you can check whether the certificate of filing has appeared in MOS. Its appearance means the office has verified your application and the case is moving.
Stages of a ZUW case after you submit
- Before submitting: two transfers (below) and the attachment from your employer, university or internship organiser, signed via a MOS link valid for 30 days. For choosing the legal basis, see residence and work and permanent residence.
- UPO arrives immediately; keep it as proof that you filed on or before the last day of your legal stay.
- The MOS certificate (zaświadczenie) appears after an officer has checked the application and replaces the old passport stamp. It does not entitle you to cross borders.
- The ZUW letter: date, place (Szczecin or Koszalin) and what to bring. You get at least 14 days to supply documents.
- The visit: original passport, fingerprints, signature specimen, documents named in the summons.
- The decision comes by post or e-Doręczenia, not via MOS. After a positive decision the office tells you the card can be collected.
Two transfers: Szczecin City Hall and ZUW
- Stamp duty (340 zł general temporary residence, 440 zł residence and work and the EU Blue Card, 640 zł permanent residence and EU long-term resident): Urząd Miasta Szczecin, Wydział Podatków i Opłat Lokalnych, 20 1020 4795 0000 9302 0277 9429.
- Residence card (100 zł): ZUW, NBP O/O Szczecin, 66 1010 1599 0055 9722 3100 0000.
Check the numbers on the ZUW stamp-duty page right before you pay. ZUW also has a separate page on stamp-duty refund applications, but for applications filed from 5 March 2026 the duty is not refunded after a refusal or discontinuation.
When the West Pomeranian voivode decides
The order of posted appointments does not shorten the wait for a decision. Until 4 March 2027 statutory time limits, such as 60 days for temporary residence, do not run for any foreigner, under art. 100d of the act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens as amended by Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203. A ponaglenie (formal reminder) before that date achieves nothing. What matters is a complete application filed on time: your stay then stays legal until the final decision. More: processing time.
Our advice for Szczecin and Koszalin
Gather your documents right after you submit, before the letter arrives. That way the 7 days before your visit go on booking time off and travelling, not on chasing certificates. When you travel, check your post or e-Doręczenia every few days.
MaViAl's office is in Wrocław, where we help in person, and we handle West Pomeranian cases online in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and English. We prepare the MOS data with you (you sign yourself), check documents in advance and help you answer the summons once it arrives. Full support starts from 1490 zł; see the prices page. We don't promise decisions or deadlines; write to us via contact.
Frequently asked questions
How do I book a visit at ZUW in Szczecin online?
You can't: online booking has been suspended since 18 October 2023. The office sets the date in order of receipt and posts it to you.
I filed in MOS weeks ago and have no letter. What should I check?
See whether the certificate of filing has appeared in MOS, and check collection slips and your e-Doręczenia mailbox. If there is still nothing, try the 91 44 12 000 infoline or the office's general line, 91 43 03 500.
The date in my letter clashes with work. Can I ask for another one?
You can, but according to ZUW you then lose priority and wait for a new date. Not turning up without contacting the office leads to discontinuation.
I live in Kołobrzeg. Will the Koszalin branch handle me?
The branch at ul. Andersa 34 deals with passport and foreigners' matters, so it is possible. Where you attend is decided by the address in your summons.
The 91 44 12 000 line doesn't answer. Is something wrong?
It is an automated 24-hour line, and ZUW itself warns about temporary outages. Try later or use the general number 91 43 03 500.
Which building at Wały Chrobrego serves foreigners?
The official foreigners' pages give only the seat's address, ul. Wały Chrobrego 4. The building and room will be in the letter with your date.
Does the ZUW stamp-duty refund page apply to my case?
If you filed from 5 March 2026, the duty is not refunded after a refusal or discontinuation. The refund page matters for other situations allowed by law.
Here the office picks the date
ZUW has had no online booking since autumn 2023. Visit dates arrive by post, and moving one costs you your place in line. A reliable postal address matters more here than anywhere else.
Official sources
General information as of 8 October 2026; the decision is made by the West Pomeranian Voivode (Zachodniopomorski Urząd Wojewódzki in Szczecin), and MaViAl does not guarantee any outcome or deadline.