Get a temporary residence permit (karta pobytu czasowego)

Steps

1. Determine your basis for staying — Choose your purpose (work/study/family/business) — it determines the required document set and the fee
   self-service
2. Get a Trusted Profile (profil zaufany) — Logging into MOS requires a Trusted Profile (or a qualified e-signature, or podpis osobisty). No official way to submit without one is described
   online
3. Fill in the wniosek in MOS — mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl, sign in via login.gov.pl. From 26 April 2026, paper applications are not processed, subject to 5 exceptions — mostly applicants abroad: family reunification, ICT
   online (MOS)
4. Prepare the attachments — A digital photo (JPG, ≥684×883 px, ≤2.5 MB, taken within the last 6 months); a scan or photo of every page of your passport; evidence matching your basis (≤10 MB per file, ≤50 MB total); for work-based applications, your employer's e-mail address is required (the electronic załącznik is mandatory)
   self-service
5. Pay the fees by bank transfer — Opłata skarbowa (340/440 PLN depending on type) plus 100 PLN for the card — paid outside MOS, by bank transfer; attach proof of payment to the application
   bank
6. Submit the application in MOS — The moment you send it is the moment of submission (a UPO confirmation is generated immediately). Submit before the last day of your lawful stay
   online (MOS)
7. Download the zaświadczenie — After the office reviews the application (no official review deadline is set), print the zaświadczenie o złożeniu wniosku from MOS — it replaces the former passport stamp
   online (MOS)
8. Wait for a wezwanie from the voivode — The voivode summons you for a specific date to take fingerprints and a signature specimen and to inspect your original passport. Self-booking through MOS is not possible; no official deadline for the summons is set, and waits of over a year have been reported
   in person
9. Correct any braki formalne on request — If the office identifies deficiencies, correct them within the stated deadline, otherwise the application may be left without further consideration
   online / post
10. Receive the decision (decyzja) — Sent by post to your address for service (not through MOS)
    post
11. Wait for the card to be produced — The first karta pobytu is issued automatically (z urzędu, art. 229 sec. 2 of the Act on Foreigners) — no separate application is needed, since the photo and the 100 PLN fee were already included in the MOS application. A paper application applies only to replacement cards (lost/damaged/changed data), a subsequent card, and certain special cases (a permit obtained abroad, humanitarian status)
    automatic
12. Collect the karta pobytu — In person at the office; the collection process varies by voivodeship
    in person

Documents

Base package

• A digital photo: JPG, ≥684×883 px, ≤2.5 MB, taken within the last 6 months (a single file in MOS; the old requirement for 4 paper photos no longer applies)
• A scan or photo of every page of your passport
• Proof of payment: opłata skarbowa plus the 100 PLN card fee (scans of transfer confirmations)
• Evidence of your place of stay — per your voivodeship's checklist: a tenancy agreement (umowa najmu), a loan-for-use agreement (umowa użyczenia), a zameldowanie registration, or a hotel booking (required by the Mazovian checklist)

By basis of stay

May additionally be requested

• Health insurance
• Evidence of sufficient income or resources
• Evidence of accommodation or place of stay (e.g. a tenancy agreement)

Your voivodeship office publishes the exact list — always check it, since lists vary between offices.

Fees

• Opłata skarbowa — general temporary residence — 340 PLN
• Opłata skarbowa — temporary residence and work / Blue Card / ICT — 440 PLN (No temporary residence permit costs more than 440 PLN — the 640 PLN fee applies to pobyt stały / EU long-term residence, not to this route)
• Seasonal work (praca sezonowa) — 170 PLN
• Fee for issuing the karta pobytu — 100 PLN (In MOS this is paid together with the opłata skarbowa before submission; attach proof of payment to the application)
• Reduced card fee — 50 PLN (For people in financial hardship, pupils/students, and children under 16)

Payments are made by bank transfer outside MOS; account details are on your voivodeship office's website.

Likely route based on your answers (basis: Work) — 440 PLN

Deadlines

When to apply

During your period of lawful stay, no later than its final day — a late application may result in refusal, subject to the statutory conditions.

Processing

60 days from the latest of: the in-person appointment, correction of deficiencies, or submission of further documents — in practice this often takes longer.

Validity

Up to 3 years (the minimum is usually 3 months), depending on the basis for your stay.

Rights while waiting for a decision

Stay

Your stay is treated as lawful from the day you submit the application (if submitted on time and free of formal deficiencies) until the decision becomes final; the electronic zaświadczenie from MOS is the proof (the passport stamp no longer applies to MOS applications)

Work

The zaświadczenie or the fact of submitting alone does not grant a right to work — a separate legal basis is needed (a work permit, a registered statement, or an exemption). For workers under temporary protection, the employer must notify the labour office via praca.gov.pl within 7 days of the work starting

Travel

You may leave Poland, but the zaświadczenie does not itself grant a right of re-entry — returning still requires a valid visa or visa-free basis

Healthcare

Access to healthcare depends on your insurance status (employment → ZUS contributions, or voluntary NFZ insurance), not on the zaświadczenie itself

Appealing a refusal

Appeal deadline

14 days from receiving the decision

Free legal aid

Free legal aid is available to everyone in Poland, including foreign nationals, with no status requirement: gov.pl/web/nieodplatna-pomoc, bookings at zapisy-np.ms.gov.pl. Most points operate in Polish

The appeal (odwołanie) is filed through the voivode who issued the decision, addressed to the Head of UDSC. A timely appeal suspends enforcement of the decision, and your stay may remain lawful until the matter is finally resolved, subject to the statutory conditions

Appeal body — see “Appeal (2nd instance)” above Appeal (2nd instance)

Forms

• MOS — application portal (the sole channel from 27 April 2026) Sign in via login.gov.pl; the portal itself is protected against automated access
• MOS — questions and answers (UDSC)
• MOS — UDSC information (paper-application exceptions)

Common mistakes

• Submitting after your lawful stay has already ended (the most critical mistake — may result in refusal)
• Trying to submit a paper application — from 26 April 2026 these are not processed, subject to 5 exceptions
• Not getting a Trusted Profile in advance — without it you cannot log into MOS or sign the application
• Not attaching proof of payment (opłata skarbowa plus the 100 PLN card fee) to the application
• Scanning only some pages of the passport, not all of them
• A photo that does not meet the requirements (≥684×883 px, ≤2.5 MB, taken within the last 6 months)
• Confusing UKR status (recognised until 4 March 2027) with the karta pobytu, and missing the CUKR window
• Ignoring a wezwanie or a request to correct braki formalne — the application may be left without consideration

Self-check questions

• What is the basis for your stay? (Work / Study / Family / Business / Other)
• Which city or voivodeship are you staying in?
• Are you a Ukrainian citizen with UKR status (PESEL UKR)? (Yes / No)
• Are you employed or running a registered business (CEIDG) in Poland? (Yes / No)
• Until what date is your current stay lawful?
• Is your goal a long-term stay (a path towards pobyt stały / citizenship)? (Yes / No)