1. Temporary residence in Poland — how to put your legal stay in order
A temporary residence permit is the basic way of legalising a foreigner's stay in Poland — granted for up to 3 years and confirmed with a residence card. The most common problems are: filing too late, choosing the wrong basis of stay and incomplete residence card documents.
When to file a temporary residence application?
The application must be filed no later than the last day of your legal stay (visa, visa-free travel or your current card). Filing on time and without formal gaps gives you legal stay for the whole proceedings. From 27 April 2026 applications are filed exclusively electronically in the MOS system — paper applications are left without examination.
First application or the next one — what is the difference?
A temporary residence card is not extended — before it expires you file a new, complete application. With the next application the office re-examines your whole situation: work, income, insurance, place of residence. We help you file the first application, the next one and put your legal stay in order when there have been gaps.
2. Legal work and residence — which documents you need
Legal work of a foreigner in Poland requires two things at once: legal residence and a document entitling you to work. We check whether you can work legally and which documents you need in your situation.
Which documents allow you to work legally in Poland?
- Single permit (temporary residence and work) — one voivode decision combining residence and work for a specific employer.
- Work permit — obtained by the employer, requires a separate residence title (e.g. a visa).
- Declaration on entrusting work — a faster path for citizens of selected countries.
Can I work while waiting for my residence card?
It depends on your situation: what matters is, among other things, whether your previous document allowed work for this employer and whether the application was filed on time. Work without the required document is illegal employment — a risk of penalties and problems with the next legalisation. Before you start work, check your situation — we will assess your documents free of charge.
How we help: we analyse your documents and your employer's documents, choose the fastest legal path and run the case to a decision.
3. No decision and long waiting time for a residence card — what to do
Long waiting time for a residence card is one of the most common problems of foreigners in Poland. Months without a reply, no letter from the office, a helpline that doesn't work — but the office's inaction is not a dead end.
What to do when the office does not issue a decision?
- Reminder (ponaglenie) — a letter to the higher authority when the case takes longer than the law provides. The office must respond to it.
- Complaint about inaction or excessive length to the voivodeship administrative court — when the reminder doesn't work; the court can order the office to issue a decision.
What to do when I have not received a letter from the office?
No letter does not always mean the case is going well — it may have gone to a wrong address or to a representative you don't control (e.g. appointed by an agency). We check the case files, establish what stage the proceedings are at and take over correspondence with the office. More: No letter from the office — what to do.
How we help: we write the reminder, prepare the complaint about inaction and act when the case takes too long and the office does nothing.
4. Errors and formal gaps in the residence card application — how to fix them
Formal gaps in the application are the most common reason a residence card case ends before it began. No signature, no photos, unpaid stamp duty, missing attachments — the office calls for completion, and if you don't make it, it leaves the application without examination.
What does leaving the application without examination mean?
The office treats the case as if the application had never arrived. You lose the legal stay resulting from filing — and often also the deadline in which you could have filed. That is why you must reply to the call to complete the gaps within the set deadline, completely and with proof of submission.
Which application errors happen most often?
- wrong basis of stay or wrong type of application,
- discrepancies between the application and the employer's documents,
- missing attachments: insurance, income, place of residence,
- technical errors in the MOS system — see: MOS: errors and formal gaps.
How we help: we complete the documents, correct the application and prepare the case for filing — and when the call has already arrived, we reply to it on time.
5. Change of employer or working conditions — what to report so you do not lose your residence card
A residence card and a change of employer is the topic where foreigners lose the legality of their stay most often. The single permit names a specific employer and working conditions — a new job, a different position or reduced hours usually require a reaction.
I lost my job — how much time do I have?
You must report the loss of your job to the voivode in writing within 15 working days. Reporting on time protects you from withdrawal of the permit and gives you time to find a new employer and file a new application.
I am changing employer — what next?
As a rule you need a change of the permit or a new application — a new contract alone is not enough. We explain what must be reported and how not to lose the legality of your stay and work: Change of employer and the residence card.
Who should handle your residence card case — your employer or a lawyer?
If your card was handled by your employer or an agency, the case may be run in their interest, not yours — and when you change jobs you lose control of your own stay. Check your rights: Residence card — lawyer or employer?
How we help: we report the loss of work on time, prepare a new application or a change of the permit and take the case over from the employer or agency.
6. Refusal, withdrawal of the permit, illegal stay — appeal against the decision
Refusal of a residence card, withdrawal of a permit or a stay that has become illegal — these are the hardest, yet still solvable, legalisation problems. Many negative decisions are issued for formal reasons that can be challenged.
I received a negative decision — how much time do I have to appeal?
The appeal against the voivode's decision is filed within 14 days of its delivery — to the Head of the Office for Foreigners, via the voivode. After this deadline the decision becomes final, so every day counts.
My stay is illegal — can it be fixed?
In many situations yes — the options depend on how the legal stay was lost and how long it has lasted. We analyse the case and look for a further legal solution; the sooner you react, the more options remain open. On withdrawal and expiry of permits: Withdrawal, revocation and expiry of a permit.
How we help: we analyse the files, find the office's errors, prepare appeals and — when needed — a complaint to the administrative court.