Residence card
The document confirming the residence permit held. Its appearance, the scope of data and how it is collected are described by the Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców (Office for Foreigners).
The residence card step by step – safely and legally.
We explain what the path to a residence card (karta pobytu) and permanent residence in Poland looks like — in language understandable to someone without legal training. No guesswork: for every piece of information we indicate the official source and the update date.
For foreigners
Temporary residence, permanent residence, residence card, legalisation of stay and work, required documents, procedural stages and the most common procedural problems.
Go to the guideFor employers
Employing foreigners, obligations of the entity entrusting work, declarations and permits, changes to employment conditions, checklists and typical mistakes.
Go to the employer zoneWhere your case begins
Four areas where information is most often sought. The descriptions are general — details depend on the basis for stay and the competent office.
Temporary residence
A permit granted for a specified period, in connection with a specific purpose of stay — work, studies or family reasons.
Permanent residence and EU long-term resident status
Paths to long-term residence. The conditions differ between the permanent residence permit and EU long-term resident status.
Work legalisation
The basis for stay and the basis for work are two separate matters. The scope of employer obligations is described by biznes.gov.pl.
News and announcements
Each entry includes a category, importance level, publication date, update date and a reference to the source.
Guide
Over 50 days off work in a year. 26 days of leave is only the beginning
An employee under an employment contract collects from the Kodeks pracy (Labour Code) alone up to 35 days off a year: 26 days of annual leave, 5 days of carer's leave, 2 days due to force majeure and 2 days of childcare. Beyond the Labour Code there are still compassionate leave entitlements and blood donation — an honorary blood donor has time off on the day of donation and the following day, and a man can donate whole blood up to 6 times a year. In a record but realistic set of circumstances this gives more than 50 days.
Read the full entryLegal change
Who is subject to a PIP inspection and what from it goes to ZUS
The reform of 11 March 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) widened the range of entities that may be inspected by the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) and built a permanent channel for passing inspection findings to the Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS). Taken separately, each of these changes is technical. Together they change the real weight of an inspection.
Read the full entryLegal change
Appeal against a PIP decision establishing an employment relationship — deadline and procedure
A decision of the regional labour inspector (okręgowy inspektor pracy) establishing the existence of an employment relationship does not go to an administrative court. The Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy) and certain other acts (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 473) referred these cases to the labour court and added to the Code of Civil Procedure a separate division devoted solely to such appeals.
Read the full entryWhy you can trust this content
Source verificationEvery claim must be traceable to an official source. If there is no source, we do not publish the information.
Editorial reviewThe second review stage checks the language, the absence of overinterpretation, and whether the content sounds like a guess.
Disclosed gapsWhere a value depends on the office or tends to change, we state this explicitly and refer to the source instead of guessing.
Our source base
- Straż Graniczna (Border Guard)
Control of the legality of residence and border crossing.
- Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców (Office for Foreigners)
The central authority for matters of residence legalisation.
- gov.pl — information for foreigners
Descriptions of public administration services and procedures.
- Moduł Obsługi Spraw (Case Handling Module, MOS)
Since 27 April 2026, the only way to submit an application for temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident status.
- Ministerstwo Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej (Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy)
Regulations on entrusting work to foreigners.
- Zielona Linia
Information from labour offices on employing foreigners.
- Urzędy wojewódzkie (Voivodeship offices)
The authority handling the proceedings in your case.
- biznes.gov.pl
Obligations of employers hiring foreigners.
The content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute individual legal advice. Every administrative case depends on its individual facts — before taking any action, confirm the information at the official source or consult an authorised representative.
Not sure which procedure applies to your situation?
Describe your case — we will point you to the right path and the official sources where you can confirm the details.
Tick the consent box to continue to WhatsApp.
Want to entrust your case to someone who will handle it from application to card collection: Centre for Handling Foreigners' Affairs (Centrum Obsługi Spraw Cudzoziemców)