EU Blue Card — the application step by step
A permit for specialists with high qualifications. It gives you more rights than an ordinary residence and work permit.
440 zł
administrative fee
13 355,34 zł
minimum gross salary per month
6 months
minimum length of the contract
up to 3 years
the permit is granted for this period
- 1Check conditions
- 2Prepare
- 3Account
- 4Employer
- 5Send
- 6Office
Is this your application?
The EU Blue Card is a single permit — one decision gives you both the right of residence and the right to work. It is intended for people working in professions that require specialist knowledge. Most often it is applied for by IT specialists, but experts and senior staff from any industry can obtain it.
It gives you more than an ordinary residence and work permit
- easier movement within the European Union
- a faster path to EU long-term resident status — 5 years in the EU are enough, including the last 2 years in Poland
- a shorter required period of stable income for a later long-term resident application: 2 years instead of 3
You must meet all three conditions at once
The salary threshold is 150% of the average salary in the national economy for the previous year. The amounts given above apply to applications filed in 2026 and change every year.
- suitable qualifications — a diploma from higher studies of at least three years, or 5 years of professional experience at a level corresponding to higher studies
- a contract concluded for at least 6 months — it may be an employment contract, an outwork contract or a civil-law contract, including a contract of mandate or a contract for specific work
- a gross salary of at least 160 264,08 zł per year, that is above 13 355,34 zł per month
Sometimes 3 years of experience are enough
For some professions, 3 years of professional experience gained within the last 7 years before filing the application are enough. The list of those professions is set out in a separate announcement. If you practise a regulated profession, you must additionally meet the conditions laid down for that profession.
Who cannot obtain this permit
At the moment you file the application you must be staying in Poland legally.
- people with a permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status
- people staying in Poland for tourism, visiting family or friends, or in connection with scientific research
- people with a temporary residence permit granted because of circumstances requiring a short-term stay
Step 1. Prepare everything before you start
Before you open MOS, check the two things on which this application most often fails.
The amount of salary in the contract
Check whether the amount in the contract really gives at least 13 355,34 zł gross per month. The office counts the annual salary — 160 264,08 zł gross for 12 months.
The length of the contract
The contract must be concluded for at least 6 months. A shorter one rules out this permit.
Diploma or proof of experience
A diploma from higher studies of at least three years recognised in the country of issue, or documents confirming 5 years of experience in the profession. Foreign-language documents require a sworn translation.
Trusted profile (profil zaufany)
Your signature online. You set it up free of charge through internet banking or in person at an office.
A valid passport
A scan of all pages in PDF format, one file of maximum 10 MB.
A digital photo
JPG, minimum 684 × 883 pixels, maximum 2,5 MB. Taken within the last 6 months.
The employer's e-mail address
You enter it in the application. The system will send a link to sign the attachment to that address.
Health insurance
You must have it, or be covered by operation of law from the moment you take up employment.
Two fees
440 zł administrative fee and 100 zł for the issue of the residence card. Two separate transfers.
The profession must not be on the starosta's list
The permit is not issued for professions on the list drawn up by the starosta (district head) for professions with a difficult situation on the local labour market. The requirement does not apply, among others, to citizens of Turkey and to people who, immediately before the application, already held a work permit or a temporary residence and work permit.
Steps in the MOS system
Set up an account
- 1Go to mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl
- 2Click Zaloguj
- 3The site will take you to login.gov.pl — choose the trusted profile
- 4Fill in the registration form and click Zatwierdź
- 5Open your e-mail and click the activation link
Warn your employer
- 1Tell your employer they will get an e-mail from the MOS system with a link to an attachment
- 2The employer fills in the details of your work and salary and signs the attachment electronically
- 3Once they sign, you will get an e-mail saying you can finish filing the application
Without the employer's signature the system will block sending the application
The link for the employer is valid for 30 days. Warn the HR department in advance.
Fill in the application
- 1Click Złóż wniosek online and choose „Zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy”
- 2As the purpose, indicate work in a profession requiring high qualifications
- 3Fill it in in Polish; copy your personal data letter by letter as in your passport
- 4Enter the employer's e-mail address
- 5Attach the photo in JPG and a scan of all passport pages in PDF
- 6Attach the diploma or documents confirming professional experience
Attach the diploma straight away
You don't have to at this stage, but it shortens the case. Your qualifications will be examined anyway.
Check, sign and send
- 1Read the whole application from top to bottom
- 2Check the passport number, date of birth and the spelling of your surname
- 3Sign the application with the trusted profile via login.gov.pl
- 4Click Wyślij
- 5Download and keep the UPO — the official confirmation of receipt
Without the UPO the application has not been filed
The official confirmation of receipt is the only proof that the application arrived.
Visit to the office
- 1The voivode (wojewoda) will summon you for a specific date — no earlier than 7 days after the summons is served
- 2Take your original passport — without it the proceedings will be discontinued
- 3Take proof of the administrative fee if you did not attach it to the application
- 4You will leave your fingerprints and a specimen signature
If you don't come, the case ends
If you fail to appear on the summons or fail to perform the required steps, the voivode will discontinue the proceedings.
Documents and the decision
- 1The voivode will call on you to submit originals or certified copies of documents
- 2You will get a deadline of not less than 14 days to deliver them
- 3You will receive the decision at the address for service you indicated
- 4The permit is granted for a period 3 months longer than the period of work — from over 6 months up to 3 years
You can appeal against a refusal
You have 14 days from service of the decision. You file the appeal in writing with the Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef Urzędu do Spraw Cudzoziemców) through the voivode — not through MOS.
What the Blue Card gives you in practice
This permit has several advantages over an ordinary residence and work permit:
- easier relocation to another European Union country under long-term mobility
- for EU long-term resident status, 5 years of residence in the Union are enough, including the last 2 years in Poland — it does not have to be 5 years in Poland itself
- for the long-term resident application it is enough to show stable income from 2 years instead of 3
The permit does not extend itself
Before it expires you must file a new application if you want to stay longer.
What you will pay
| For what | How much |
|---|---|
| Administrative fee — EU Blue Card | 440 zł |
| Issue of the residence card | 100 zł |
| Change of the permit | 220 zł |
| Power of attorney | 17 zł |
If you don't pay, the application comes back
You pay the administrative fee in advance. You take the account number from the website of the voivodeship office handling the case. You cannot pay the fees through MOS.
Frequently asked questions
In 2026 at least 160 264,08 zł gross per year, that is above 13 355,34 zł gross per month. That is 150% of the average salary in the national economy for the previous year. The threshold changes every year.
Yes, if you have 5 years of professional experience at a level corresponding to higher studies. For some professions 3 years gained within the last 7 years are enough.
Yes. It may be an employment contract, an outwork contract or a civil-law contract, including a contract of mandate or a contract for specific work. The condition: concluded for at least 6 months.
For a period 3 months longer than the period of work — from over 6 months up to 3 years.
In the salary threshold and the qualifications, but also in the benefits: easier mobility in the EU and a faster path to EU long-term resident status.
No. People with permanent residence or EU long-term resident status are excluded.
No. You sign and send the application in person.
When it's better not to do it yourself
This application is examined in detail because it grants more rights. Be careful if:
- Your salary is close to the threshold and you are counting złotys
- You base your qualifications on experience rather than a diploma
- You practise a regulated profession
- The contract is concluded for a period close to 6 months
- You change employers during the proceedings
What a representative gives you
The office is obliged to serve letters on the representative, so a summons will not go missing. The representative is responsible for the formal correctness of the application, helps document qualifications and reacts when the office exceeds its own deadlines. Check who you entrust your case to: ask for the company's details, a written contract and who will handle your proceedings.
Want to check whether you meet the conditions?
Write to us how much you earn and what education you have. We will tell you whether the Blue Card is for you.
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