EU long-term resident — conditions and the application
An indefinite status with rights close to those of Union citizens. It does, however, require meeting four conditions at once.
640 zł
administrative fee
5 years
required period of legal residence
3 years
for this long you need stable income
5 years
the residence card is issued for this period
- 1Count residence
- 2Check conditions
- 3Prepare
- 4Account
- 5Application
- 6Office
What this status gives you
EU long-term resident status follows from Union law. It gives rights close to those of Union citizens — in employment, education and social protection. It also allows you to settle in another member state for longer than three months in connection with work or study, and gives reinforced protection against expulsion.
Four conditions, all at once
- 5 years of legal and uninterrupted residence in Poland immediately before the application — or 5 years in the Union, of which the last 2 years in Poland on the basis of the EU Blue Card
- a stable and regular source of income for 3 years before the application, and for holders of the Blue Card for 2 years
- health insurance
- knowledge of Polish confirmed by a document
Not every stay counts
The way the period of residence is calculated is unusual. Residence for the purpose of schooling does not count at all, and residence connected with studies counts only in part. What matters is the basis on which you stayed in Poland — not the mere fact of being present. Before you file the application, count your residence precisely.
Uninterrupted does not mean without trips abroad
Trips that stay within the permitted time limits or are justified do not interrupt the running of residence. That does not mean you are free to do anything — with longer absences it is worth checking whether the residence still counts as uninterrupted.
Polish has to be proven with a document
Even if you speak Polish fluently, the office will not assess it in conversation. Knowledge of the language is confirmed exclusively with the documents indicated in the act — for example an official certificate of knowledge of Polish or a certificate of completing a school with Polish as the language of instruction. The required level is B1.
Step 1. Count your residence and income
These are the two conditions on which this application most often fails.
The history of your residence
Collect all decisions, residence cards and visas from the last 5 years. Check on what basis you stayed in each period — that determines whether the period counts.
Income documents from 3 years
Contracts, PIT tax returns, certificates. The income must be stable and regular, not one-off. With the Blue Card, 2 years are enough.
A document confirming knowledge of Polish
An official certificate of knowledge of Polish, a certificate of completing a school with Polish as the language of instruction, or another document indicated in the act.
Health insurance
You must have it at the time of the application and during the proceedings.
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.
Two fees
640 zł administrative fee and 100 zł for the issue of the residence card. Two separate transfers.
Income thresholds differ over time
Income for the period from 1 January 2025 must exceed 1010 zł per month if you run a household on your own, or 823 zł per month per family member. Income from the period from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024 will be assessed by the voivode against the thresholds of that time: 776 zł and 600 zł. Because a three-year period is examined, both rates may apply in one case.
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
Fill in the application
- 1Click Złóż wniosek online and choose „Zezwolenie na pobyt rezydenta długoterminowego UE”
- 2Fill it in in Polish; copy your personal data letter by letter as in your passport
- 3Describe precisely the history of your residence in Poland and your trips abroad over the last 5 years
- 4Attach the photo in JPG and a scan of all passport pages in PDF
- 5Attach documents on income and knowledge of Polish — you don't have to at this stage, but it shortens the case
Enter your travels honestly
If you don't remember the exact dates of your trips, give approximate periods. The form allows that. What matters is that the picture of your residence is true.
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
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
Supporting documents
- 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 must stay in Poland legally throughout the proceedings, until the decision is issued
Legal residence must last until the end of the case
With this permit it is not enough to be legal at the moment of filing the application. The condition applies throughout the proceedings.
The decision and the residence card
- 1You will receive the decision at the address for service you indicated
- 2After a positive decision you collect the residence card at the office
- 3The card is issued for 5 years
- 4The status itself is indefinite — after 5 years you only replace the card
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.
EU resident vs permanent residence
These are two different indefinite permits. The choice matters in practice.
- EU long-term resident status is based on the length of legal residence, income and knowledge of Polish
- permanent residence is based on ties with Poland — the Polish Card (Karta Polaka), Polish origin, family, refugee status
- for permanent residence you don't have to document knowledge of Polish; here you do
- the EU resident card is issued for 5 years, the card with permanent residence for 10 years
- EU resident status gives rights in other Union countries, permanent residence works only in Poland
- with permanent residence you can later apply for EU resident status — the other way round it does not work
Do you have a Blue Card? You have a shorter path
For holders of the EU Blue Card, 5 years of residence in the Union with the last 2 years in Poland are enough, and stable income is shown for 2 years instead of 3.
What you will pay
| For what | How much |
|---|---|
| Administrative fee — EU long-term resident | 640 zł |
| Issue of the residence card | 100 zł |
| Residence card — child under 16, pupil, student | 50 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.
Frequently asked questions
Probably not for the full period. Residence for the purpose of schooling is not counted, and residence connected with studies counts only in part. Count your period precisely according to the bases of residence.
You have to present a document confirming knowledge of the language at the required level. Fluency in speech alone is not enough, even if it is obvious.
Above 1010 zł per month if you run a household on your own, or above 823 zł per family member — for income from 1 January 2025. For the years 2022–2024 the thresholds of 776 zł and 600 zł apply.
For 3 years immediately before filing the application, and if you have the EU Blue Card — for 2 years.
Trips that stay within the permitted limits or are justified do not interrupt residence. With longer absences this has to be checked individually.
For 5 years. The status itself is indefinite — after 5 years you only replace the card.
It depends on your situation. Permanent residence is easier if you have the Polish Card (Karta Polaka) or Polish origin. EU resident status gives rights in other Union countries.
No. You sign and send the application in person.
When it's better not to do it yourself
This is the most arithmetic application of the whole group — the arithmetic of residence and income decides. Be careful if:
- Your residence consists of different bases: studies, work, visas
- You have longer trips outside Poland in your history
- Your income in some year was close to the threshold or irregular
- You don't yet have a document confirming knowledge of Polish
- You're torn between permanent residence and EU resident status
What a representative gives you
With this permit, most depends on correctly counting the period of residence and choosing the income documents. The representative receives every letter from the office, is responsible for the formal correctness of the application 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.
Not sure whether your residence counts?
Write to us on what bases you live in Poland and since when. We will count it together.
Tick the consent box to continue to WhatsApp.