Studies — residence application step by step
We show you what to do in the MOS system and what your university has to do. In plain language.
340 zł
stamp duty
+100 zł
for the residence card
60 days
the office's deadline for a decision
45 days
how long you can keep editing the draft
- 1Prepare
- 2Account
- 3University
- 4Application
- 5Send
- 6Office
Is this your application?
Choose it if you're coming to Poland to study, or you're already studying and want to stay longer. Note: the law defines "studies" narrowly. Not every kind of learning at a university counts as studies for this application.
This is your application if you're studying:
- full-time first- or second-cycle studies
- long-cycle master's studies
- at a doctoral school
- on a preparatory course for these studies
These are NOT studies for this application:
The law calls all of this "learning", not "studies". In that case the right application is a different one — temporary residence for other circumstances.
- part-time studies — evening or extramural
- postgraduate studies
- MBA programmes
- language courses and post-secondary schools
Your institution must be approved
Your studies must take place at an institution approved by the minister of internal affairs, or one against which no ban on admitting foreigners has been issued. Ask the student affairs office about this before you file. If your institution doesn't meet this condition, the office will refuse the application — even if the rest of your documents are in order.
Step 1. Prepare everything before you start
Don't open MOS until you have these things.
Trusted profile (profil zaufany)
This is your signature online. You set it up for free through internet banking or in person at an office. Instead of it, you can use a qualified electronic signature.
A valid passport
A scan of every page — including blank ones. Note: attach the passport scan as a PDF, one file, maximum 10 MB.
A digital photo
JPG, at least 684 × 883 pixels, maximum 2.5 MB, proportions 35 × 45 mm. Taken within the last 6 months. Face forward, plain light background, no headwear and no dark glasses.
Your university's email address
You'll enter it in the application. The system will send your institution a link to fill in attachment no. 5.
Proof of tuition payment
If you study for a fee — confirmation of payment for the semester or year.
Health insurance
You must have it for the whole stay.
Funds
You must show funds to cover living costs, the cost of your studies, and the return journey. The amount depends on your situation — check it with the voivodeship office where you're filing.
Two fees
340 zł stamp duty and 100 zł for issuing the residence card. Two separate transfers. You cannot pay the fees within MOS itself.
An address where you'll actually receive mail
The office will send the summons and the decision to this address.
Foreign-language documents need a sworn translator
Every document in a foreign language must have a sworn translation into Polish. The list of sworn translators is kept by the Ministry of Justice (Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości). An ordinary translation, even one found online, is not enough.
Steps in the MOS system
Create an account
- 1Go to mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl
- 2Click "Zaloguj" (Log in)
- 3The site will redirect you to login.gov.pl — choose Profil zaufany (trusted profile)
- 4Fill in the registration form and click "Zatwierdź" (Confirm)
- 5Open your email and click the activation link
You can't file the application from abroad
You can only file the MOS application while you're in Poland. Filing it from abroad is not allowed.
Fill in the application and send the form to your university
- 1Click "Złóż wniosek online" (Submit application online) and choose the temporary residence permit
- 2As the purpose of stay, indicate studying
- 3Fill it in in Polish, and copy your personal data letter by letter, exactly as in your passport
- 4Attach a JPG photo and a PDF scan of every page of your passport
- 5Enter the email address of the institution providing the studies
- 6At the end, click "Zapisz wniosek i prześlij formularz jednostce prowadzącej studia" (Save the application and send the form to the institution providing the studies)
This is not yet filing the application
After this click, the application is NOT filed. Now you wait for your university. Only once it signs the attachment do you return to the system and send the application.
The university fills in attachment no. 5
- 1The university receives a link to the form at the email address you gave
- 2A representative of the university fills in attachment no. 5 and signs it through login.gov.pl
- 3The signed attachment is added to your application automatically
- 4You'll get an email saying you can finish filing the application
Without the university's signature you can't send the application
Notify the student affairs office in advance. Sometimes this signature takes weeks, and meanwhile your legal stay keeps running.
Finish and send
- 1Log in again and go to "Moje dokumenty" (My documents)
- 2Next to the application you'll see the status "Wniosek możliwy do podpisu i wysłania" (Application ready to be signed and sent)
- 3Check the whole application — especially the passport number and the spelling of your surname
- 4Sign the application with your trusted profile through login.gov.pl
- 5Click "Wyślij" (Send)
- 6Download and save the UPO — the official confirmation of receipt
Without the UPO the application isn't filed
The official confirmation of receipt is the only proof the application arrived. Download it and save it.
Office visit
- 1The voivode (wojewoda) will summon you for a specific date — no earlier than 7 days after the summons is delivered
- 2Bring your original passport — without it the proceedings will be discontinued
- 3Bring proof of the stamp duty payment, if you didn't attach it to the application
- 4You'll leave fingerprints and a signature specimen
Don't show up and the case is over
If you don't appear for the summons or don't complete the required steps, the voivode will discontinue the proceedings.
Supporting documents and decision
- 1The voivode will summon you to submit documents on your insurance, funds and tuition payment
- 2You'll get no less than 14 days to provide them
- 3Submit documents as originals or notarised copies
- 4The office has 60 days for a decision from the moment the application is complete
- 5You'll receive the decision at the address for service you gave
Doctoral students' applications are given priority
People admitted to a doctoral school are examined first.
What to know about the certificate
If you file while your stay is legal, MOS will give you a free certificate confirming the application was filed. Your stay stays legal until the decision becomes final. But:
- the certificate doesn't let you travel within the Schengen area
- you can travel to your home country, but to come back you need a visa or the right to enter visa-free
- if you return visa-free, you can stay until the case is closed, even after 90 days
The permit doesn't renew itself
You must file a new application before it expires. Note: after a study permit you cannot apply for EU long-term resident status.
How much you'll pay
| What you're paying for | How much |
|---|---|
| Stamp duty — temporary residence for studies | 340 zł |
| Issuing the residence card | 100 zł |
| Residence card — pupil, student, child under 16 | 50 zł |
| Power of attorney | 17 zł |
Don't pay — the application will be returned
You pay the stamp duty in advance. If you don't, the voivode will call on you to pay within 7 to 14 days, and if you still don't pay, it will return the application. You get the account number from the website of the voivodeship office handling your case.
Frequently asked questions
No. The law treats part-time studies as learning, not studies. The right application is temporary residence for other circumstances.
No, for the same reason as part-time studies.
Ask the student affairs office or the international students' office. Your university knows its own status.
60 days from the moment the application is complete, together with attachments and required documents. This deadline runs from completeness, not from when you sent it.
You don't need to document knowledge of Polish for this application. But you fill in the application itself in Polish.
You can, but the certificate from MOS doesn't replace a visa. To return to Poland, you need a visa or the right to enter visa-free.
Report the change of purpose of stay to the voivode by letter, outside the MOS system.
No. You sign and send the application personally.
When it's better not to do it yourself
The form can be filled in without a legal adviser. But in these situations, one mistake costs a semester:
- You're not sure whether your programme counts as studies
- Your university is delaying signing the attachment, and your stay is about to end
- You've already had a refusal or the proceedings were discontinued
- You don't know how to document your funds
- You're changing university or programme while the case is pending
What an authorised representative gives you
The office must deliver letters to the authorised representative, so a summons won't be missed just because you're away at an exam session or back home. The representative is also responsible for the formal correctness of the application and acts when the office misses its own deadlines. Check who you're entrusting your case to: ask for the company's details, a written contract, and who exactly will handle your proceedings.
Want to make sure your application is correct?
Write and tell us which programme and university you're studying at. We'll check whether this is the right application.
Tick the consent box to continue to WhatsApp.