Temporary residence and work — application step by step
We show you exactly where to click and what to enter in the MOS system. In plain language.
440 zł
stamp duty
+100 zł
for the residence card
3 years
maximum length of the permit
45 days
how long you can keep editing the draft
- 1Prepare
- 2Account
- 3Employer
- 4Application
- 5Send
- 6Office
Is this your application?
Choose it if you work for a Polish employer and want one decision to cover two things at once: the right to live in Poland and the right to work. The office calls this a single permit. You don't need a separate work permit in this case.
This is your application if:
- you have a specific employer in Poland
- you're working or about to start
- you have a place to live and health insurance
- you're in Poland
This is not your application if:
- you run your own company
- you study
- you're joining family
- you work seasonally
- a foreign company is transferring you to a Polish branch
The latest date to file
At the latest, on the last day of your legal stay. If you file on time and without formal deficiencies, your stay remains legal until the case is closed. But don't wait until the last day — without the employer's signature the system won't let you send the application at all, and that signature can sometimes take a while to get.
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 or a personal signature from an e-ID card.
A valid passport
Scan or photograph every page, including blank ones. 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, eyes open and visible, plain light background, no headwear and no dark glasses. The face should take up 70–80% of the photo.
An email address you can access
The account activation link will be sent there, along with a message when the employer signs the attachment.
Your employer's email address
You'll enter it in the application. The system will send a link to sign the attachment to this address.
Two fees
440 zł stamp duty and 100 zł for issuing the residence card. Two separate transfers, to two different accounts. Keep the confirmations — you'll need to attach them. 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. MOS is not used for correspondence with the office.
No computer?
You can fill in the application from any device in a browser, including a phone. If you have none, you can get help at the voivodeship office where you're filing.
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)
- 4Log in the same way you log in to your bank
- 5Fill in the registration form and click "Zatwierdź" (Confirm)
- 6Open your email and click the activation link
An account from the old MOS won't work
The previous portal has been switched off and accounts deleted. You must create a new one.
Never give anyone your login.gov.pl login details.
Not even your authorised representative. The rules forbid it, and you lose control over your own data.
Notify your employer right at the start
- 1Tell your employer they'll get an email from the MOS system with a link to the attachment
- 2The employer fills in details about your job through that link and signs the attachment electronically
- 3Once they sign, you'll get an email saying "Wniosek jest już możliwy do złożenia" ("The application can now be filed")
Without the employer's signature the system will block you from sending the application.
The link for the employer is valid for 30 days. This is the most common reason people don't make it before their legal stay ends.
The employer cannot attach their own documents
They cannot add anything to the attachment itself. You attach any additional documents yourself, from your own account.
Fill in the application
- 1After logging in, choose the temporary residence permit application
- 2As the purpose of stay, indicate employment — this is the temporary residence and work permit
- 3Fill it in in Polish
- 4Copy your first name, last name, date of birth and passport number letter by letter, exactly as in the passport
- 5Give the address where you actually live and receive mail
- 6Enter your employer's email address — this triggers the link from step 2
- 7If something can't be entered in the form, attach it as a separate file in the last step
You can pause at any time
Save the draft and come back later — you have 45 days from the last change. You can't email the draft to anyone, but you can print it using "Drukuj" (Print).
Don't know Polish well?
The office explicitly allows using a free online translator or the help of someone who knows Polish. What matters most is that the personal data matches your passport.
Add attachments
- 1Photo — JPG, min. 684 × 883 px, max. 2.5 MB
- 2A scan or photo of every page of the passport — file max. 10 MB
- 3Confirmation of the 440 zł stamp duty
- 4Confirmation of the 100 zł fee for the residence card
- 5Check that the employer's attachment has already been signed
Limits
Photo max. 2.5 MB · every other attachment max. 10 MB · everything together max. 50 MB. If your files are too large, scan them at lower quality.
Handwritten or electronic signature?
The application and the employer's attachment must be signed electronically. You can sign the other documents by hand, scan them, and attach them.
Check, sign and send
- 1Read the entire application from top to bottom
- 2Check especially the passport number, date of birth, spelling of your surname and address
- 3Sign the application electronically — with your trusted profile
- 4Click "Wyślij" (Send)
- 5Download and save the UPO — the official confirmation of receipt (urzędowe poświadczenie odbioru)
- 6Save the application as PDF and XML
Once you click "Wyślij" (Send) you cannot undo or correct the application.
A typo in the passport number means a summons and several weeks lost.
You won't get an email confirming the application was filed
In the system you'll see the status "przesłany" ("submitted"). This means the application has arrived. The proof is the UPO.
Certificate, office visit and decision
- 1An office employee checks and approves your application
- 2Only after approval can you download the certificate of application submission from MOS — it replaces the old stamp in the passport
- 3The voivode (wojewoda) will summon you for a specific date: fingerprints, signature specimen, original passport
- 4The office will send the decision to the address for service you gave — yours or your authorised representative's
- 5After a positive decision, you collect the residence card
MOS will not inform you of anything
The portal doesn't show the status of your case, isn't used to write to the office, and doesn't send notifications about summonses. You'll find out everything from an office employee — by post or through e-Doręczenia. If you don't collect the summons and don't correct the formal deficiencies in time, the application will be left unexamined.
What if something changes after you file
You report changes outside the MOS system — by paper letter or electronically to the voivode's e-Doręczenia address. This applies to:
- change of employer
- change of working conditions
- change of correspondence address
- change of the purpose of your stay in Poland
- an appeal against a decision
Changing employer is not a small thing
The single permit is tied to a specific employer and specific working conditions. Changing it without reporting it can mean you're working illegally — even if your stay is legal.
How much you'll pay
| What you're paying for | How much |
|---|---|
| Stamp duty — temporary residence and work | 440 zł |
| Issuing the residence card | 100 zł |
| Residence card — child under 16, pupil, student | 50 zł |
| Amendment to the residence and work permit | 220 zł |
| Power of attorney | 17 zł |
Where to pay
The amounts are the same across Poland. You get the account numbers from the website of the voivodeship office handling your case. You cannot pay the fees through MOS.
Frequently asked questions
No. You file the entire application online, with no appointment and no queue. You'll only go to the office when summoned — for fingerprints, a signature specimen and to show the original passport.
No. You must log in personally and sign the application with your own electronic signature. Your authorised representative can be with you and help you fill it in, but they may not log in to your account or send the application from their own.
Yes. All you need is a web browser on any device.
File the application within 3 working days at the latest after the outage is fixed. The date of filing is treated as the first day the system was unavailable. The office publishes information about outages on its website.
No. Once an office employee approves the application, you download the certificate of application submission from MOS — this replaces the stamp. Officers checking the legality of stay can see your application in the system.
Your case is being processed as normal. You don't need to discontinue the proceedings or file the application again through MOS.
No. The application for a new residence card is still filed on paper.
For up to 3 years at most. The office can grant it for a shorter period — usually for the length of your contract.
From your account, go to "Dane osobowe" (Personal data), click "Dodaj konto" (Add account) and enter the child's details. Then, when choosing the application, you'll indicate who it concerns.
When it's better not to do it yourself
The form is designed so you can fill it in without a legal adviser. But in these situations, one mistake costs several months and can cost you the legality of your stay:
- You've already had a refusal, or your application was left unexamined
- Your legal stay ends in less than two weeks
- You're changing employer during the proceedings
- The employer is delaying signing the attachment
- You don't have a reliable address to receive mail from the office
- The office has been silent for many months
What an authorised representative gives you, even if you file it yourself
The office must deliver letters to the authorised representative. Your legal adviser finds out about a summons right away — so you don't lose the case just because you weren't home when the postal worker came. They're also responsible for the formal correctness of the application and act 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.
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