Volunteering

If you are planning to stay in Poland for longer than 3 months and your primary purpose of staying in Poland is to take part in European Voluntary Service, you should apply for the temporary residence permit for a volunteer. The voluntary organisation, in which you are to provide voluntary service, must be authorised by the minister competent for internal affairs. Look at the valid list of the authorised voluntary organisations that announced in the official journal of the minister relevant for internal affairs. Remember that voluntary service does not include remuneration, but only means for covering costs of living and board and the minimal amount of pocket money.

If you submit your application on time and it does not contain any formal deficiencies — or if you correct any deficiencies within the deadline indicated by us — your stay in Poland will remain legal from the date of effective submission via MOS until the decision in your case becomes final.

Before you apply, read our tips on how to fill in an application form.

1. Go to mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl via login.gov.pl and create an account.
2. Read the requirements for the specific type of permit and purpose of stay, and gather all documents needed to complete the application in MOS.

3. Complete the application for a temporary residence permit by following the instructions displayed on the screen.
4. In the application, provide an email address where you will receive an access code to check the status of your case once your application has been registered by the Office.
5. You must attach a digital biometric photograph, scans/photos of all pages of your travel document, and confirmation of payment of the stamp duty fee.
6. Provide the volunteer organizer’s email address – the attachment no. 3 will be sent to this address. After it is completed, it must be electronically signed by authorized persons. Once signed, the attachment will be automatically added to your application. Your application is now complete and ready to be submitted.
7. Sign the application using a Trusted Profile and submit it in the MOS system.
8. After submitting the application, download the Official Acknowledgement of Receipt (UPO), which confirms that your application has been submitted. Keep this document safe.

The next step will be an in-person appointment to submit your fingerprints. During the visit, you will also complete other documents required to obtain a stamp in your passport.

Learn how to submit fingerprints.
Learn how to track the status of your case.

• Online application completed in the Case Handling Module with the attachment no. 3

• Scans/photos of all pages of a valid travel document (original available for inspection). In particularly justified cases, if you do not possess a valid travel document and are unable to obtain one, you may scan another document confirming your identity,

• 1 digital photograph,

• confirmation of the payment of stamp duty. 

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• Written voluntary agreement concluded between you and voluntary organization. Check out what information should be stipulated in the voluntary agreement.
• health insurance,
• confirmation of having sufficient funds to cover the costs of your stay in Poland and return ticket to the country of origin for the period of the volunteering (after deducting the housing costs),
• a document that confirms that you have guaranteed residence in Poland (residence provided).
• house costing declaration.

Read our guide

The permit can be granted for the period necessary to perform the contract, based on which volunteering will take place, not shorter than 3 months and not longer than 1 year.

Temporary residence permit for an intern or a volunteer does not give you any right to perform work without obtaining an additional work permit.

Please remember that you are obliged to inform the appropriate province Governor that granted your temporary residence permit if the reasons for giving it no longer apply. You must do so within 15 business days. 
If your residence permit was granted by the Head of the Office for Foreigners (the second instance authority), this information should be sent to the province Governor, the first instance authority examining your application.
If you do not fulfill this obligation, you might be refused a subsequent residence permit, if your application for the subsequent temporary residence permit was made before the end of a year before the expiration date of the previous residence permit or by the day in which the decision to withdraw the temporary residence permit has become final

The residence card is issued after you have received your decision with your permit. Read How to receive residence card?