Residence permit for humanitarian reasons / visa D21

You should apply for a temporary residence permit  for humanitarian reasons if:

- you are citizen of Belarus and

- you stay in Poland based on valid visa D21.

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. Sign the application using a Trusted Profile and submit it in the MOS system.
7. 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,

• 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,

Documents needed to grant a permit:

• no additional documents required, apart from having a valid D21 visa directly before applying for the permit.

No stamp duty for the application and no fee for the residence card.

Read our guide

A temporary residence permit for humanitarian reasons is granted once for a period of 3 years.

Permit holder:

• is exempt from the obligation of having a work permit and has full access to the labor market,
• from the 1st January  2023 has the opportunity to apply for a Polish travel document for a foreigner.

Attention! If you are currently applying for a different type of temporary residence permit, and you had a D21 visa directly before submitting the application - you can change the purpose of stay as part of this procedure - download here

If you reside in Poland on the basis of this permit, you can apply for further legalization of your stay on the usual terms, such as a temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit, long-term EU resident's residence permit.

Family members of a foreigner who has received such a permit:

A temporary residence permit for humanitarian reasons is not the same as receiving a humanitarian residence permit, which is issued by the Commander of the Border Guard. Only a humanitarian residence permit granted by the Border Guard entitles your family member to apply for a residence permit for family reunification. Granting of this kind of permit entitles your wife/husband to work without a work permit.
If you are granted a temporary residence permit for humanitarian reasons due to holding a D21 visa directly before applying for the permit, your wife/husband may apply for a permit based on other circumstances. Remember that the granting of such a permit does not entitle a family member to work without a work permit.

The residence card is issued after obtaining a positive decision on granting the permit. Read how to get a residence card