Residence permit for a long-term resident of the EU

When should I apply?

You should apply after you have been in Poland for at least 5 years.
You should apply for a residence permit in person before your current legal status expires (i.e. before your visa or residence card expires).

The application for a Residence permit for a long-term resident of the EU should be submitted in person, not later than on the last day of legal stay in the territory of Poland.

Not every stay is included in the 5-year period. Find out more.

If you apply to extend your stay in Poland before the expiry date of your legal status, you can legally remain in Poland while your application is pending. Make sure you have submitted an error-free application. Your passport must be valid at this time.

Before you apply, read our tips on how to complete the application form.

Where should I apply?

You may apply in person at the Department for Foreigners in Poznań or one of the office's delegations: Book your visit

If you cannot apply in person before your current legal status expires, please send your application by post to meet the deadline.

What counts is the date of postage at the post office.

If you apply by post, your next step is to visit the office in person to give your fingerprints.

During your visit, you may also file other documents that are required to get a stamp in your passport.

Learn how to give your fingerprints

What documents do I need?

Documents needed to obtain a stamp in a passport (so-called formal requirements):

  • Application form - filled in 1 copy as per instruction. (Download the form)
  • 4 photographs

  • A photocopy of a valid travel document (the original for inspection), in a particularly justified case, when a foreigner does not have a valid travel document and he or she is not able to obtain one, he or she may present another document confirming his/her identity.

  • Evidence of legal title to the premises.

You will need also an original of  the stamp duty payment to start the proceedings.

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Documents required to be granted the residence permit:

  1. Confirming that you had a stable and regular income during the 3 years immediately preceding the application and that you currently have such income:
  • Monthly reports for the insured person in ZUS RMUa (ZUS contribution payment confirmations) for the 3-year period before the application from all employers for whom you have worked/are currently working.
  • PIT-11 declarations for the 3-year period before the application from all employers for whom you have worked/are currently working.
  • PIT-37 tax statements from the 3 years preceding the application, along with confirmation of document submission to the Tax Office or a tax office certificate confirming the income settlement, including the amounts of revenue, income, social and health insurance contributions, and the tax due. Personally submitted tax statements should bear the stamp of the respective Tax Office, while electronically submitted ones should include the document number in box 3 and be accompanied by the UPO (Official Certificate of Receipt).
  • Employment contracts/commission agreements based on which you have worked/are working in the territory of Poland for the 3 years before the application until the present, along with any annexes to these contracts, work certificates/statements of the termination of employment, and documents legalizing employment, such as statements of entrusted work to foreigners, work permits, or permits for temporary residence and work. Employment contracts should be signed by the employer and yourself.
  • Current certificate from the employer with information on whether you are still employed and the current employment conditions, including your position, salary amount, type of contract, and working hours.
  • If you run a business/economic activity or a partnership/company or are part of a partnership, provide documents confirming the current income generated from the business/partnership.
  • You may also provide other documents confirming the income obtained, which will be individually assessed.
If the assessment of a stable and regular source of income includes the earnings of a family member residing in Poland who is obligated to support the applicant, please provide corresponding documents.
  1.  A  health insurance,
  2.  Documents confirming your knowledge of Polish language.
During the proceedings, you may be asked to present additional documents, e.g. a proof of your uninterrupted stay in Poland or other documents than those indicated above which show that you have a stable and regular income. Unfortunately, we cannot provide an exact list of documents required before the application is submitted. These documents depend on the type of work you perform and your employment history, so when your application is being examined, we might ask you for additional documentation confirming that the conditions for granting the permit are met. 

All documents need to be submitted in original/certified copy

What should I know?

Can I work?

After obtaining a residence permit for a long-term resident of the EU, you may work in Poland without a work permit. The residence card contains the annotation "access to the labour market".

I have received my decison - how to get my residence card now?

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

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FAQ

What does the term 'title to the property' mean and is this document necessary to initiate the procedure for granting a long-term resident's EU residence permit?

I have been staying in Poland for 10 years on the basis of temporary residence permits on account of work, but a year ago I was unemployed for 4 months - can I apply for a long-term resident's EU residence permit in Poland?

 

Yes, you can apply for long-term resident status, but we will investigate the reason for the employment gap and it could potentially lead to the denial of the permit.

Income should be stable and regular; therefore, we will examine your earnings on a monthly basis over a three-...

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I had a temporary residence permit in Poland for the last 5 years due to my ongoing studies - can I already obtain a long-term resident's EU residence permit?

If you are now staying in Poland on the basis of a temporary residence permit due to your studies and file an application for a long-term resident of the EU, the proceedings will not be initiated.

Remember also that in the future the period of stay in Poland due to studies will be counted...

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Is the period of study on part-time studies in Poland counted towards the stay of a long-term resident in half-time as well as the period of full-time studies?

No, this period does not count towards the 5-year period of stay in Poland.

During the last 5 years before submitting the application, I stayed outside Poland longer than the permissible break, can I still obtain a resident's residence permit?

If you document that your stays outside of Poland were related to:

  • performing professional duties for a Polish employer (delegations) or accompanying a spouse or a parent in such trips, or
  • a special personal situation requiring going outside the territory of Poland, if it...
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