Temporary residence and work permit

You should apply for a temporary residence permit if you wish to stay in Poland for a period exceeding 3 months and your primary purpose of stay is work.

You should apply for a residence permit in person before your current legal status expires (i.e. before your visa or residence card expires).

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.

If you entered Poland on a Schengen visa or a national visa issued for the purpose of:

• tourism;
• visiting family or friends;
• participating in sports events;
• engaging in cultural activities;
• attending conferences;
• pursuing first-cycle (Bachelor's), second-cycle (Master's), or long-cycle Master’s studies, or studying at a doctoral school;
• vocational training;
• other forms of education or training;
• transit;
• airport transit;
• receiving medical treatment;
• participating in a cultural or educational exchange program;
• humanitarian aid program;
• holiday work program;

and you apply for a single temporary residence and work permit, your application will not be accepted, and the proceedings will not be initiated.

Additionally, if you are staying in Poland based on:

• a long-term visa issued by another Schengen state,
• a residence permit issued by another Schengen state (unless you are benefiting from mobility within Poland), or
• an entry permit issued by the Commander of a Border Guard post (as specified in Article 32(1) of the Act on Foreigners),

and you apply for a single temporary residence and work permit, your application will also not be accepted, and the proceedings will not be initiated.

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

1. Visit the website mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl and create an account.
2. Review the information and the list of common mistakes.
3. Fill out the application for a temporary residence permit.
4. Include your email address in the application. Once your application is registered by the Office, you’ll receive an access code to track the status of your case.
5. Print the application form and sign it.
6. Send the printed form along with the required attachments via postal service to the Department for Foreigners in Poznań or one of our regional offices.

Submit the application no later than the last day of your legal stay in Poland. If you send the application via Poczta Polska, the date of submission will be the date it is posted at the post office.

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.

Documents required to obtain a stamp in your passport (i.e. formal requirements)

• Application form - fill in the on-line application or fill in the application in accordance with the instructions in 1 copy (application to be downloaded).
• 4 photographs, 
• A photocopy of a valid travel document (the original for inspection), in a particularly justified case, when you do not have any valid travel document and you are not able to obtain one, you may present another document confirming your identity.

• Annex No 1 (download here) to the application for the temporary residence permit should be fully completed and signed by an employer or a person authorised for representation of a company.

• To start the proceedings you also need the confirmation of the stamp duty payment.

PAY ONLINE

Documents required to be granted a temporary residence and work permit:

Read our guide

During the proceedings, make sure to inform us about any change related to your job, current place of living or mailing address.

The permit is granted for not longer than 3 years. This period depends primarily on the time for which your employer intends to hire you.

Your permit entitles you to work in Poland only on the conditions specified therein. You cannot work for another employer on its basis. 
There are some exemptions from this rule, e.g. if you have received a temporary residence and work permit as a graduate of a Polish upper secondary school, full-time university studies or full-time doctoral studies at a Polish university.

It is your responsibility to inform the Governor, who issued your permit about the termination of your work contract. You need to do it within 15 days from termination of work.  If you do not do this, we may refuse to grant you another temporary residence permit.
If you want to work for another employer, you must re-apply for a new permit. If you fail to do it, we may start the procedure of revocation of your last permit, because the purpose of your stay which you declared previously has ceased.

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