Official letters in residence cases are written in the language of statutes. Here are the 36 terms that appear in them most often, explained in two or three sentences, with figures and time limits. Each entry leads to a guide and, where the law firm handles such a case, to a service with its price.
Residence documents and statuses
Residence card (karta pobytu)
A residence card (karta pobytu) is the document issued to a foreign national after a positive decision on a residence permit. Together with a valid travel document it entitles the holder to stay legally in Poland and to cross the border multiple times without a visa. The right to stay comes from the voivode's decision, and the card is the document issued on its basis.
Temporary residence permit
A temporary residence permit is a decision of the voivode that gives a foreign national the right to stay in Poland for a specific purpose, such as work, studies, business activity or family. The residence card is issued on its basis. The stamp duty is 340 PLN, or 440 PLN for temporary residence and work, and the statutory time limit for the decision is 60 days from the day the application is complete.
Legal basisart. 112a ust. 1 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Permanent residence permit
A permanent residence permit is an open-ended right to stay in Poland, available to a closed list of persons named in the statute, including holders of the Pole's Card, persons of Polish origin and spouses of Polish citizens. It does not need to be renewed, is not tied to an employer and gives full access to the labour market. The stamp duty is 640 PLN and the voivode has 6 months to decide.
EU long-term resident
An EU long-term resident is a non-EU national who, after at least 5 years of legal and uninterrupted stay in Poland, has been granted an open-ended EU long-term resident permit. The status derives from Council Directive 2003/109/EC, so it is recognised across the Union, unlike national permanent residence. It requires stable income, health insurance and Polish at level B1, and the stamp duty is 640 PLN.
Legal basisart. 211 ust. 1 ustawy o cudzoziemcach; dyrektywa Rady 2003/109/WE
EU Blue Card
The EU Blue Card is a permit for highly qualified specialists that combines residence and work and gives mobility within the European Union. The key condition is a salary of at least 150% of the average salary in the economy. It also requires higher qualifications confirmed by a diploma or by experience.
Pole's Card (Karta Polaka)
The Pole's Card (Karta Polaka) is a document confirming that its holder belongs to the Polish Nation; it is not a residence permit in itself and does not give the right to settle in Poland. Its holder, however, belongs to the closed list of persons who may apply for a permanent residence permit in Poland. Anyone who wants to settle therefore files a separate application for permanent residence.
Legal basisart. 3 ust. 1 i art. 7 ust. 2 ustawy o Karcie Polaka; art. 195 ust. 1 pkt 9 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
National visa (type D)
A national visa (type D) is a visa issued by a Polish consul that allows a person to enter Poland legally and apply here for a longer residence title, but it does not give a lasting right to stay. A refusal is issued as a decision on a form that states the legal basis and the reasons. A request for reconsideration can be filed within 14 days of the refusal.
Legal basisart. 75 i art. 76 ust. 1–2 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Invitation for a foreign national (zaproszenie)
An invitation (zaproszenie) is a document entered in the register of invitations which confirms that a foreign national has sufficient means to cover the costs of the stay in Poland, including accommodation and food, and of the return journey. It is used for visas to visit family or friends and for private visits. An invitation does not give the right to work in Poland.
Legal basisart. 49 ust. 1 i art. 51 ust. 3 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Application and procedure
MOS (Case Handling Module)
MOS (Moduł Obsługi Spraw) is the government IT system at mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl through which, since 27 April 2026, applications for temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident permits are filed exclusively online. A paper application filed after that date is left unexamined. Summonses and letters from the office also appear in the MOS account.
Legal basisart. 106c ust. 1 i 5 oraz art. 203c ust. 1 i 3 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Passport stamp and certificate of filing
The certificate of filing is a document downloaded from the MOS system which has replaced the former stamp in the passport. It confirms that the foreign national's stay is legal from the day the application was filed until the day the decision on the permit becomes final. The certificate legalises the stay, not travel, and does not in itself give the right to work.
Annex No. 1 (Załącznik nr 1)
Annex No. 1 (Załącznik nr 1) is the part of the application for a temporary residence and work permit in which the employer states the terms of the foreign national's employment. Since 27 April 2026 the employer completes and signs it electronically in the MOS system. What the company enters there goes into the decision and binds both sides for the whole validity of the card.
Fingerprints
Fingerprints are biometric data stored in the residence card, without which the card cannot physically be produced. They are taken during a personal appearance at the office, on the voivode's summons after the application is filed in MOS, from every applicant except children under 6 years of age. It is a technical step, not an assessment of the case.
Stamp duty (opłata skarbowa)
Stamp duty (opłata skarbowa) is the fee for granting a residence permit: 340 PLN for temporary residence, 440 PLN for temporary residence and work, and 640 PLN for permanent residence and the EU long-term resident permit. It is paid when the application is filed, and separately 100 PLN for issuing the card, also before filing in MOS. For applications filed from 5 March 2026 the stamp duty is not refunded after a refusal or a discontinuance, and 17 PLN is paid on a power of attorney.
Summons from the office (wezwanie)
A summons (wezwanie) is a letter in which the office requires a party to take a specific step within a set time, for example to supplement documents or to appear in person for fingerprinting. The time limit in a summons is usually 7–14 days, and failing to answer a summons to remedy formal defects means the application is left unexamined. When a representative acts in the case, correspondence goes to the representative's address.
Formal defects (braki formalne)
Formal defects (braki formalne) are unmet formal requirements of an application, for example a missing proof of stamp duty payment or a missing required attachment. The office issues a summons to remedy them, and failing to do so in time means the application is left unexamined. The 60 days for a decision on temporary residence run only from the day the application is complete.
Legal basisart. 64 § 2 k.p.a.
Power of attorney (pełnomocnictwo)
A power of attorney (pełnomocnictwo) is the authorisation under which a representative, for example an attorney-at-law (radca prawny) or an advocate, acts in the proceedings on behalf of the party. From the moment it is filed, correspondence from the office goes to the representative's address. The stamp duty on a power of attorney is 17 PLN, and an advocate or attorney-at-law can certify its copy themselves.
Legal basisart. 33 § 3 k.p.a.
Voivode (wojewoda)
The voivode (wojewoda) is the first-instance authority in cases concerning temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident permits. The application is examined by the voivode competent for the foreign national's place of stay, not the registered address. An appeal against the voivode's decision lies to the Head of the Office for Foreigners.
e-Delivery (e-Doręczenia)
e-Doręczenia (e-Delivery) is the public registered electronic delivery service which replaces a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt with its digital equivalent of identical legal effect. The system generates proofs of sending and receipt that confirm the date and content of the correspondence. It was introduced by the Act of 18 November 2020 on electronic deliveries.
Legal basisustawa z 18 listopada 2020 r. o doręczeniach elektronicznych
Ukrainian citizens
Temporary protection (ochrona czasowa)
Temporary protection is the collective basis of legal stay for people fleeing the war in Ukraine, extended by Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912 until 4 March 2028. In Poland it is confirmed by the UKR status in the PESEL register and by the Diia.pl application. It ends, among other cases, when the person leaves Poland for more than 30 days.
Legal basisdecyzja wykonawcza Rady (UE) 2026/1912
UKR status
UKR status is the marking in the PESEL register of a person who benefits from temporary protection in Poland. Until 4 March 2028 it legalises the stay by itself, but it ends by operation of law, without a decision or a summons, for example when the person leaves Poland for more than 30 days. The register then shows NUE status.
PESEL UKR
PESEL UKR is the PESEL number assigned to a beneficiary of temporary protection, to which UKR status is attached. People who entered Poland after 5 March 2026 and want to be covered by temporary protection apply for it within 30 days of entry. Anyone who received PESEL UKR on the basis of a declaration alone had to confirm their identity with a valid travel document by 31 August 2026 at the latest.
NUE status
NUE status is the marking in the PESEL register of a foreign national from outside the European Union, that is, a third-country national. The abbreviation itself says nothing about whether the stay is legal: most foreign nationals with a residence card or a visa have it. For a Ukrainian citizen, a change from UKR to NUE means the register no longer treats them as a person under temporary protection.
Legal basisart. 8 pkt 24a ustawy o ewidencji ludności
CUKR card
The CUKR card is a residence card issued under a simplified procedure to people with UKR status. The person must have had UKR status on 4 June 2025 and on the day of filing, without interruption for at least 365 days. The card is valid for 3 years, the application is filed exclusively online in MOS, and the office has 180 days to issue the card or refuse.
Legal basisart. 42c, 42l i 42p ustawy o pomocy obywatelom Ukrainy
Time limits and legal remedies
Ponaglenie (urging motion)
A ponaglenie is the legal remedy available to a party when the office has not dealt with the case on time (inaction) or is conducting it longer than necessary (excessive length). In a residence permit case it is addressed to the Head of the Office for Foreigners through the voivode; the voivode has 7 days to pass it on with the file, and the higher authority has 7 days to examine it. Without a prior ponaglenie, a complaint about inaction to the administrative court will be rejected.
Legal basisart. 37 § 1 k.p.a.
Inaction of the authority (bezczynność)
Inaction (bezczynność) is the situation in which the office has not dealt with the case within the time limit and has not validly set a new one. For a temporary residence permit the time limit is 60 days from the day the application is complete. The remedy for inaction is a ponaglenie, followed by a complaint to the voivodeship administrative court.
Legal basisart. 37 § 1 k.p.a.; art. 112a ust. 1 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Excessive length of proceedings (przewlekłość)
Excessive length (przewlekłość) means conducting proceedings longer than is necessary to deal with the case: formally the proceedings are under way, but the office spends months, for example, verifying a complete file. As with inaction, the remedy is a ponaglenie, followed by a complaint to the administrative court. The court may find that the excessive length involved a flagrant breach of the law, fine the authority or award the party a sum of money.
Legal basisart. 37 § 1 k.p.a.; art. 149 p.p.s.a.
Appeal against a decision (odwołanie)
An appeal (odwołanie) is the remedy against a decision of the first-instance authority, filed within 14 days of service of the decision through the authority that issued it. An appeal against a voivode's refusal in a residence case is examined by the Head of the Office for Foreigners. Filing the appeal suspends enforcement of the decision.
Legal basisart. 127 § 1–2, art. 129 § 1–2 i art. 130 § 2 k.p.a.
Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef UdSC)
The Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef UdSC) is the second-instance authority that examines appeals against voivodes' decisions in residence cases and ponaglenie filings about their inaction. The voivode has 7 days to send the appeal on together with the file. Appeal proceedings in temporary and permanent residence cases should be completed within 90 days, and once that time has passed the second instance can be the subject of a ponaglenie as well.
Legal basisart. 133 k.p.a.; art. 112a ust. 4 i art. 210 ust. 3 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Final decision (decyzja ostateczna)
A final decision (decyzja ostateczna) is a decision against which no further appeal lies within the administrative instances, for example a decision of the Head of the Office for Foreigners upholding a refusal. Only such a decision opens the way to court: a complaint to the voivodeship administrative court is filed within 30 days of its service. Until the day the decision on the permit becomes final, the stay of a foreign national who applied on time is legal.
Legal basisart. 16 § 1 k.p.a.; art. 53 § 1 p.p.s.a.
Complaint to the administrative court (skarga do WSA)
A complaint to the WSA is a complaint to the voivodeship administrative court against a final decision, filed within 30 days of its service through the authority that issued it. The court reviews the legality of the ruling and does not itself issue a residence card. A complaint about inaction or excessive length can be filed at any time after a ponaglenie has been lodged, and the court fee for it is 100 PLN.
Legal basisart. 53 § 1 i § 2b p.p.s.a.
Restoration of a time limit (przywrócenie terminu)
Restoration of a time limit (przywrócenie terminu) is the mechanism that allows a late appeal to be filed effectively if the party makes it plausible that the time limit passed through no fault of their own. The request is filed within 7 days of the day the cause of the delay ceased, together with the appeal itself. The request alone does not suspend enforcement of the decision, so a request to suspend enforcement is filed as well.
Legal basisart. 58 i art. 60 k.p.a.
Return and entry ban
Return decision (zobowiązanie do powrotu)
A decision obliging a foreign national to return is a decision of the commanding officer of a Border Guard post or unit, commonly called an order to leave Poland. The time limit for an appeal against it is 7 days. It almost always includes a re-entry ban of 6 months to 10 years, depending on the grounds.
Legal basisart. 310 ust. 1, art. 318 ust. 1 i art. 321 ust. 2 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
Entry ban (zakaz wjazdu)
A re-entry ban is the part of a return decision that closes entry to Poland and the other Schengen states for the foreign national. Depending on the grounds it usually lasts from 6 months to 3 years, up to 5 years on more serious grounds, and up to 10 years where state security is concerned. It can be challenged separately, and a request to shorten it can be filed.
Legal basisart. 318–320 ustawy o cudzoziemcach
SIS (Schengen Information System)
SIS (the Schengen Information System) is the system used by all Schengen states, into which information about entry bans, among other things, is entered. Consulates see the alert when examining visa applications, so a ban closes the way not only to Poland. There is no public search tool for alerts: they are checked by a request for access to one's own data, addressed to the authority that entered them or to the President of the Personal Data Protection Office.
Polish citizenship
Recognition as a Polish citizen (uznanie za obywatela)
Recognition as a Polish citizen is a decision of the voivode issued at the request of a foreign national who meets the conditions of the Polish Citizenship Act; if they are met, the office must issue a positive decision. The most common basis is 3 years of uninterrupted stay on a permanent residence or EU long-term resident permit, with stable income and legal title to a dwelling, plus Polish at level B1 or higher. The fee is 1000 PLN and is not refunded if the application is refused.
Legal basisart. 30 ustawy o obywatelstwie polskim
Grant of Polish citizenship by the President (nadanie obywatelstwa)
The grant of Polish citizenship is the procedure in which citizenship is granted by the President of Poland. It is fully discretionary: there are no formal conditions and no time limit for examining the application, unlike recognition as a citizen by the voivode. The fee for accepting the application is 1669 PLN.
Other matters we handle online
A residence card without leaving home: buy the service, upload photos of your documents from your phone, and we run the case.
2300 PLN1999 PLN
Permanent residence card or EU long-term resident status. We start with a consultation with the attorney, included in the price, then run the case until you collect the card.
4000 PLN
Book a consultation Ponaglenie — demand to actIs the office past its legal deadline? A formal demand signed by an attorney, filed no later than the next business day.
from 199 PLN
Order the demand Appeal against a refusalThe voivode refused your residence permit? You have 14 days. A lawyer reads the decision and tells you plainly whether it can be challenged — analysis within 48 hours.
299 PLN
Order the analysis Return decision analysisUpload your return decision and a lawyer will assess your chances of appeal. Analysis within 48 hours.
499 PLN
Order the analysis Driving licence exchangeA foreign licence turned into a Polish one — no exam if a Vienna Convention country issued it. The firm runs the whole case.
1000 PLN
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