Residence Card in Poland: Legal Nature, Grounds, Procedure, and Practical Aspects
What a Residence Card Is – and What It Actually Confirms
A residence card (karta pobytu) is a plastic document that confirms the identity of a foreign national in Poland and certifies that the person has been granted a residence permit. Under the Act on Foreigners, the card contains personal data, the period of validity, information on the type of permit, a photograph, and biometric data. Together with a valid passport, it allows multiple entries into Poland without a visa for the duration of its validity.
A key distinction often overlooked is that the right of residence does not arise from the card itself, but from the administrative decision of the voivode. First, a decision granting a residence permit (temporary residence, permanent residence, or EU long-term resident status) is issued, and only afterward is the residence card produced on that basis.
Until the card is issued, the legality of stay is confirmed by a stamp placed in the passport after the application is formally accepted, and subsequently by the administrative decision itself.
Types of Residence Cards: Temporary, Permanent, EU Long-Term Resident, Humanitarian
Polish law provides for several types of residence cards, which differ not only in name but also in legal regime.
A temporary residence card (karta pobytu czasowego) is issued for the duration of a temporary residence permit, usually from one to three years. It is always linked to a specific purpose: employment, studies, family reunification, and similar grounds.
A permanent residence card (karta pobytu stałego) confirms permanent residence status. The card is valid for ten years and is replaced upon expiry, while the status itself remains unaffected.
An EU long-term resident card (karta pobytu rezydenta długoterminowego UE) is valid for five years and confirms a status derived from European Union law.
A humanitarian residence card is issued following the granting of humanitarian stay or tolerated stay and has its own specific validity rules.
This article focuses primarily on the temporary residence card, as it is typically the first residence card obtained by a foreign national in Poland.
Who May Apply for a Temporary Residence Card
Any third-country national who has been granted a temporary residence permit by a voivode is entitled to a temporary residence card. Accordingly, the categories of eligible applicants correspond directly to the purposes for which a temporary residence permit may be granted.
The legal logic is straightforward: if a foreign national meets the conditions for a specific purpose of stay and the circumstances objectively justify residence in Poland for more than three months, the voivode may grant the permit. Once the permit is granted, the foreign national has the right to obtain a residence card as material confirmation of that status.
In practice, temporary residence permits are most commonly granted on the following grounds:
- Employment – including the single permit for residence and work, highly qualified employment (EU Blue Card), and secondment;
- Business activity – residence in connection with conducting economic activity in Poland;
- Education – full-time studies, preparatory courses, and other forms of education, subject to enrollment, payment, sufficient financial means, and insurance;
- Scientific research – for researchers and academics under specific legal provisions;
- Family grounds – family reunification with a foreign national holding a long-term legal status;
- Marriage to a Polish citizen – a separate category subject to enhanced scrutiny regarding the genuineness of the relationship;
- Special circumstances – where further stay is justified by a difficult personal situation, the interests of the Republic of Poland, or the need to cooperate with Polish authorities;
- Victims of human trafficking and other protected categories;
- Graduates of Polish universities, who may obtain a permit for the purpose of seeking employment or starting a business.
Each category is subject to its own verification logic and material requirements. Reducing them to a mere “document checklist” is neither accurate nor sufficient and requires separate, dedicated analysis.
Submission of the Application: Current Rules and Changes from 1 January 2026
At present, applications may generally be submitted:
- in person at the competent authority,
- by post (in some voivodeships, if permitted by local rules),
- partially through electronic systems (e.g. online form registration followed by a personal visit).
After submission, the application undergoes a formal review to verify the signature, photographs, payment of fees, copies of documents, and the absence of obvious defects. If the formal requirements are met, a stamp is placed in the passport, legalising the stay until a final decision is issued. Importantly, this stamp does not allow entry into or exit from Poland; it only confirms the legality of stay within the country.
From 1 January 2026, the legislator introduces a new model: applications for temporary residence, permanent residence, and EU long-term resident status must be submitted exclusively online via a state electronic system. Traditional paper-based submissions will be phased out, and the procedure will centre on an electronic application form and authentication through national tools such as login.gov.pl.
For foreign nationals, this shift means that compliance will depend not only on proper documentation, but also on correctly navigating the electronic procedure and avoiding formal errors at the digital submission stage.
Examination of the Case and Issuance of the Card
Following formal acceptance, the voivode assesses the substantive conditions. For employment-based permits, this includes the authenticity of employment, salary level, and the employer’s situation; for studies, actual enrollment, payment, and financial resources; for family grounds, the genuineness of the relationship and shared residence.
Under the Act on Foreigners, a decision on a temporary residence permit should be issued within 60 days from the moment the case is complete. In practice, this period is affected by additional checks carried out by the Police, Border Guard, and Internal Security Agency, as well as special rules applicable to Ukrainian citizens that formally suspend procedural deadlines.
In reality, processing times typically amount to:
- several months to one year in smaller voivodeships;
- 9-18 months in major cities such as Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław.
Even after a positive decision is issued, the residence card is not available immediately. The authority orders production of the card, the applicant is notified, pays the card issuance fee (separate from the permit fee), schedules collection or waits for availability, and then collects the document in person. As a result, an additional one to two months, or longer, may elapse between the decision and receipt of the card.
Grounds for Refusal of Temporary Residence
Refusals may be grouped into three categories.
First, cases where proceedings are not initiated at all. The law explicitly lists situations where initiation is refused, for example where the applicant already holds permanent residence or EU long-term resident status, applies while undergoing international protection proceedings, is detained or held in a guarded centre, or holds a type of stay that cannot be replaced by temporary residence.
Second, refusal after substantive examination. Typical grounds include threats to security or public order, false or forged documents, failure to meet material conditions (salary, funds, studies, business activity), illegal stay at the time of application or during proceedings, or issues related to the employer (such as a history of illegal employment).
Third, special refusal or revocation grounds applicable to specific categories (researchers, family cases, graduates, victims of trafficking), where additional criteria apply, including assessment of whether the permit is being used solely to legalise stay without genuine pursuit of the declared purpose.
The general principle is clear: failure to meet any statutory condition results in refusal, and a permit already granted may be revoked.
Conclusion
A residence card is not merely a plastic document, but the final stage of a complex administrative procedure combining formal requirements, substantive assessment, and – from 2026 – full digitalisation of applications. The voivode’s decision, not the card itself, creates the right of residence. The card merely confirms that right externally and enables its exercise in everyday situations, from border control to contractual relations and interaction with public authorities.
Ukrainian version of this article
Contact For professional assistance regarding Polish immigration, residence procedures, and administrative compliance, you may contact me via Telegram: @aleks_dokumenty