RESIDENCE CARD FEE

Residence card fees

How much does a permanent or temporary residence permit cost? In other words, all fees for a residence card

To obtain a residence card, you must first obtain the relevant residence permit or authorisation. What are the stamp duty rates for individual applications for such permits? Here is the list:

1. Permanent residence permit: 640 zł (though it is worth noting that holders of the Polish Card are exempt from the stamp duty in this case);
2. EU long-term resident permit: 640 zł;
3. Temporary residence and work permit: 440 zł;
4. Temporary residence permit for the purpose of working in a highly skilled profession: 440 zł;
5. Temporary residence permit for the purpose of working under an intra-corporate transfer: 440 zł;
6. Temporary residence permit for the purposes of long-term mobility: 440 zł;
7. Temporary residence permit for seasonal work: 170 zł;
8. Temporary residence permit on the grounds of circumstances requiring a foreign national’s short-term stay in Poland, if the foreign national:
9. Is required to appear in person before a Polish public authority: 85 zł;
10. Must be present in the territory of the Republic of Poland due to exceptional personal circumstances: 340 zł;
11. Must be present in the territory of the Republic of Poland in the interests of Poland: 85 PLN;
12. A temporary residence permit in all other cases: 340 zł.

How much does a residence card cost? The fee for a residence card

In accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 235 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on Foreigners (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2023, item 519, as amended), documents such as residence cards are issued and renewed only upon payment of the relevant fee.

The amount of the fee for the issue or renewal of a residence card is set out in the current Regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of 26 July 2022 on fees charged in the Republic of Poland to foreign nationals for the issue and renewal of documents which may be issued to foreign nationals, and the procedure for their payment.

In accordance with the provisions of this regulation, the fee for issuing a residence card, as well as for any replacement of a residence card, is: 100 zł.

[PLEASE NOTE! If the residence card is replaced due to the culpable loss or destruction of a previously issued residence card, the stamp duty will amount to 200 zł. If, however, the replacement is due to a second instance of the loss of the residence card through no fault of the holder or its subsequent destruction, this fee will amount to as much as 300 zł]

Reductions in the residence card fee

In Article 237 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on Foreigners (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2023, item 519, as amended), the legislator has set out a number of situations which entitle the holder to a 50 per cent reduction in the stamp duty for obtaining (or replacing) a residence card. Foreign nationals are entitled to this relief if:

1. Who are in financial hardship;
2. whose purpose of stay is to pursue education at secondary school or higher education institution (i.e. pupils at grammar schools and technical colleges, and students);
3. Minors who, on the date of submitting their application for the issue or renewal of a residence card, are under 16 years of age;
4. Minors who, in the case of the issue of their first residence card, have not reached the age of 16 by the date of submitting the application for a temporary residence permit, a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident’s permit.

Circumstances in which the fee for a residence card is waived

Article 236 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on Foreigners (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2023, item 519, as amended) lists the situations in which the stamp duty for the issue or replacement of a residence card is not charged at all. What are these situations?

1. The issue of a first residence card to a foreign national who has been granted in Poland:
2. Refugee status;
3. Supplementary protection;
4. A residence permit on humanitarian grounds;
5. The issue of a first residence card to a foreign national who has been granted a permanent residence permit in Poland on the grounds of being a family member of a repatriate;
6. Issuing a residence card to a foreign national who has been granted a temporary residence permit on the grounds of being a British citizen who, up to 31 December 2020, was working in Poland as an employee posted by a foreign employer;
7. Issuing a residence card to a foreign national who has been granted a temporary residence permit and who, immediately prior to submitting the application for that permit, was staying in Poland on the basis of a national visa issued on humanitarian grounds, in the interests of the state or in accordance with international obligations, and who holds a specific nationality;
8. Issuing a first residence card to a foreign national who has been granted a permanent residence permit, who is a British national and who, up to 31 December 2020, was working in Poland as an employee posted by a foreign employer and who meets additional conditions (including having a stable source of income, health insurance and having resided legally and continuously in Poland for a sufficiently long period);
9. A situation where a previously issued or replaced document contained technical defects;
10. Replacement of a residence card due to circumstances such as:
11. the Republic of Poland assuming responsibility for the international protection of the holder of a residence card issued in connection with the granting of a long-term EU resident’s residence permit;
12. another Member State of the European Union assuming responsibility for the international protection of the holder of a residence card issued in connection with the granting of an EU long-term resident’s residence permit.

Not sure how to obtain a residence card?

Are you a foreign national applying in Poland for a permanent or temporary residence permit and for a residence card? The ‘Firma Dla Każdego’ Foundation can help you.

The Foundation assists foreign nationals with administrative procedures (including the application for a residence card), acts as an intermediary between foreign nationals and provincial authorities, translates foreign documents, offers health insurance and medical and sports care packages, and provides legal assistance.

You can find more information about the support the ‘Firma Dla Każdego’ Foundation offers to foreign nationals on its website: https://firmadlakazdego.pl/cudzoziemcy/.

You can find further content regarding residence permits on the ‘Firma Dla Każdego’ Foundation’s blog: https://firmadlakazdego.pl/blog/.