RESIDENCE CARD – WHAT IS IT?

Residence card – what is it?

A residence card is a document issued to any foreign national who has been granted:

1. A temporary residence permit;
2. A permanent residence permit;
3. An EU long-term resident’s residence permit;
4. Permission to stay on humanitarian grounds.

The residence card serves to confirm the identity of the foreign national presenting it, and also entitles the holder to cross the Polish border multiple times without the need for an additional visa.

As a general rule, the first residence card is issued automatically once one of the above-mentioned consents or permits has been obtained.

In certain situations, however, an application must be made for a residence card. What are these situations?

Situations in which an application must be made for a residence card (i.e. those in which, as a rule, it will not be issued automatically – even if it is the foreign national’s first residence card):

1. Obtaining a temporary residence permit for the purpose of family reunification (where the foreign national was outside Poland on the date of submitting the application for that permit);
2. A foreign national who is an immediate family member of a repatriate;
3. Obtaining a temporary residence permit for the purpose of working as part of an intra-corporate transfer;
4. Obtaining a temporary residence permit for the purpose of long-term mobility of a manager, specialist or trainee;
5. Obtaining a temporary residence permit for a family member of a Polish citizen or a citizen of an EU Member State (where the foreign national was outside Poland on the date of submitting the application for this permit);
6. Obtaining authorisation to reside in Poland on humanitarian grounds.

Residence card – template

Have you already obtained the relevant permit or authorisation and are entitled to a residence card, but for some reason have not received it from the authorities? In that case, you must submit the relevant application for its issue.

You can find the current application form for a residence card (or, more specifically, the application form for the issue or replacement of a residence card) on the websites of provincial offices, such as the website of:

1. the Podlaskie Provincial Office in Białystok (LINK: https://www.gov.pl/web/uw-podlaski/formularze-wnioskow-do-pobrania2);
2. the Department for Foreigners’ Affairs of the Wielkopolska Provincial Office in Poznań (LINK: https://migrant.poznan.uw.gov.pl/pl/do-pobrania/wniosek-o-wydaniewymiane-karty-pobytu);
3. The Department for Foreigners’ Affairs of the Mazovian Provincial Office in Warsaw (LINK: https://migrant.wsc.mazowieckie.pl/pl/do-pobrania/wniosek-o-wydaniewymiane-karty-pobytu);
4. Kujawsko-Pomorskie Provincial Office in Bydgoszcz (LINK: https://cudzoziemiec.bydgoszcz.pl/formularze-wnioskow/wniosek-o-wydanie-wymiane-karty-pobytu/).

Permanent residence card – template

Would you like to obtain a permanent residence card in Poland? First, you will need to obtain a permanent residence permit.

The situations in which a foreign national may be granted a permanent residence permit (i.e. for an indefinite period) are set out in paragraph 1 of Article 195 of the Act of 12 December 2013 on Foreigners (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2023, item 519, as amended). What are these situations? Here are some of them:

1. Being the child of a Polish citizen and remaining under that citizen’s parental authority;
2. Being the child of a foreign national who has been granted a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident’s residence permit and remaining under the parental authority of that foreign national (however, the child must have been born after the foreign national obtained the relevant consent or authorisation);
3. Being a person of Polish origin or holding a valid Polish Card and intending to settle permanently in Poland;
4. Being in a marriage recognised by Poland for at least 3 years and having resided in Poland for a period of not less than 2 years immediately prior to submitting the application;
5. Being a victim of human trafficking (subject to additional conditions, such as a well-founded fear of returning to the country of origin);
6. Having resided in Poland for a specified period;
7. Having been granted asylum in Poland.

You can find a template for an application for a permanent residence permit on the following websites, amongst others:

1. The Podlasie Provincial Office in Białystok (LINK: https://www.gov.pl/web/uw-podlaski/wniosek-o-udzielenie-zezwolenia-na-pobyt-staly);
2. the Department for Foreigners’ Affairs of the Wielkopolska Provincial Office in Poznań (LINK: https://migrant.poznan.uw.gov.pl/pl/do-pobrania/wniosek-o-udzielenie-zezwolenia-na-pobyt-staly);
3. The Department for Foreigners’ Affairs of the Mazovian Provincial Office in Warsaw (LINK: https://migrant.wsc.mazowieckie.pl/pl/do-pobrania/wniosek-o-udzielenie-zezwolenia-na-pobyt-staly);
4. Kujawsko-Pomorskie Provincial Office in Bydgoszcz (LINK: https://cudzoziemiec.bydgoszcz.pl/formularze-wnioskow/pobyt-staly/).

Temporary residence card – template

You can also find up-to-date application forms for a temporary residence permit in Poland on the websites of these same authorities. You can therefore download the form from, amongst others:

1. the Podlaskie Provincial Office in Białystok (LINK: https://www.gov.pl/web/uw-podlaski/wnioski-i-formularze);
2. the Department for Foreigners’ Affairs of the Wielkopolska Provincial Office in Poznań (LINK: https://migrant.poznan.uw.gov.pl/pl/do-pobrania/wniosek-o-udzielenie-zezwolenia-na-pobyt-czasowy);
3. The Department for Foreigners’ Affairs of the Mazovia Provincial Office in Warsaw (LINK: https://migrant.wsc.mazowieckie.pl/pl/do-pobrania/wniosek-zezwolenie-na-pobyt-czasowy-formularz-obowiazujacy-od-27-kwietnia-2019-roku);
4. Kujawsko-Pomorskie Provincial Office in Bydgoszcz (LINK: https://cudzoziemiec.bydgoszcz.pl/formularze-wnioskow/pobyt-czasowy/).

Do you need help with obtaining a permanent or temporary residence permit and a residence card?

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

The ‘Firma Dla Każdego’ Foundation is a business incubator which, as well as helping people fulfil their dreams of running their own business, also assists foreign nationals who wish to live and work in Poland entirely legally.

Among other things, the Foundation provides assistance with administrative procedures (including applying for a permanent residence card, a temporary residence card, a work permit, a Blue Card, a visa, a work visa and many other documents). It also acts as an intermediary between foreign nationals and provincial authorities, translates foreign documents, provides legal assistance, and offers health insurance as well as medical and sports care packages.

Would you like more information about the support for foreign nationals offered by the ‘Firma Dla Każdego’ Foundation? Visit the website: https://firmadlakazdego.pl/cudzoziemcy/.

If, on the other hand, you’d like to read more detailed information about residence cards and permanent and temporary residence permits in Poland, take a look at the other articles available on the ‘Firma Dla Każdego’ Foundation’s website: https://firmadlakazdego.pl/blog/.