Services

    Residence and Work Permits in Poland for Foreign Nationals

    English-speaking immigration lawyers in Kraków handle residence and work permits, the single permit, EU Blue Card and appeals against refusals — full case management.

    Legalising your stay in Poland means matching the right permit to your situation — work, business, study, or family — and seeing the application through proceedings that often run far longer than the statutory deadline. We manage the whole case in English, from the eligibility check and filing to responding to official requests, collecting your residence card and appealing any refusal.

    Key facts

    Temporary residence permit (karta pobytu)
    Granted for up to 3 years
    Single permit
    One decision covering both residence and work (jednolite zezwolenie na pobyt i pracę)
    Statutory decision time
    60 days by law — but in practice often several months to a year, depending on the voivodeship
    Work permit (types A–E)
    Up to 3 years (up to 5 for certain board members); since 1 June 2025 filed electronically
    Simplified "declaration" route (oświadczenie)
    For citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine — up to 24 months (Georgia removed 1 Dec 2025)
    EU Blue Card salary threshold
    PLN 13,355.34 gross/month (from 9 Feb 2026; = 150% of the average wage, revised yearly)
    Permanent residence
    "Pobyt stały" (various bases) or EU long-term resident permit (after 5 years' continuous legal stay)
    Appeal against refusal
    14 days to the Head of the Office for Foreigners; then 30 days to the Regional Administrative Court (WSA)
    We represent foreign nationals and their employers in every matter of legal residence and employment in Poland. The most common routes are the temporary residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy), granted for up to three years; the single permit (jednolite zezwolenie na pobyt i pracę), which bundles residence and the right to work into one decision; and — for highly qualified specialists — the EU Blue Card. Work that is not covered by a residence permit needs a work permit (types A–E) or, for citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, the simplified employer's declaration (oświadczenie o powierzeniu pracy). We also handle permanent residence, the EU long-term resident permit, family-reunification cards, the Karta Polaka and Polish-citizenship matters. Polish immigration rules changed substantially in 2025: the labour-market test was abolished, work-permit and declaration procedures moved to electronic filing, and — importantly — most residence-permit applicants must now appear in person in Poland to give fingerprints, so the process can rarely be completed entirely from abroad. We guide you through it end to end: the eligibility and document strategy, the filing, biometrics, monitoring the proceedings and answering every official request (wezwanie), collection of the residence card, and — where needed — appeals against a refusal. We represent clients before the voivodeship offices, the Office for Foreigners and the administrative courts, and we work in Polish, English, German, Ukrainian and Russian.

    When do you need this service?

    • You need a residence permit to work, run a business, study or join family in Poland
    • Your employer needs a work permit, single permit or declaration to hire you lawfully
    • You are a foreign founder who has set up (or is setting up) a Polish company and now needs a residence track for yourself and key staff
    • You are an employer posting staff to Poland or hiring foreign nationals and want the legalisation handled correctly
    • Your current permit or visa is about to expire and you need to extend or change your status
    • Your application was refused and you want to appeal, or your stay has become irregular

    How the process works

    1. 1
      Strategy and eligibility checkWe assess your situation and goals, identify the right permit (single permit, work permit, EU Blue Card, family or permanent track) and map out timing, costs and any risks before anything is filed.
    2. 2
      Document preparationWe compile and review the full file — purpose-of-stay evidence, employment or company documents, health insurance, proof of means and accommodation — and arrange sworn translations where required.
    3. 3
      Filing and biometricsWe submit the application within the deadline (electronically for work permits and declarations; to the voivode for residence permits) and prepare you for the in-person appearance and fingerprinting now generally required for residence cases.
    4. 4
      Monitoring the proceedings and responses to wezwaniaWe track the case, deal with the office, and answer every official request to supplement the file (wezwanie) promptly — the single most common cause of delay and refusal.
    5. 5
      Decision and card collectionOnce the permit is granted we arrange collection of the residence card (karta pobytu) and confirm exactly what it allows you to do, including work rights.
    6. 6
      Renewals, next status or appealWe diarise renewal deadlines and advise on the next step — extending the permit, moving toward permanent residence or EU long-term resident status — or, if the decision is negative, we file and run the appeal.

    What you'll need

    • Valid passport (and any current visa or residence card)
    • Evidence of the purpose of stay — e.g. employment contract, the company's registration documents, or a university admission
    • Proof of stable income or sufficient means of subsistence
    • Health insurance covering you in Poland
    • Proof of a place to live in Poland (e.g. a tenancy agreement)
    • Completed application form and recent biometric photographs (sworn translations of foreign documents where required)

    What we cover

    • Temporary and permanent residence permits
    • Work permits (type A, B, C) and simplified employment notifications
    • Karta Polaka and Polish citizenship proceedings
    • Family reunification applications
    • Appeals before regional offices and the Office for Foreigners
    • Service in Polish, English, German, Ukrainian and Russian

    For foreign founders and investors

    Plenty of agencies will fill in a form for you, but residence legalisation is an administrative procedure with statutory deadlines, an appeal route and real consequences if it goes wrong — an unanswered request from the office, a missed deadline or a weak file can mean refusal and an irregular stay. As lawyers, we manage the whole case: we build the strongest version of your application, deal with the authority on your behalf, answer every wezwanie on time, and keep your stay legal while the decision is pending. If the permit is refused, we are already in a position to appeal — to the Head of the Office for Foreigners within 14 days and, if needed, to the Regional Administrative Court.

    We are candid about two things agencies often gloss over. First, although the law gives the voivode 60 days to decide, in practice cases routinely take several months and, in the busiest offices, close to a year — we plan around that and keep your status protected throughout. Second, since 1 June 2025 most residence-permit applicants must appear in Poland in person to give fingerprints, so the process generally cannot be completed entirely from abroad; we tell you up front when you will need to be here and make that visit count.

    For employers and founders we are a single point of contact. We coordinate the employer side — work permits, the single permit and declarations, and the post-2025 notification duties — with the foreign national's residence application, and we combine immigration with employment law and company formation in one team. A foreign entrepreneur can set up a Polish company with us (see company formation) and, in the same engagement, put their own residence and that of key staff on a secure footing. Official government fees vary by permit type (for example the employer's declaration fee rose to PLN 400 on 1 December 2025); our legal fee is quoted individually for your case. We advise in English, German, Ukrainian and Russian, with more than 20 years of practice behind every file.

    Frequently Asked Questions

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    Our lawyers are available to advise you in Polish, English, German, Ukrainian and Russian.

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