root-user-mia-consult-p, Автор в MIA CONSULT GROUP

How much a temporary residence card costs in 2026, and how long you wait

Posted on 2026-08-122026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

As of August 2026. A temporary residence card is a plastic document issued after a positive decision on temporary stay. From 27 April 2026 the application for this permit is accepted only through the MOS portal: paper at the office window is no longer taken on this track. Stamp duty for the permit and 100 PLN for the plastic go to the Treasury. Our support is not included in that sum — it is charged separately.

What you pay the state

According to UDSC, access to MOS is free: the portal does not charge for filing. You pay the state stamp duty for the permit itself — from 340 to 640 PLN depending on the type — and a further 100 PLN for the plastic. These are two separate transfers to two different voivodeship accounts; you cannot pay these amounts through MOS.

On top of that you usually have a sworn translation of the documents, a photograph and insurance if you do not have NFZ. Our work is a separate bill: a typical card from 1500 PLN / netto, CUKR — 700 PLN / netto. See the breakdown by ground on the prices.

Timeframes: the law and practice

The law sets indicative timeframes, but the clock starts only from a complete application. If something is missing in MOS, a request has come from the voivode, or the employer changes in the middle of the case, the period in practice starts again — and that is one of the common reasons why they «promised two months, but people wait much longer».

In Warsaw and the Tri-City the queue is usually longer than in less busy voivodeships: it is not about the city as such, but about the volume of applications. You cannot legally speed the office up for an extra fee. We do not sell a «guaranteed timeframe»; we put the pack together so that it is not sent back because of formal gaps.

What documents you need

The pack is assembled in the account mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl. Typically this is the form, a photograph, the passport, documents for the ground — work, studies, family or a company — plus insurance or ZUS confirmation, housing and income. Receipts for both payments to the Treasury are attached. If the ground is work, the employer adds an appendix with an electronic signature.

Until there is a UPO, as far as the office is concerned the application does not yet exist: an unfinished draft in MOS records nothing. We first check the pack — and only then does it make sense to sign.

How to file in 2026

The 2026 scheme is this: you open a new account in MOS, log in through login.gov.pl, upload the pack and proof of payment, sign the application and save the UPO. You are then called in for a visit — fingerprints and passport. An old MOS account will not do for this filing; it is not «revived».

There is no need to book a paper appointment for the permit after 26 April 2026: that track is simply not accepted. If someone offers to «book you into the office as before» — that is no longer the procedure.

Why applications are refused

Most often the case falls apart not on a «complex ground», but on formalities. After 26 April 2026 a paper filing of the permit is not accepted — it is left without consideration. No UPO — as far as the voivode is concerned you have not yet filed. The money went to the wrong accounts, the purpose of stay in the application does not match the contract, on the day of filing there is already no lawful stay, the translation was not done by a sworn translator — any of these points can stop the pack.

That is why we look at the pack before signature: it is easier to correct a draft than to answer a request several weeks later.

Can it be sped up

There is no official paid «fast queue», and you cannot buy a slot in the voivode’s calendar. One thing actually affects the timeframe: a complete pack first time, without gaps that cause the clock to start again.

We check MOS before signature — that is precisely the part you can influence. The rest is the load on the particular voivodeship, and we do not promise to «squeeze» it for an extra fee.

After the decision

After a positive decision the card is collected in person. It is worth checking in the decision whether there is access to the labour market: the plastic itself does not always mean work with any employer. In parallel you usually complete registration of residence and, if you do not yet have one, PESEL.

If the card has already been issued as a single permit and you are changing employer, that is a separate procedure, not a second identical application in MOS. At the consultation we will sort out what document you have and what you can do with it next.

Your visa in Poland is running out in 2026: how to stay lawfully through MOS

Posted on 2026-07-302026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Checked at the end of July 2026. If your visa or visa-free stay is running out, «getting the post to the office in time» no longer works. You need to send the application in MOS on time and obtain a UPO. We look at the ground you actually have and put the filing together by the last lawful day.

Who can stay

Anyone with a ground for pobyt czasowy can file: work, a company, full-time studies, family, humanitarian grounds. Without a ground MOS does not extend a visa. Overstaying on the day of filing is already a different status, not a fallback plan.

In the longer term this is temporary residence: a card on work, business, studies or family. Ukrainians with PESEL UKR in the window until 4 March 2027 should look separately at CUKR, rather than automatically extending the visa.

The working scheme for 2026

Work out the ground.
Collect the scans and payments (stamp duty + 100 PLN for the card).
A new account mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl, login.gov.pl, signature, UPO.
Do not leave until it is clear that the UPO is there.
Attend for fingerprints when you are called.

If you already work — usually Residence permit for work plus the employer’s appendix. Studies — confirmation from the university. After graduation, full-time students often have a window to look for work: that too has to be fitted into MOS, rather than running the visa down without an application.

Non-standard situations

A lost passport: a certificate from the police, the consulate, and only then MOS — without an identity document, login.gov.pl may not open. Illness and a missed departure are confirmed with documents, not with correspondence.

A stamp in the passport is no longer the main document. If the visa has ended and there is no UPO — this is not waiting for a pieczątki, but a risk of unlawful stay.

In brief

By the last day of lawful stay you need a submitted MOS and a UPO. We help you make that date. The consultation is free.

Who does not need a work permit in Poland in 2026

Posted on 2026-07-212026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Current as of July 2026. Not everyone needs a zezwolenie na pracę. But ‘no work permit needed’ does not mean ‘no residence card needed’: stay is arranged separately. Below are the typical exceptions; we check your case against the documents — the act is a long one.

Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland

Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland work without a zezwolenie. Registration of their stay follows EU rules; that is not the same procedure as for third-country nationals. This does not automatically extend to a Ukrainian or Belarusian passport.

Karta Polaka

When staying in Poland with a Karta Polaka, work is as a rule entrusted without a zezwolenie. The Karta Polaka itself is not arranged as a work permit. Permanent residence on that basis is already a separate procedure — there is a page on the site.

Full-time (stacjonarne) students

Full-time study and lawful stay on studies usually give work without a zezwolenie. If you are expelled, the exception disappears. Part-time study, as a rule, does not belong on this list.

Permanent residence and EU resident

Pobyt stały and long-term EU resident status give access to the labour market. An application for these statuses is a separate procedure, not a work permit.

International protection and humanitarian status

Refugee status, subsidiary protection and consent to pobyt humanitarny usually open work without a zezwolenie. We check UKR / CUKR against your document: not every special regime is the same.

Family of Polish and EU citizens

Family members often have access to the labour market through their stay status, not through a separate zezwolenie. The basis is confirmed with documents on kinship and the status of the anchor.

A posting from the EU

A short posting within the EU/EEA lives under other directives. This is not a way for a third-country national to work for three months without documents.

How we help

We look at whether there is an exception, and whether a card is still needed. If a zezwolenie is not required but the visa is running out — a residence card is still arranged separately. The consultation is free.

An IT business in Poland in 2026: the company, tax and the founder’s residence permit

Posted on 2026-07-102026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

As of July 2026. IT is still brought here because of talent and the EU market. The Poland.Business Harbour visa as a mass programme is closed — in 2026 it is better not to rely on it. Below is about the company, taxes and contractors. If the founder also needs to live in Poland, that is a separate procedure — it is in its own section.

The market

Developers, outsourcing and product teams sit in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź and the Tricity. Competition for people is high, and salaries have grown compared with a few years ago. That is an argument for opening a company here if you are genuinely hiring and selling into the EU — not because 'IT is what one does in Poland'.

Taxes

CIT is usually 19%; for some small firms a 9% rate is possible. Work out IP Box and ryczałt for some programmers on JDG with a tax adviser: we do not set rates in contracts. A relief does not replace live turnover and clear reporting.

The founder's stay

Once the company already exists, the founder stays in Poland on Residence permit for business or, if employed in their own company, on work. The second option needs putting together carefully: otherwise you get an 'employer of yourself' without a proper structure. A residence application is not a registration in KRS.

Why it suits people from the region

A shared language with clients from the region, straightforward contractors and logistics in the EU — that is how the work actually runs, not a special status 'for IT from Belarus and Ukraine'.

Transparency

An entry in KRS, the VAT white list, contracts with clients in the EU — normal order for any sensible IT firm. Keep proof of turnover for yourself and for the bank, not a single presentation 'just in case'.

B2B and JDG in IT

In IT there are many contractors on JDG: that is how projects are closed, it is not headcount. A contractor's stay is their grounds, not yours. A B2B team does not replace the director's own right to live in Poland.

The upshot

IT in Poland in 2026 can be opened. There is no automatic residence permit for a 'startup'. First the form and the activity, then, if needed, the founder's stay.

We will help with the founder's and the team's cards. Taxes and payroll are handled by the accountant. A legalisation consultation is free.

What business to open in Poland in 2026 and how to tie it to a residence permit

Posted on 2026-07-022026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Checked as of July 2026. Opening a company in Poland and getting the right to live here are different things. A company is registered in CEIDG or KRS; taxes are calculated by the accountant. Below — how to choose the form and the niche. If the aim is also to stay in the country on the business, that is already a separate residence application: there is a short note on it at the end.

Why people come here

People come here because of the EU market, logistics, IT and services for people who already live in Poland. This is not zero taxes and not 'opened a company — no need to work'. Without clients and turnover a company on paper gives nothing: neither income nor clear reporting.

What actually helps

A living business rests on contracts with clients, an account, taxes and ZUS, and if you need a base — on premises. EU grants and funds exist, but a subsidy application is not a business model and not a substitute for clients.

State support exists; each competition has its own conditions. First a lawful form and real activity, then the funds. Otherwise there is nowhere to hang the grant.

Taxes — no fairy tale

A guide, not a promise: CIT is usually 19%; for some small firms a 9% rate is possible if the limits are met. For JDG — the scale, linear PIT or ryczałt. Figures and reliefs are better worked out with an accountant straight away: we do not fix a tax rate 'for ever'.

Registration

A JDG is registered in CEIDG: you usually need a PESEL and often a registered address. A company — in KRS, through S24 or at a notary. A foreigner without a card may sit on the board, but you still cannot live in Poland without your own residence grounds: an entry in the company register does not replace that.

Once the company already exists and you want to live in Poland specifically on this business, you put together Residence permit for business: what you do, what income or a plausible plan, insurance, an address. Registration in KRS by itself does not give the right to live here.

Step by step

The working sequence is this: niche and form → registration → account and NIP/REGON → if the activity is regulated, a sector permit → launch. Not the other way round: 'we'll live as tourists first, the company later'. If you need to stay in the country — the residence application is made separately, once it is already clear what the company does.

JDG or a company

JDG is simpler and cheaper in the accounts, but you are liable with your personal assets. Sp. z o.o. — capital, reporting; for partners and banks it usually looks more solid if there is live turnover. What to choose depends on risk and scale, not on 'what sounds better on the form'.

CEIDG and KRS

A JDG is often registered online through biznes.gov.pl if you have a PESEL and a Profil Zaufany. Without a PESEL that route is often closed, so people go another way or first obtain the number. A company is formed through S24 or a notarial deed — that is the companies register, not the gmina and not residence.

Bank account and NIP

A NIP often appears on its own after registration. Banks are reluctant to open an account for a foreigner without a PESEL or a card: it is better to allow time for this before you start, not when you already need payments from a client.

Licences and concessions

Not every activity opens on a single PKD code. Alcohol, transport, medicine and security are regulated trades: to sell spirits legally, carry people, provide medical services or provide security, you need a sector licence. Which authority issues it depends on the type — the gmina, the voivodeship marshal, the transport inspectorate, a ministry. Each sector has its own list of conditions; they look at it until when you open a premises. You can still register the firm in KRS, but you cannot work without a licence. We do not obtain licences: that is a separate administrative procedure, not company registration.

In brief

In 2026 business in Poland is the register, taxes and, if the niche is regulated, a sector licence. Accounting is for an accountant. If you also need to live here on the back of that firm — that is already residence; a consultation on it is free.

Entering a company in S24 does not replace a residence permit. If you are staying on the basis of the business — we will go through the ground at a consultation.

Foreigners working in Poland in 2026: the June 2025 act and MOS

Posted on 2026-06-232026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Checked in June 2026. From 1 June 2025 the act of 20 March 2025 on assigning work to foreigners is in force. A work permit and a simplified work notification are filed by the employer only through the portal praca.gov.pl: paper and post are no longer accepted on this track. Below — what the company is obliged to do after the permit is issued and if the employee does not start.

What the employer must do

The company sends the application only through praca.gov.pl. When the person has started work, a copy of the contract is also uploaded to the portal — within the time the law allows, not «when accounts get round to it». If the firm’s name or address has changed, or the employee’s job title has changed without a change of duties, that too must be reported. The deadlines are short, usually counted in days.

If the employee does not start

If the person does not start on time, is absent longer than the statutory threshold, or finishes early, the employer reports this to the voivode through the same portal. Otherwise the fine for the information duty is a guide of up to 5000 PLN — plus separate sanctions for illegal work, which after 2025 have become markedly tougher.

We do not handle HR fines after the fact. If the notification deadline has already passed, that is for an employment lawyer and the account on praca.gov.pl. We can help separately with the employee’s residence card: that is already their application, not the firm’s.

The employee’s residence card

The work permit is filed by the company on praca.gov.pl. The residence card is filed by the employee themselves — this is an application «may they live in Poland», not «may they work». HR can gather documents from the firm, but they cannot log in and sign the application for the person.

From 27 April 2026 the card is accepted electronically only. If you take paper to the voivodeship office, it will not be considered.

How to move to Poland from Belarus and Ukraine in 2026

Posted on 2026-06-122026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Where to start

Current as at June 2026. A move does not start with the suitcase, but with an answer to the ground on which you will live in Poland after the visa or visa-free stay: work, study, family, business. For Ukrainian citizens with PESEL UKR we look separately at the CUKR window. We help you choose one ground and take it through to a card, not «file everything at once».

The city

Card timescales in Warsaw and Kraków are usually longer. In the Tri-City, Poznań, Wrocław and Łódź there are their own queues for fingerprints — this is not «worse/better», it is the load on the voivodeship. We support in Warsaw, the Tri-City, Kraków, Łódź and Wrocław. The voivode is determined by your actual address, not the city where our office sits.

Belarus and Ukraine

From Belarus people more often travel on a national D visa for work, study or business, and already in Poland they file a residence card. From Ukraine the path is wider: visa-free, UKR status, work, study — and separately the window CUKR from 4 May 2026 to 4 March 2027. CUKR is not more advantageous than the current work card for every Ukrainian: sometimes a change of regime is a step backwards. That is exactly what we work out at a consultation.

What to bring with you

You need passports and the documents for your ground: a diploma, an employment contract, marriage and children’s certificates — not the entire home archive «just in case». If a child is travelling with one parent, consents and custody papers are settled in advance. We do the apostille and sworn translation against the specific pack, not in a bundle in advance.

Housing

For the card you need a contract that shows you have somewhere to live and which address to write on the application. A one-month short let usually does not satisfy the voivode. Without a proper address it is hard both to register and to assemble the pack.

After you arrive

After you arrive you usually settle registration of place of residence and PESEL, if you do not yet have it, and only then the application for a card. From 27 April 2026 a residence permit is accepted only through the portal MOS. Exchanging a driving licence, taxes and the card are different authorities; we handle legalisation of stay, not bookkeeping and not driving school.

Work

If work needs a separate permit, the employer files it on praca.gov.pl. You file the residence card. These are two different applications: one is «work may be entrusted», the other is «you may live in Poland». The card pack needs insurance: ZUS from an employment contract, or a policy if there is no contract yet.

In brief

In 2026 a move is a lawful entry and a card filed on time on the chosen ground. For Ukrainian citizens with PESEL UKR we additionally look at whether CUKR is a fit. We handle legalisation of stay.

Further on services: Residence permit for work, Residence permit for business, CUKR, support. Consultation is free.

PESEL in Warsaw in 2026: why a foreigner needs it and how to get it

Posted on 2026-06-042026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

As at June 2026. PESEL is your number in the Polish population register: with it you open an account, sort ZUS, enrol a child in school. In Warsaw it is most often issued together with address registration at the district office where you live. We can tell you which pack they usually ask for; you receive the number itself at the gmina, not in the pack for the card.

Who needs it

Almost everyone who lives and works here rather than on a short visit needs it: taxes, the bank, the clinic, school, the employer. An application for a residence card without a PESEL is sometimes accepted, but without the number everything then stalls — from pay to insurance.

Where in Warsaw

You need to go to the population-register desk of the district office where your address stands. A neighbouring district will not issue the number, even if it is easier to get there. Booking is on the district website if it is open; if there are no slots, you are left with the walk-in queue. Which days and which room — better to check the page of the particular dzielnica; they differ.

Which documents

People usually bring a passport, a document of stay — a visa or a card — sometimes proof that a residence-card application has already been filed, if the district accepts that, and proof of address. For many foreigners PESEL comes in the same visit as address registration: without housing they generally will not issue the number.

How you apply

You fill in the PESEL form and, if needed, the address-registration form, bring originals and copies, sometimes a sworn translation. As at 2026 the number is not obtained fully online across Poland: an internet booking is sometimes available, a visit with a passport is not.

Timeframes

Sometimes they issue the number the same day, sometimes you wait a few days. What most often delays it is the wrong district, no housing contract, or no current ground in the passport for why you live here.

Mistakes

Typical mistakes: you went to the wrong district, there is no contract, you wait for PESEL to appear on its own with the residence card. People also confuse an ordinary PESEL and PESEL UKR: these are different regimes. For a CUKR card it is UKR that matters; an ordinary Warsaw number does not replace it.

If you need the number for a residence card, it is better to settle the address and PESEL before you send the application, so the pack has a real address, not «we are staying with friends for now».

Online

You should not count on it being fully online as at August 2026. A Profil Zaufany and EPUAP make booking easier in some gminas, but they do not replace a passport and attending in person.

How it ties to the residence card

The address on the card application and the address to which PESEL will be tied must match: it is the same home, not «registered at auntie’s, living somewhere else». At a consultation on the card we look precisely at whether those details will drift apart.

In brief

In Warsaw PESEL is issued by your district office, usually together with address registration. If you also need a residence card in parallel — that is already a different support service; a consultation on it is free.

Zameldowanie in Poland in 2026: why a foreigner needs it and how to do it

Posted on 2026-05-272026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Checked as at the second half of May 2026. Zameldowanie is address registration at the gmina: you tell them where you actually live. It is not a residence permit and not an application for a card. You register at the office of the gmina or city where you live. We can tell you which documents they usually ask for, but you go to the gmina yourself — with the contract and, often, with the owner.

Is it compulsory

The population-register act still requires you to register your stay if you are living here for more than a few days. For Polish citizens the benchmark is about 30 days; a foreigner is better not waiting until the bank or the school asks for an address. The residence card is a separate conversation: the application also names housing, but that is already a different pack, and it is not mixed up with address registration.

Permanent and temporary

There is registration for permanent stay and for temporary stay. Permanent registration is usually done by those who already have a ground to live in Poland indefinitely — permanent residence, EU resident and similar statuses. On a visa or a temporary card you generally register as temporary. Address registration «na pobyt stały» is not in itself a permanent residence permit: it is an entry at the gmina, not a decision of the voivode.

Who must register

Anyone who actually lives at an address for longer than a short trip must register. Three days in a hotel is not that case; renting a flat for a season is. Without a contract the owner often will not confirm that you have the right to live there, and the gmina simply will not register you.

Documents

People usually bring a passport, a document of stay — a visa or a card — sometimes a stamp or proof that a residence-card application has already been filed, if your gmina accepts that, and a housing document: a tenancy agreement, the owner present, sometimes their written consent. You collect the form at the gmina; it is better to check the list on your office’s website: Warsaw districts and smaller gminas ask for slightly different papers.

How to do it

Most often it is booking a visit at the district or gmina office and attending in person. In some gminas you can file online through a Profil Zaufany — but it is not switched on everywhere, and you cannot count on it in advance. In Warsaw you go to the office of the district where the address stands, not «to whichever office is convenient».

Why you need it

PESEL is often issued together with address registration or immediately after it. Banks, the clinic and school almost always ask for an address. For a residence card you also need a clear address where you live: even if meldunek is still in progress, you cannot write «no address for now» on the application.

If you do not do it

The fine for no address registration under the petty-offences code is a guide of 20 to 5000 PLN; in practice it is more often towards the lower end. What usually hurts more than the fine is everything else: the bank will not open an account, there is no PESEL, a child is not taken into school because there is «no address in the system».

How it ties to the residence card

First you settle housing and, where possible, address registration — and only then, with a clear address, you assemble the residence card. The other way round is worse: a card application with no address and a promise to «register later» is received poorly by both the gmina and the voivode. If you need it, at a consultation we will sort out what you specifically are missing: a contract, the owner’s consent, or already the pack for the card.

In brief

Zameldowanie in 2026 is still done at the gmina, not «in a general legalisation pack». You register the address yourself with the housing owner. If you also need a residence card in parallel — that is already residence support; a consultation on it is free.

An EU resident card in Poland in 2026: conditions and filing through MOS

Posted on 2026-05-182026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Checked in May 2026. Long-term EU resident (pobyt rezydenta długoterminowego UE) is no longer just another temporary card that you renew every couple of years, but a separate status. From 27 April 2026 the application is accepted only through MOS. We first look at whether you have accumulated five years of stay, income and the language, and only then assemble the pack and take the case the EU resident card through to the decision.

What this status is

In character this is a stable EU status: you live in Poland, travel around the Union under the common rules and work here without a separate work permit. It is still not citizenship and not free access to the labour market of any other EU country — those have their own procedures. The card is ‘tied’ to Poland as the country of issue, even if you travel around the Union.

Why people take it

People take it so they do not have to renew a temporary card every few years: it is easier with a loan, housing and family, and travel in Schengen is calmer than on a visa. For many it is a step before citizenship, but citizenship itself is not filed through MOS — that is already another portal and other conditions.

The conditions in 2026

Usually you need about five years of lawful continuous stay, a stable income, housing, insurance and Polish at B1 — a certificate from the official list. Some grounds are counted differently: we check UKR, CUKR and studies separately, because ‘years in the passport’ and ‘years that count’ are not always the same thing. Gaps between cards and long trips abroad are a common reason why the consultation comes out as ‘too early’, not ‘we file tomorrow’.

Filing goes into mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl, the signature is through login.gov.pl, and without a UPO for the voivode there is no application. The stamp duty on this type is higher than the typical 340 PLN: the UDSC guide is up to 640 PLN plus 100 PLN for the plastic, on two different accounts. We take the exact payment details from your voivode.

How we file

First we count the five years from the decisions and from the UPO, not ‘by eye from the visas’. Then we gather income, housing, the B1 certificate and translations, pay the two fees and only after that sign MOS. Next — the UPO and a visit for fingerprints. Paper is not taken to the secretariat after 26 April 2026: that track is not accepted.

Why applications are refused

They refuse when the five years on the count are not yet there, the trips abroad turned out too long, the income exists ‘in words’ but not in the documents, there is no B1, the application went to the wrong voivodeship or there is no UPO in MOS. These are not ‘nitpicks’, but what the voivode is obliged to check. We would rather say this before you sign than after a refusal.

How we help

First we count whether there is a basis at all. If there is — we assemble MOS. If not — we say so at the consultation, not after a refusal. The consultation is free: that is where it becomes clear whether this is resident status, another temporary card, or still too early.

In brief

EU resident in 2026 is MOS, five years of stay and B1, not a booking at the office as before. The official base: UDSC on MOS. If you send the history of your cards and trips abroad, we will work out whether the term adds up.