A student residence card in Poland in 2026: MOS, studies and work

Posted on 2026-05-112026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Current as of May 2026. A student pobyt czasowy also goes through MOS, not through a queue at the office. We help gather the necessary documents from the university, insurance, and file a student residence permit so that the UPO is in place before the visa ends.

Temporary residence for a student

The basis is full-time study (studia stacjonarne) at a Polish university. For part-time students this path is usually closed. In MOS: student status, a certificate/annex from the university, proof of tuition if the course is paid, housing, means, insurance. The signature is yours, through login.gov.pl.

Can you work

A full-time student with a right of stay on studies, as a rule, works without a separate zezwolenie na pracę. That does not cancel the studies: if you are expelled, the basis of the card disappears. An umowa zlecenie and a full-time post are possible, but the voivode looks at whether you are in fact still studying.

Extension

You need to extend before the current card ends, again through MOS. A new year of study — a new certificate from the university. Academic leave and a change of faculty are better closed with documents before sending, rather than explained after a request from the office.

A switch to work

After the diploma the student basis ends. Next — work, a firm or something else. This is a new application in MOS (often Residence permit for work), not an amendment to the old card. While the new case is running, it is important not to allow a gap in legality.

What breaks student cases

No UPO, the university did not confirm status, insurance shorter than the semester, filed after the visa, part-time instead of full-time, there is work but USOS already shows you as expelled.

How we help

We check the status at the university, assemble MOS, count the visa term. We do not promise that the card will be issued in time for the exam session: we make sure the form goes out with a complete pack.

In brief

A student card in 2026 is MOS plus a current status at the university. MIA Legal handles such cases. The consultation is free.

Mistakes when filing for a residence card in 2026: MOS, UPO and fees

Posted on 2026-05-052026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

As of early May 2026. Most refusals and pauses in a case now relate not to the queue at the office, but to MOS: the application is unsigned, there is no UPO, the scans are the wrong ones, the stamp duty went to someone else’s account. Below are the mistakes we most often work through with clients.

Mistake 1. Paper filing after 26 April 2026

A permit for pobyt czasowy, stały and EU long-term resident is accepted only in MOS. A letter to the voivode after the new system started is left without consideration.

Mistake 2. You filled in MOS but did not send it

A draft in the account is not an application. You need a signature with Profil Zaufany / a qualified signature, and you need to send it. Proof of filing is the UPO. Without it, stay during consideration may not be covered, even if there is already a draft in the account.

Mistake 3. An old MOS account

For the new system you open a new account. Login through login.gov.pl is by the applicant in person. A representative prepares the pack, but must not log into MOS under your profile.

Mistake 4. The wrong payments

Two transfers: stamp duty for the permit (often 340 or 640 PLN) and 100 PLN for the card — to different voivodeship accounts. MOS does not debit the fee from a payment card. The old amount of «50 zloty for the card» is no longer current.

Mistake 5. The purpose in the form does not match the appendices

In MOS you selected «work», but there is no contract and no employer’s appendix — or there is an umowa, but the employer has not signed the załącznik with an electronic signature. For studies you need confirmation from the university, for family — the relationship and maintenance.

Mistake 6. Insurance and income «just for show»

A policy shorter than the planned stay, with no treatment cover, or a week’s travel insurance — usually will not do for a card. Income in the documents must tally with the contract and the bank statement: the voivode checks these figures.

Mistake 7. The wrong voivode

The case goes by the place of actual stay. An address in another voivodeship «to make it faster» often leads to the case being sent back. Zameldowanie itself does not replace MOS, but the address in the application must be a real one.

Mistake 8. You filed after the last day of the visa

You need to file while the stay is still lawful. Exceptions are narrow — it is better not to rely on them as the main plan.

Mistake 9. Waiting for a stamp in the passport

Previously the reference point was a pieczątka. Now it is the UPO and the voivode’s zaświadczenie. If you are called in for fingerprints — that is a normal next step, not «filing again».

Mistake 10. Changing job «as before»

While a jednolite case is pending — a letter to the voivode is often enough. If you already have the card and the employer is changing under jednolite, MOS is, on current guidance, not the right channel for changing the permit: that is paper or e-Doręczenia and a fee of 220 PLN. Mixing up the channel means weeks lost.

Mistake 11. A non-sworn translation

The office as a rule does not accept a machine translation or a translation by an acquaintance. You need a tłumaczenie przysięgłe.

Mistake 12. You did not open the decision and the appeal deadline

A refusal arrives in MOS / e-Doręczenia. You usually have 14 days to appeal. If you miss the deadline, the case is closed — even when the error was technical.

If the mistake is already in the case

If you have not yet sent it — we correct it and sign again. If there is already a UPO — we look at whether the voivode is asking you to supplement, or a separate letter is needed. It is better not to send a second full MOS without reason: you will end up with two parallel cases.

In brief

In 2026 the main thing is not the queue at the window, but assembling MOS so that the UPO confirms the filing. We help you go through the checklist before signature. The consultation is free.

How to obtain a residence card in Poland in 2026: filing through MOS

Posted on 2026-04-292026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

Checked: end of April 2026. From 27 April 2026, applications for a residence permit — temporary, permanent and EU long-term resident — are accepted only through the MOS portal. Paper filed with the office after that date is left without consideration. We help gather the pack, go through MOS and take the case through to the card.

This is officially confirmed by UDSC on MOS. The portal itself: mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl. The cost of our support is paid separately from the government fee.

What a residence card is

A residence card (karta pobytu) is a plastic document that confirms a foreigner's residence permit and identity in Poland. It is issued after after a positive decision. The replacement or issue of the card form itself may still go on paper — that is not the same as the permit application.

The card gives legal stay for the term of the decision, travel in the Schengen area within the rules and — if the decision includes access to the labour market — work without a separate zezwolenie.

What permits there are

Temporary residence permit (pobyt czasowy) — work, business, study, family, humanitarian grounds.
Permanent residence permit (pobyt stały) — ancestry, Karta Polaka, marriage and other grounds in the law.
EU long-term residence permit — after 5 years of lawful stay, income and usually B1.

For Ukrainians with PESEL UKR there is a separate window for the CUKR card (4 May 2026 — 4 March 2027). Citizenship and Karta Polaka itself are not filed through MOS.

Who can apply

An application may be filed by a foreigner who is lawfully in Poland (visa, visa-free stay, a valid card, UKR) and has grounds to live here longer. The MOS application is signed by the applicant themselves through login.gov.pl: with a Profil Zaufany or a qualified signature. A trusted person may prepare the pack, but the login and signature are yours.

Common grounds: umowa o pracę / zlecenie plus the employer's annex, your own company or JDG, full-time university study, family reunification, permanent residence on ancestry or Karta Polaka. You need to apply by until the last day of legal stay — not after.

What documents you need

In MOS: a completed form, a digital photo, a passport scan, proof of grounds, insurance or ZUS, housing, income. Separately — proof of two payments: stamp duty for the permit (usually 340–640 PLN depending on the type) and 100 PLN for issuing the card. You do not pay the fee through MOS: you transfer it to the office accounts and attach a scan or electronic confirmation to the application.

Documents not in Polish — a sworn translation. For work, the employer signs the annex with an electronic signature. Until there is a UPO (urządowe poświadczenie odbioru), the application is not treated as filed.

How to apply in 2026

1) Open a new account in the current MOS — an old one from the previous version will not do. 2) Gather the scans and photo. 3) Pay the stamp duty and 100 PLN to the correct accounts. 4) Sign in through login.gov.pl, fill in the form, attach the files, sign and submit. 5) Save the UPO.

You no longer need an appointment in the office queue to file the permit. A personal visit will still happen: fingerprints, passport, sometimes bringing in documents. An application for issuing the blank of the card (wymiana karty) remains, according to UDSC guidance, on paper.

How much it costs

The State: stamp duty 340–640 PLN + 100 PLN for the card. Translations, insurance, photos — separately. Our support starts from 1500 PLN / netto for a typical card, CUKR — 700 PLN / netto; the government fee is not included in that amount. Current packages are on the prices page.

Timeframes

Statutory time limits run from a complete application. In practice, in Warsaw and the large voivodeships you wait for months. An incomplete MOS, the wrong voivode, a mistake in the employer's annex — typical reasons the clock is started again. We check the pack before it is sent so that you are not asked to send documents round in circles.

Can you work while the case is pending

If the application for residence and work is filed on time and complete, stay is legal until the decision. The right to work depends on the grounds: for work it is usually necessary that the employer's annex is on the file and that access to the labour market follows from the law. A stamp in the passport is no longer the main document: the reference is the UPO and the voivode's zaświadczenie through MOS or at the visit.

Why applications are refused

There are no grounds, income does not match the contract, insurance is shorter than the term, you filed after the visa ended, a paper filing after 26 April 2026, no signature in MOS. After a refusal there are 14 days to appeal to Szefowi UDSC — it is better not to miss that deadline.

How we help

We work out the grounds, put the MOS pack together, check the payments and the employer's annex, and take the case through to the card. We do not promise the voivodeship's decision time: we make sure the application goes off as a complete set.

Official sources

UDSC on MOS; the portal mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl; temporary residence and a residence card for work on our website.

In brief

In 2026 a residence card starts with MOS and UPO, not with a queue at the office. The fee for the card form is 100 PLN. If you need to go through this with us — call us for a free consultation, we will be glad to help.

A work permit in Poland in 2026: praca.gov.pl, not MOS

Posted on 2026-04-282026-08-31 by root-user-mia-consult-p

A work permit in Poland in 2026:
praca.gov.pl, not the office and not MOS

Checked at the end of April 2026, already after the new MOS was launched. A work permit (zezwolenie na pracę) and a residence card are different procedures. From 1 June 2025 the employer arranges work electronically on praca.gov.pl. From 27 April 2026 the foreigner files stay in MOS. Mix up the portals and weeks are lost.

What it is

Zezwolenie na pracę — an act for the employer: it authorises them to entrust you with work on specific terms. It does not replace a visa for you, nor a card. Often you still need a D visa or a jednolite zezwolenie for stay and work.

When it is needed

It is needed for most third-country nationals unless an exception applies: the EU/EEA/Switzerland, a card with labour-market access, permanent residence / EU resident, Karta Polaka, a full-time student, international protection and a number of others. If an exception applies, a zezwolenie is not arranged separately.

Types

Most often type A — work for a Polish entity. There are seasonal permits, posting, and other types. From 1 June 2025 applications and oświadczenia go only through the portal. Paper and e-mail are left without consideration.

Who files

The employer, from their account on praca.gov.pl, with a Profil Zaufany or a qualified signature. The foreigner gives passport details and copies, but the party to the case before the voivode on work is the firm.

Which documents

From the firm’s side: the application, company details, terms of work, proof that the fee has been paid, often an oświadczenie of no criminal record. From your side: a scan of the passport, sometimes a diploma/qualification.

How it proceeds

The firm opens an account on praca.gov.pl → pays the fee → submits electronically. After issue — a copy of the contract to the portal within the time the law allows. If you do not start work — the employer must notify, otherwise a fine.

The cost of obtaining it

A guide after the 2025 reform (check the current tariff on praca.gov.pl): a zezwolenie of up to 3 months — 200 PLN, longer — 400 PLN, posting — 800 PLN, seasonal — 100 PLN, an oświadczenie — 400 PLN.

What you should do after it is issued

If you are still abroad — a D visa against this zezwolenie. If you are already in Poland — often straight Residence permit for work into MOS, so that you live and work on one permit. A zezwolenie does not extend a visa on its own.

How not to drag it out

MOS and praca.gov.pl are different accounts. It is better to gather the passport and the terms of labour before the firm sends the application.

Officially: praca.gov.pl. Stay: mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl. We help with stay; the work permit is done by the employer — we will tell you which documents to request from them.

In brief

In 2026 work = praca.gov.pl, life in Poland = MOS. These are two accounts. A consultation on the card is free.

Temporary residence for a student

Can you work

Extension

A switch to work

What breaks student cases

How we help

In brief

Mistake 1. Paper filing after 26 April 2026

Mistake 2. You filled in MOS but did not send it

Mistake 3. An old MOS account

Mistake 4. The wrong payments

Mistake 5. The purpose in the form does not match the appendices

Mistake 6. Insurance and income «just for show»

Mistake 7. The wrong voivode

Mistake 8. You filed after the last day of the visa

Mistake 9. Waiting for a stamp in the passport

Mistake 10. Changing job «as before»

Mistake 11. A non-sworn translation

Mistake 12. You did not open the decision and the appeal deadline

If the mistake is already in the case

In brief

What a residence card is

What permits there are

Who can apply

What documents you need

How to apply in 2026

How much it costs

Timeframes

Can you work while the case is pending

Why applications are refused

How we help

Official sources

In brief

A work permit in Poland in 2026: praca.gov.pl, not the office and not MOS

What it is

When it is needed

Types

Who files

Which documents

How it proceeds

The cost of obtaining it

What you should do after it is issued

How not to drag it out

In brief

A work permit in Poland in 2026:
praca.gov.pl, not the office and not MOS