The EU long-term resident’s residence permit is granted for an indefinite period and is accompanied by a residence card that is valid for 5 years.
A foreigner who has legally and continuously resided in Poland for at least 5 years immediately before the date of submitting the application may apply for a long-term EU resident’s residence permit.
A person with such a permit has the right to work in Poland without an additional work permit. The information “access to the labor market” is entered in the issued residence card, which is the result of granting a long-term resident’s EU residence permit.
Applications can be submitted here –> LINK no later than on the last day of legal stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
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Conditions that must be met:
Residence card collection:
- The card must be collected in person.
- Fingerprints will be taken upon pickup.
Application for a minor:
- An application for a long-term EU resident permit for a minor is submitted by:
Parents.
- Court-appointed guardians (or one of them).
- A child over the age of 6 must be present when submitting the application.
Document requirements:
- Documents must be submitted in Polish:
- In the originals.
- Or in a photocopy with the originals presented for inspection.
- Documents in a foreign language must be translated into Polish by a sworn translator.
Knowledge of Polish language:
Confirmed knowledge of the Polish language is required for persons who are over 16 years of age on the day of submitting the application.
List of documents to be submitted:
- 2 copies of an application for a long-term EU resident’s residence permit completed in accordance with the instructions; only 1 copy of the application – for foreigners who are under 13 years of age.
- 4 current color photographs, undamaged, dimensions 45×35 mm,
- A valid travel document (2 photocopies of all pages containing stamps, annotations and entries, original available for inspection); in cases of foreigners who are under 13 years of age – only 1 photocopy of the travel document.
- Confirmation of payment of stamp duty.
Documents confirming the circumstances indicated in the application:
Documents proving legal stay in Poland for at least 5 years or documents justifying any breaks in this stay. The stay is considered to be uninterrupted if none of the breaks exceeded 6 months and the total duration of all breaks did not exceed 10 months in the last 5 years. You must also provide a list of all trips abroad from the last 5 years.
Documents confirming a permanent and regular source of income, sufficient to cover the living costs of the applicant and dependent family members: (for a person running a household alone – an amount higher than PLN 701 net per month, for a person in a family – an amount higher than PLN 528 net per month) for the last three years before submitting the application. The documents include: declaration of dependent persons, PIT 37 and UPO tax returns, copies of previous temporary residence permits (decisions, residence cards, visas), copies of the current employment contract and previous employment certificates or contracts of employment, mandate, specific work.
A legal agreement for the use of residential premises (a lending agreement is not considered a legal title, unless the persons lending the loan are children, parents, spouse, parents-in-law or siblings of the foreigner).
A document confirming having valid health insurance (ZUS RCA from the employer) or an insurer’s declaration on covering the costs of treatment in Poland.
A certificate from ZUS showing social security contributions for the last three years, with information about who pays the contributions, the amount of the monthly contribution base and whether pension, sickness, accident and health insurance contributions are paid. It should also include information about the periods of unpaid leave or sick leave and the monthly amount of sickness benefit received (US form 7 at ZUS). Certificate of no tax arrears (US).
Documents confirming knowledge of the Polish language, such as: official confirmation of knowledge of the Polish language, i.e. a certificate issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Knowledge of Polish as a Foreign Language, at least B1 level, a diploma of completion of school in Poland (e.g. primary school, junior high school, high school , technical secondary school) or a higher education diploma (bachelor’s degree, master’s degree) with an addition showing that the language of instruction was Polish, a diploma of completion of a school abroad where the language of instruction was Polish. Certificates and certificates issued by other institutions are not accepted.
Application fees:
PLN 640 for issuing a permit at the time of submitting the application.
PLN 50 for issuing a residence card upon receipt of the decision.
Time to settle the matter
According to the applicable regulations, the procedure for granting a foreigner a long-term EU resident permit should be completed no later than 3 months from the date of its commencement. However, the appeal proceedings should be completed within 2 months from the date of receipt of the appeal.
Appeal procedure
According to the regulations, the procedure for granting a foreigner a long-term EU resident permit is to be completed no later than within three months from its commencement. The process of considering the appeal should be completed within two months of receiving the appeal.
The 5-year period of stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland does not include the stay of a foreigner:
When you work as an employee sent by a service provider to perform cross-border work or as a service provider carrying out cross-border activities,
If you are in Poland with a Schengen visa, which only allows entry and stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland, issued for humanitarian reasons, in the interest of the state or under international obligations,
During the period of study in Poland,
If you are obliged to leave the territory of the Republic of Poland and the deadline for voluntary return set in the decision on this matter has not yet passed, including when this deadline has been extended,
If you are obliged to leave the territory of Poland after receiving a refusal to grant or cancellation of a residence permit, or when an application for granting international protection is rejected or withdrawn,
If you are a member of the staff of a diplomatic or consular mission of another country, or you are a person who, under laws, international agreements or generally accepted international customs, has status equivalent to members of these missions,
If you are staying in Poland on the basis of a temporary residence permit granted in connection with an intra-corporate transfer, both as part of the work of a managerial staff, specialist, internship employee, as well as a temporary residence permit for employees using long-term mobility or for reasons requiring a short-term stay,
During the process of applying for refugee status, if the result of this procedure is a refusal to grant refugee status or additional protection,
If you are staying on the basis of a border crossing permit issued under local border traffic,
Remember that:
The EU long-term resident’s residence permit is valid for an indefinite period, but the residence card requires renewal every 5 years. To obtain a new card, you must submit your application at least 30 days before your current card expires.