ATTENTION!!!

From the 2nd of February 2011 the requirements for the photographs submitted with the application for permits for settlement in the Republic of Poland changed. Detailed information can be found under REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.

• BASIC INFORMATION
  

  
  Permits for settlement in the Republic of Poland are issued to foreigners on the basis of an administrative decision of the provincial governor of Małopolska made on the basis of an application.
  
  

• CONTACT
  

  
  Wydział Spraw Obywatelskich i Cudzoziemców
  [Department of Nationals' and Foreigners' Affairs]
  Małopolskiego Urzędu Wojewódzkiego w Krakowie
  [of the Małopolska Provincial Office in Krakow]
  Oddział do Spraw Cudzoziemców [Foreigners' Affairs Unit],
  ul. Przy Rondzie 6, ground floor (foreigners' affairs room)
  tel. 12 39 21 804
  fax 12 42 23 019
  Unit Manager: Magdalena Ams
  e-mail:
  
  

• PERMIT FOR SETTLEMENT IN POLAND - APPLIES TO
  

  
  Permit for settlement in Poland is issued to a foreigner who:
  
  

  1. is a minor child of the foreigner holding a settlement permit, born on the territory of the Republic of Poland,
     
     
  2. has been married to a Polish citizen for at least 3 years before submitting the application and has stayed in the Republic of Poland for an uninterrupted period of at least 2 years directly before submitting the application on the basis of a residence permit for a specified period of time,
     
     
  3. has stayed in the Republic of Poland for an uninterrupted period of at least 10 years before submitting an application on the basis of a tolerated residence permit or for 5 years because of the procedure of obtaining a refugee status,
     
     
  4. is a child of a Polish citizen and has stayed under his/her parental authority.
     
     

  If a foreigner stays in the Republic of Poland for reasons related to obtaining a refugee status or a tolerated residence permit that is granted in relation to considering the application for granting a refugee status, the period of stay during the time of refugee status granting proceedings (even if a foreigner stays in a guarded facility or is detained in a police custody for the purpose of deportation) is also counted into the period of uninterrupted stay.

  Foreigner's stay in the Republic of Poland is considered uninterrupted if a single period spent outside the Republic of Poland does not exceed 6 months and if the total time spent outside the Republic of Poland does not exceed 10 months, unless such stay outside the territory of Poland is caused by:
  
  

  1. performing professional obligations or working outside the territory of the Republic of Poland on the basis of a contract with an employer whose registered office is located in the territory of the Republic of Poland,
     
     
  2. accompanying the spouse who performs professional obligations or works outside the territory of the Republic of Poland on the basis of a contract with an employer whose registered office is located in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
     
     
  3. foreigner's medical treatment.
     
     

• REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
  

  
  

  1. 4 copies of a filled in form of application for granting a settlement permit (1 original and 3 photocopies),
     
     
  2. 4 up-to-date photographs not damaged, colour, measuring 35 x 45 mm, taken within previous 6 months with a standardised, fair background, with good focus, clearly presenting the eyes and face from the top of the head to the upper part of shoulders, so that face occupies 70-80% of the photo; the photos should present a person with no headdress and no dark eyeglasses looking ahead with open eyes not covered by hair, with a natural face expression and closed lips (1 additional photograph to issue the residence card),
     
     
  3. a certificate confirming that a foreigner has performed his/her duty to report his/her place of residence,
     
     
  4. if a foreigner applies for granting a settlement permit pursuant to point 3 - a legal title to reside in the apartment indicated in the application form in which the foreigner stays or plans to stay (a contract of lending an apartment for use shall not be considered a legal title, unless the lender is a descendant, ascendant or a spouse, spouse's parents or foreigner's sibling),
     
     
  5. documents necessary to confirm the data contained in the application form (birth certificate, marriage certificate) and circumstances substantiating application for granting a settlement permit,
     
     
  6. a photocopy of a valid travel document and the original document for inspection (in particularly justified situations a foreigner who does not have and does not have a possibility to obtain a valid travel document may present another document that confirms foreigner's identity),
     
     
  7. stamp duty payment confirmation.
     
     

• FORMS FOR DOWNLOAD
  

  
  Application for granting a settlement permit (download)
  
  Application form is also available in the Department of Nationals' and Foreigners' Affairs of the Małopolska Provincial Office:
  Oddział do Spraw Cudzoziemców [Foreigners' Affairs Unit]
  Kraków, ul. Przy Rondzie 6, ground floor (foreigners' affairs room)
  
  

• FEES
  

  
  

  1. Stamp duty for issuing a permit (payable at the time of submitting an application): PLN 640. The payment can be made in cash:
     • in the Administrative Center of the City of Cracow, Al. Powstania Warszawskiego 10, Krakow, on the ground floor or first floor (entrance from ul. Kordylewskiego);
     • in the banking agency in the Department of Nationals' and Foreigners' Affairs, Krakow, ul. Przy Rondzie 6
     • or in a bank or a post office to the following bank account:
       
       
     Wydział Podatków i Opłat UMK
     31-949 Kraków, Al. Powstania Warszawskiego 10
     Bank PKO S.A. 04 1240 2092 9462 3005 0000 0000
     
     

     You can also pay via the Internet.
     Paying via the Internet you should specify:

     • bank account number: PEKAO S.A.: 04 1240 2092 9462 3005 0000 0000,
     • recipient's name: Wydział Podatków i Opłat UMK, 31-549 Kraków, Al. Powstania Warszawskiego 10
     • transfer title (eg. For a permit to settle in)
     • where the matter will be resolved, (the name of the office) - Department of Nationals' and Foreigners' Affairs Malopolska Provincial Office in Krakow - (MUW w Krakowie Wydział Spraw Obywatelskich i Cudzoziemców).
       
       
  2. Fee for issuing a residence card: PLN 50. The payment can be made in the banking agency in the Department of Nationals' and Foreigners' Affairs (commission PLN 2), via the Internet, in a bank or a post office to the following bank account:
     
     Małopolski Urząd Wojewódzki w Krakowie
     Wydział Finansów i Budżetu
     08 1010 1270 0051 2222 3100 0000
     
     
     

• WHERE TO FILE THE DOCUMENTS
  

  
  Documents can be sent by post to the following address:
  
  Małopolski Urząd Wojewódzki w Krakowie
  Wydział Spraw Obywatelskich i Cudzoziemców
  ul. Basztowa 22 31-156 Kraków
  

  or they may be submitted in person in the Foreigners' Affairs Unit of the Department of Nationals' and Foreigners' Affairs of Małopolska Provincial Office (Oddział do Spraw Cudzoziemców Wydziału Spraw Obywatelskich i Cudzoziemców Małopolskiego Urzędu Wojewódzkiego) in Krakow, ul. Przy Rondzie 6, ground floor (foreigners' affairs room).
  
  

• LEGAL BASIS
  

  
  Art. 64 and Art. 71b Item 1 of the Foreigners Act of 13 June 2003 (Dz.U. [Journal of Laws] of 2011, No. 264, Item 1573, as amended)
  
  

• APPEAL PROCEDURES
  

  
  Settlement permits are issued not later than within 3 months from the date when the procedure begins.

  You have the right to appeal against the decision to the Head of the Office for Foreigners in Warsaw, through the agency of Małopolska province governor. Written appeals should be submitted within 14 days from the date of receiving the decision.
  
  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
  

  
  Settlement permit is granted for an unspecified period of time.

  An application for a settlement permit shall be submitted to the voivode competent for the foreigner’s place of residence. A foreigner may file an application for a settlement permit for the time of legal stay in the Republic of Poland.

  If the foreigner submitted an application during their legal stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland and the application does not contain any defects of form or the defects of form were remedied within the deadline set, the voivode puts a stamp imprintconfirming submission of an application for a settlement permit. At the same time, when carrying out the above-mentioned activities, the stay of a foreigner within the territory of the Republic of Poland is considered legal until a final decision on settlement permit is taken.

  If settlement permit proceedings are suspended at the request of the foreigner, their stay at that time shall not be considered legal.

  NOTE:

  Putting a stamp in the travel document does not entitle the foreigner to travel within the territory of other Schengen states, while the foreigner may leave for their country of origin.
  
  After receiving a decision allowing a settlement in the Republic of Poland a foreigner is obliged to register his/her stay and provide the Department of Nationals' and Foreigners' Affairs with confirmation of registration and PESEL number.

  The document confirming foreigner's identity during his/her stay in the Republic of Poland and allowing the foreigner (when used together with a travel document) to repeatedly cross the border without the necessity to obtain a visa is a residence card. A residence card is valid for 10 years from the date of issue and must be replaced after a lapse of that period.

  A foreigner is obliged to collect the residence card in person or, if a foreigner is a minor below 13 years of age, the card must be collected by the minor's legal representative or a legal guardian.