Immigrate to Poland
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Permit guide · art. 158 ust. 1 pkt 1 ustawy o cudzoziemcach

Temporary residence for the spouse of a Polish citizen

Zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy dla malzonka obywatela polskiego

For spouses of Polish citizens: no income test; the permit allows work without a permit and leads to permanent residence after 3 years of marriage and 2 years of stay (art. 195 ust. 1 pkt 4).

Stamp duty 340 PLNCard 100 PLNStatutory deadline 60 daysVerified 4 September 2026

Who qualifies

  • Married to a Polish citizen (marriage recognised in Poland)

Conditions the office checks

  • Marriage genuine (the office may interview both spouses)
  • Legal stay on the filing date

Validity and work rights

Validity

Up to 3 years

Work rights

Work without a work permit.

Fees you pay to the state

Stamp duty (to the city office, before filing)340 PLN
Residence card (to the voivodeship office, after the decision)100 PLN
Power of attorney, only if you appoint a proxy for correspondence17 PLN

Stamp duty (340/440 PLN) goes to the city office competent for the voivodeship office; the card fee (100 PLN, 50 PLN for students and under-16s) goes to the voivodeship office after the decision. Since 5 March 2026 the stamp duty is not refunded on refusal or discontinuation. Sworn translations of your documents are paid separately to the translator.

Typical processing times in 2026

The statutory deadline is 60 days from formal completeness (art. 112a). The figures below are what applicants actually experience.

Warsaw (Mazowieckie)6-12 months
Kraków (Małopolskie)4-9 months
Wrocław (Dolnośląskie)4-9 months
Poznań (Wielkopolskie)3-7 months
Gdańsk (Pomorskie)3-7 months
Other offices3-8 months

Documents

16 documents can appear on this route, 13 of them required and 3 with a note specific to documents from your country (generic notes; pick your nationality in the free check for the dedicated ones). Conditional items depend on your housing, insurance and family; your case pack keeps only the ones that apply to you, adds what the office checks in each, and tracks them.

Formal means a missing item triggers a call to supplement; Evidence is weighed by the voivode on the merits.

  1. RequiredFormal

    Application for a temporary residence permit completed in the MOS 2.0 system

    Wniosek o udzielenie zezwolenia na pobyt czasowy wypelniony w systemie MOS 2.0

    Country note: Enter names exactly as in the passport's machine-readable zone; the PESEL record must match before you create the MOS account.

  2. RequiredFormal

    Digital biometric photo (JPG, at least 684x883 px, up to 2.5 MB)

    Fotografia cyfrowa (JPG, min. 684x883 px, max 2,5 MB)

  3. RequiredFormal

    Scans of every page of your valid passport (original shown at the summons)

    Skany wszystkich stron waznego dokumentu podrozy (oryginal do okazania na wezwanie)

  4. RequiredFormal

    Proof of stamp duty payment

    Potwierdzenie uiszczenia oplaty skarbowej

  5. If relevantFormal

    Proof of the residence-card fee (100 PLN; 50 PLN for students and under-16s)

    Potwierdzenie oplaty za wydanie karty pobytu (100 zl; 50 zl studenci i osoby ponizej 16 lat)

  6. RequiredEvidence

    Sworn translations of every foreign-language document (electronically signed by the translator)

    Tlumaczenia przysiegle dokumentow obcojezycznych (podpisane elektronicznie przez tlumacza)

  7. RequiredEvidenceIf you rent

    Rental agreement

    Umowa najmu mieszkania

  8. RequiredEvidenceIf your employer houses you

    Employer's statement on provided accommodation

    Oswiadczenie pracodawcy o zapewnieniu zakwaterowania

  9. RequiredEvidenceIf you own your home

    Notarial deed or land-register extract

    Akt notarialny lub odpis z ksiegi wieczystej

  10. RequiredEvidenceIf you live with family or friends

    Owner's statement on providing accommodation + the owner's title to the flat

    Oswiadczenie wlasciciela o zapewnieniu miejsca zamieszkania + tytul prawny do lokalu

  11. RequiredEvidenceIf you have childrenSworn translation

    Children's birth certificates with apostille and sworn translation

    Akty urodzenia dzieci z apostille i tlumaczeniem przysieglym

    Country note: Apostille or consular legalisation, then a sworn Polish translation; add the child's passport scan.

  12. RequiredFormalRenewals only

    Scan of your current residence card and the decision

    Skan dotychczasowej karty pobytu i decyzji

  13. If relevantEvidenceRenewals only

    Last year's tax return (PIT-37) and employer statement (PIT-11)

    PIT-37 / PIT-11 za ostatni rok podatkowy

  14. RequiredEvidenceSworn translation

    Polish marriage certificate (or a foreign certificate apostilled, translated and transcribed into the Polish register)

    Odpis polskiego aktu malzenstwa (lub zagraniczny akt z apostille, tlumaczeniem i transkrypcja)

    Country note: A marriage concluded abroad must be transcribed into the Polish register before or during the case.

  15. RequiredEvidence

    Scan of the Polish spouse's ID card

    Skan dowodu osobistego malzonka - obywatela polskiego

  16. If relevantEvidence

    Evidence of a genuine relationship (shared address, photos, correspondence)

    Dowody wspolnego pozycia (wspolny adres, zdjecia, korespondencja)

Pitfalls we see most often

  • Foreign marriage not transcribed into the Polish register
  • Spouses living at different addresses without explanation

Refusal risks

  • Marriage of convenience
  • Serious criminal record
A refusal can be appealed within 14 days, free of charge, to the Head of the Office for Foreigners. The risk review in your case pack lists which of these grounds apply to you and how to close each one before filing.

Sources

Verified 4 September 2026. Rules change; every case pack states the date it was verified.

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