The EU Blue Card (Niebieska Karta UE) is a Polish temporary residence permit for work in a profession requiring high qualifications. Its key condition is pay: the annual gross salary in the contract must be at least 150% of the average salary in the national economy in the year before you apply. For applications filed in 2026, that meant at least PLN 13,355.34 gross per month, based on the 2025 average of PLN 8,903.56. For applications filed in 2027, the threshold will be 150% of the 2026 average, which Statistics Poland normally publishes in February. The permit is granted for three months longer than the period of work, from more than six months up to three years, and the application is filed through the MOS portal with an annex from the employer. This guide explains the requirements, the application and the benefits. All information was checked on 11 November 2026 against official Polish and EU sources.

What the Blue Card is

The Blue Card is an EU-wide scheme for highly qualified workers from outside the EU, set out in Directive (EU) 2021/1883 (EUR-Lex). Each member state applies it through its own law. In Poland it is a temporary residence permit for the purpose of work in a profession requiring high qualifications, and the voivodeship office in Poznań explains that you should apply for it if you want to stay in Poland for more than three months and your primary purpose of stay is highly qualified work (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).

Like a temporary residence and work permit, the Blue Card combines the right to stay and the right to work. It entitles you to work only under the conditions specified in it (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). What sets it apart is the higher salary threshold, the focus on qualified work and the additional rights that come with it.

The main requirements

Highly qualified work

The job must be in a profession requiring high qualifications, and you must have higher professional qualifications as defined in Polish law. The MOS portal and the voivodeship office guidance explain how these qualifications are documented. If your job does not require high qualifications, the Blue Card is not the right permit.

Salary of at least 150% of the average

Zielona Linia states that the annual gross salary resulting from the monthly or annual salary in the contract must not be lower than 150% of the average salary in the national economy in the year preceding the application (Zielona Linia). The average salary is announced by the President of Statistics Poland.

A contract of sufficient length

The MOS portal states that the Blue Card is granted for a period three months longer than the period of work, ranging from more than six months to three years (MOS portal). The planned period of work in your contract therefore matters. Check the MOS checklist for the contract types accepted.

An application through MOS with the employer's annex

The application is filed through MOS. The employer completes Annex 1 in MOS, signs it through login.gov.pl and submits it, and it is attached to your application automatically (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).

How the salary threshold is set each year

The 2026 figure

The Social Insurance Institution lists the average salary in the national economy in 2025 as PLN 8,903.56 (Social Insurance Institution), as announced by Statistics Poland on 19 February 2026 (Statistics Poland). One and a half times that figure is PLN 13,355.34. For applications filed in 2026, the contract therefore had to provide at least PLN 13,355.34 gross per month, or the equivalent annual amount.

The 2027 figure

For applications filed in 2027, the threshold will be based on the average salary for 2026. That figure had not been published on 11 November 2026. Statistics Poland normally announces the previous year's average in February. Until then, do not rely on estimates. If you plan to file early in 2027, ask your employer to set the salary with a margin above the expected level, and recheck it when the official figure is announced.

Why timing matters

The threshold depends on the year of the application, not the year the contract was signed. A contract that met the 2026 threshold may fall short for an application filed in 2027 if the new average is higher. Employers should review salaries for planned Blue Card applications at the start of each year.

How to apply

1. Confirm the job and salary meet the requirements for the year you will file.
2. Download the MOS checklist for the Blue Card (MOS portal).
3. Create an account in MOS through login.gov.pl (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).
4. Fill in the application and attach your documents, including evidence of your qualifications.
5. Pay the fees: PLN 440 stamp duty and PLN 100 for the card (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).
6. Ask your employer to complete Annex 1.
7. Sign, send and save the UPO.

File no later than the last day of your legal stay. If you file on time and the application has no formal defects, your stay remains legal while the case is decided. See staying legally in Poland while your application is pending. If you are outside Poland, check the route that applies to you with the consulate and the voivodeship office.

Benefits of the Blue Card

Family reunification

Blue Card holders are among the foreigners who can bring family members through a temporary residence permit for family reunification. The MOS portal publishes a checklist for that procedure (MOS portal). See our guide on foreign family members in Poland.

A faster route to long-term residence

The MOS portal explains that an EU long-term resident permit may be granted to a foreigner who has resided legally and continuously for at least five years in the EU immediately before the application, including the last two years in Poland on the basis of a Blue Card (MOS portal). For other foreigners, the five years must normally be spent in Poland. This makes the Blue Card attractive for people who may move between EU countries during their career.

Mobility within the EU

EU law gives Blue Card holders rights to short-term and long-term mobility for work in other member states under conditions. The Office for Foreigners' guide covers the stay in Poland of Blue Card holders from other states using these rights (Office for Foreigners guide). If you plan to work in another country, check that country's rules first.

Blue Card or temporary residence and work permit?

Our guide on how to apply for a Polish residence permit online explains the general procedure, and work permit salary rules in Europe for 2027 compares Blue Card thresholds across countries.

Worked examples

A software engineer applying in 2026

A software engineer received an offer from a company in Warsaw of PLN 15,000 gross per month for two years. In 2026, the threshold was PLN 13,355.34 per month, so the salary met the 150% rule. The company completed Annex 1 in MOS, the engineer paid PLN 440 and PLN 100, and the permit could be granted for up to two years and three months, within the three-year maximum.

An offer close to the threshold for 2027

A company plans to hire a data analyst in March 2027 at PLN 13,500 gross per month. That figure is above the 2026 threshold, but the 2027 threshold depends on the 2026 average salary, which had not been published on 11 November 2026. If the new threshold is higher than PLN 13,500, the application would fail on salary. The company waits for the official figure, or sets the salary with a safe margin.

A job that is not highly qualified

A warehouse supervisor is offered PLN 14,000 per month. The salary is high, but if the job does not require high qualifications, the Blue Card is not the right permit, and a temporary residence and work permit is the correct route.

Documents to prepare

• Your passport and a recent digital photograph.
• The employment contract or other contract for the qualified work, showing the gross salary and period.
• Evidence of your higher professional qualifications, such as diplomas, with translations if required.
• Documents required for regulated professions, if your profession is regulated in Poland.
• Confirmations of the stamp duty and card fee.
• The employer's Annex 1, completed in MOS.

Use the MOS checklist as the definitive list for your case (MOS portal).

Polish terms you will see

• Niebieska Karta UE: EU Blue Card.
• Zawód wymagający wysokich kwalifikacji: profession requiring high qualifications.
• Wyższe kwalifikacje zawodowe: higher professional qualifications.
• Przeciętne wynagrodzenie w gospodarce narodowej: average salary in the national economy.
• Mobilność długoterminowa: long-term mobility.

Where to get official help

• Zielona Linia, the information centre of the public employment services, answers questions about employing foreigners on 19 524 and publishes guidance at zielonalinia.gov.pl.
• The voivodeship office handling your case can answer questions about residence procedures and deadlines.
• The MOS portal has a contact form for questions about residence procedures and the portal itself (MOS portal).
• Statistics Poland publishes the average salary figure used for the threshold at stat.gov.pl.

Questions to ask your employer

• Is the salary in my contract stated as a gross monthly or annual amount, and does it meet the threshold for the year I will apply?
• Will you complete Annex 1 in MOS promptly?
• Is the role recognised as requiring high qualifications?
• How long is the contract, and does it fit the Blue Card period rules?
• Will the salary be reviewed if the threshold rises before my next application?

After you receive the Blue Card

Work only on the conditions in your permit. If your job, employer or salary changes, check the rules before the change takes effect, because a Blue Card is tied to the conditions approved. Blue Card holders follow their own rules on changes of employer and periods without work, which differ from the single permit rules described in losing your job in Poland on a residence and work permit. Check the current rules with the voivodeship office if your situation changes.

Your next steps

1. Confirm with your employer that the role requires high qualifications.
2. Check the threshold for the year you will apply, using the official average salary.
3. Gather evidence of your qualifications, with translations if needed.
4. Download the MOS checklist and create your MOS account.
5. Pay the fees, ask your employer for Annex 1, and file before your legal stay ends.
6. Save the UPO and keep your documents ready for any request.

Changing jobs as a Blue Card holder

Before accepting a new job, check whether the new role still requires high qualifications, whether the salary meets the threshold for the year of any new application, and which formal step the voivodeship office requires. A change that takes you below the threshold or outside qualified work can mean the Blue Card no longer fits. Plan any move so that the new step is in place before you start with the new employer.

Finally, remember that the Blue Card threshold is a minimum, not a recommended salary. Pay in highly qualified roles often needs to be higher to reflect the market and, where relevant, the pay of comparable colleagues at the same employer. Setting the salary only at the threshold leaves no margin if the threshold rises or if the authority counts some elements of pay differently.

Common mistakes

• Using the previous year's threshold for an application filed after the new average is announced.
• Counting net instead of gross salary.
• Applying for a Blue Card for a job that is not highly qualified.
• Filing without the employer's Annex 1.
• Forgetting that the stamp duty is not refunded if the permit is refused, for applications filed from 5 March 2026 (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).