A Polish temporary residence and work permit cannot be extended in the sense of adding time to the same card. To keep living and working in Poland, you file a new application for a temporary residence permit through the MOS portal before your current legal stay ends. Your employer completes its annex in the same system, you pay the stamp duty of PLN 440 and the card fee of PLN 100, and if you file on time without formal defects, your stay remains legal while the case is decided. This guide explains when to apply, what to check before you do, how to protect your right to work during the wait, and when another permit may be a better choice. All rules were checked on 11 November 2026 against official Polish sources.

Who this guide applies to

This guide is for foreign workers who hold a temporary residence and work permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę), often called a single permit, and want to keep working in Poland after it ends. Much of it also applies to holders of other temporary residence permits, such as the EU Blue Card, who plan to stay longer. The general rules on online filing are explained in our guide to applying for a Polish residence permit online.

Why there is no simple extension

A temporary residence permit is granted for between three months and three years, depending on the purpose of stay (MOS portal). When the permit period ends, the permit ends with it. If you want to continue, you apply for a new temporary residence permit. The new application is assessed on its own facts: your current job, your pay, your accommodation and the rules in force at the time of the decision.

This matters because rules change between permits. For example, the minimum wage rises to PLN 4,950 gross per month on 1 January 2027 (Journal of Laws 2026, item 1213), and applications have been filed only through MOS since 27 April 2026 (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). A person whose last permit was obtained on paper in 2024 will find the process quite different.

When to apply

The legal deadline

You must file the new application no later than the last day of your legal stay in Poland (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). If your residence card expires on 30 June, the latest day to file is 30 June, provided that you have no other basis of stay that runs longer.

A sensible plan

Do not treat the legal deadline as your target. Start preparing two to three months before your card expires. That gives time to obtain an updated contract, to agree with your employer when they will complete their annex, to pay the fees and wait for the payments to be confirmed, and to fix any technical problem with your login or signature. A good routine is to set three reminders: one three months before expiry to start preparing, one six weeks before to file, and one two weeks before as a final check that the UPO has been saved.

What to check before you file

Your job and contract

Confirm that you will keep working for the same employer in the same position after your current permit ends, and that your contract runs into the new period. If anything about the job is changing, such as a new employer or a lower salary, read changing job terms in Poland without losing your permit first, because the new application must describe the job you will actually do.

Your pay

The pay in your new application must not be lower than the pay of workers doing comparable work for the same employer (Warmia-Masuria Voivodeship Office). If the decision will be made in 2027, the pay must also respect the 2027 minimum wage. Check the gross monthly figure in your contract and, if you are paid by the hour, the hourly figure of PLN 32.30.

Your address

Your application includes details of where you live. If you have moved since your last permit, make sure your documents reflect your current address. After a permit is granted, the card shows a residence address only if you submit confirmation of your address registration within 14 days of receiving the decision (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).

Your passport

Check that your passport is valid for the period of the new permit. If it expires soon, renew it first if you can, because the application refers to your travel document.

Step by step: filing the new application

1. Download the checklist for the temporary residence and work permit from the MOS portal (MOS portal).
2. Log in to MOS through login.gov.pl. If you used the old MOS, create a new account, because old accounts were not transferred (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).
3. Fill in the form and upload your digital photograph and documents.
4. Pay the fees: PLN 440 stamp duty and PLN 100 for the card, to the accounts shown for your voivodeship (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office), and attach the confirmations.
5. Ask your employer to complete Annex 1 in MOS. The employer signs it through login.gov.pl, and it is attached to your application automatically (Office for Foreigners guide).
6. Check and sign your application through login.gov.pl.
7. Save the UPO. Without it, the application has not been submitted (MOS portal).

Your stay while the case is pending

If you filed during your legal stay and the application has no formal defects, or you corrected them within the deadline set by the office, your stay is legal from the day of proper filing until the decision becomes final (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). This is the main reason to file on time. Our guide on staying legally in Poland while your application is pending explains the limits of this protection, especially for travel.

Your work while the case is pending

Being allowed to stay is not the same as being allowed to work. Zielona Linia explains when work may continue between one temporary residence and work permit and the next (Zielona Linia), and, separately, between one work permit and the next (Zielona Linia). In general terms, the protection depends on the new application being filed on time, being free of formal defects or corrected on time, and concerning the same employer and the same position. If you are changing employer or job at the same time as your permit ends, do not assume you can keep working. Check your situation with the voivodeship office before your current permit expires.

Employers should keep a copy of the UPO and of any request from the office to correct defects, together with proof that the corrections were made on time. In an inspection, these documents show why the worker was still working after the card's expiry date.

Costs

The card and replacement fees are listed by the Office for Foreigners (Office for Foreigners), and the refund rule is explained by the voivodeship office (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). Our guide to Poland work permit and residence fees for 2027 lists all the main fees.

If the new permit is refused

You can appeal to the Head of the Office for Foreigners through the voivode within 14 days of delivery (MOS portal). Read the reasons carefully. A refusal at this stage can have serious consequences for your stay, so act quickly and keep every document. If the reasons concern your job, see why work permits are refused in Europe.

Alternatives to another temporary permit

EU long-term resident permit

If you have resided in Poland legally and continuously for at least five years and meet the other conditions, you may be able to apply for an EU long-term resident permit. The card for that permit is issued for five years at a time, while the status itself is not time-limited (MOS portal). Not every period of stay counts towards the five years, so read the rules carefully. Our guide to the long-term EU resident permit explains more.

EU Blue Card

If your job requires high qualifications and your pay reaches the threshold, an EU Blue Card may give you more flexibility. See EU Blue Card in Poland: requirements for 2027.

CUKR for Ukrainian citizens

Ukrainian citizens with PESEL UKR status may be able to use the CUKR procedure instead. See our guide to the CUKR residence card.

A timeline example

The example below shows how a worker whose card expires on 31 March 2027 might plan. It is an illustration only.

1. Early January 2027: check the passport, the contract and the January payslip against the 2027 minimum wage.
2. Mid-January: agree with the employer when Annex 1 will be completed in MOS.
3. Early February: create or check the MOS account and login.gov.pl access; pay the fees.
4. Mid-February: fill in the application, wait for the annex, sign and send. Save the UPO.
5. March onwards: respond quickly to any request to correct defects; keep the UPO with your residence card.

If your situation has changed since the last permit

New employer

If you will work for a different employer when your permit ends, your next application is not a continuation of the old one. The new employer completes Annex 1 for the new job, and you should check whether you can work for the new employer before the new permit is granted. See changing job terms in Poland without losing your permit.

New family situation

If your spouse or children have joined you or plan to, check whether their residence depends on yours. Family members' permits are usually linked to the sponsor's permit, so a gap in your status can affect theirs.

New passport

If you renewed your passport during your current permit, use the new passport details in the application and keep a copy of the old passport, which contains your previous visas and stamps.

Documents worth keeping from your current permit

• The current permit decision and residence card.
• Your contracts and annexes for the whole period.
• Payslips, which show that you were paid as the permit required.
• Confirmation of social insurance registration.
• Any notifications you sent to the voivode.

These documents are not always requested, but they help you answer questions quickly and show a consistent work history.

For employers: supporting a renewal

• Keep a list of every foreign worker's card expiry date and contact each worker three months before.
• Confirm the contract terms for the next period early, so the worker can apply on time.
• Complete and sign Annex 1 in MOS promptly when the worker asks.
• Check that the pay in the new application meets the 2027 minimum and matches comparable workers.
• Keep a copy of the worker's UPO in the personnel file while the case is pending.

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).
• Your employer's HR team can confirm the contract terms and complete Annex 1 in time.

Your next steps

1. Find the expiry date on your residence card and write down the last day of your legal stay.
2. Three months before, confirm your contract, pay and address.
3. Check your MOS account and login.gov.pl access.
4. Agree with your employer when Annex 1 will be completed.
5. File the new application well before the deadline and save the UPO.

Common mistakes

• Filing after the last day of legal stay, which removes the protection of a pending case.
• Assuming the old card can be "extended" at the office counter.
• Filing with a contract that ends before the new permit would start.
• Forgetting that a new employer or a pay cut changes the application.
• Booking a trip abroad without checking whether you can return while your case is pending.
• Losing the UPO, which is your proof of filing.