Since 27 April 2026, every application for a Polish temporary residence permit must be filed online through the MOS portal (Moduł Obsługi Spraw). You create a new account, log in through login.gov.pl, fill in the form, attach proof of the fees and other documents, sign electronically and send the application. If the permit is for work, your employer completes and signs its own annex in the same system. A correctly sent application produces an official confirmation of receipt (UPO), and filing on time with no formal defects keeps your stay legal until the case is decided. This guide explains each step and the mistakes that most often cause delays. All rules were checked on 11 November 2026 against official Polish sources.

Who this guide applies to

This guide is for citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland who are already in Poland legally and want to stay for more than three months. It covers temporary residence permits (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy), including the temporary residence and work permit, the EU Blue Card, and permits for studies, family reunification and business activity. A temporary residence permit is granted for between three months and three years, depending on the purpose of stay (MOS portal).

Permanent residence and EU long-term resident permits are also filed through MOS, but they have their own conditions. See our guide to the long-term EU resident permit in Poland. Ukrainian citizens with PESEL UKR status may be able to use the separate CUKR procedure, explained in our guide to the CUKR residence card.

What changed in 2026

Polish law was amended so that applications for residence permits are filed only in electronic form through MOS (Zielona Linia). From 27 April 2026, the MOS portal became the only channel for temporary residence applications (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). An application filed in any other form is left without consideration, and an attempt to file it outside MOS has no legal effect connected with filing (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).

The new version of MOS needs a new user account. Accounts from the previous version were not transferred (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).

Choose the right permit first

Before you open the form, decide which permit matches the main purpose of your stay. Applying for the wrong type wastes time and money. For example, a person who runs a business in Poland and applies for a temporary residence and work permit instead of the permit for business activity will be refused the start of proceedings (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). The MOS portal lists the work-related permits, including the general temporary residence and work permit and the permit for highly qualified work, the EU Blue Card (MOS portal).

The MOS portal publishes checklists for each procedure, including the temporary residence and work permit, the Blue Card and family reunification (MOS portal). Download the checklist for your permit before you start.

What you need before you start

A way to log in and sign

You log in to MOS through login.gov.pl and sign the application with a trusted signature, a qualified electronic signature or a personal signature (MOS portal). A trusted profile requires a PESEL number, so the regional office in Poznań advises applicants without a trusted profile to obtain a PESEL and then create one (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). See our guide to the PESEL number.

Proof of the fees

You attach confirmation of the stamp duty and the residence card fee to the application (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). The stamp duty depends on the permit: PLN 440 for a temporary residence and work permit or an EU Blue Card, and PLN 340 for most other temporary residence permits. The residence card fee is PLN 100 (Office for Foreigners). The two fees are paid to different bank accounts, so read the payment details for your voivodeship carefully (West Pomeranian Voivodeship Office).

A digital photograph and documents

Prepare a recent digital photograph and scans of the documents your checklist requires, such as your passport, your contract and documents about your accommodation. Make the scans readable and complete.

Your employer's cooperation

For a temporary residence and work permit, your employer must complete Annex 1 in MOS, sign it through login.gov.pl and send it. The annex is then attached to your application automatically (Office for Foreigners guide). Agree a date with your employer so that the annex does not hold up your application near the end of your legal stay.

Step by step in MOS

1. Read the information about the permit for your purpose of stay in the MOS portal.
2. Prepare: make sure you can confirm your identity and sign through login.gov.pl, and gather all information and documents.
3. Log in to MOS through login.gov.pl, after registering your user account.
4. Fill in the application form and attach the documents and fee confirmations.
5. Wait for the employer's annex, if your permit requires one. You will receive an email when you can complete the application.
6. Check the application again for errors.
7. Sign and send through login.gov.pl.
8. Download and save the UPO, the official confirmation of receipt.

The MOS guidance is clear that if you do not receive a UPO, the application has not been submitted (MOS portal). Save the UPO as a file and keep a printed copy. It is your evidence that you applied on time.

Timing: the last day of legal stay

You must file no later than the last day of your legal stay in Poland (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). Your legal stay may be based on a visa, a residence card or visa-free travel. Do not leave the application until the final day. Technical problems, a missing employer annex or a payment that has not yet been confirmed can all cause delays, and a late application does not protect your stay.

What happens after you apply

Formal defects

The office first checks whether the application is formally complete. If something is missing, it will ask you to correct it within a deadline. If you filed on time and the application has no formal defects, or you corrected them within the deadline, your stay is legal from the day of proper filing until the decision becomes final (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). Our guide on staying legally while your application is pending explains what this means for work and travel.

The decision and the residence card

If the permit is granted, you usually do not need to apply separately for the residence card (karta pobytu). The card is issued by the office after the permit is granted. If you do not submit confirmation of your address registration within 14 days of receiving the decision, your card will not show a residence address (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). The card is an identity document that confirms your residence permit (MOS portal).

If the permit is refused

You can appeal to the Head of the Office for Foreigners, through the voivode, within 14 days of delivery of the decision (MOS portal). For applications filed from 5 March 2026, the stamp duty is not refunded if the permit is refused or the case is discontinued (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office).

Correspondence while the case is open

Keep your contact details up to date and check your email and the MOS account regularly. If you leave Poland during the procedure and do not appoint a representative to handle your case, you should at least appoint a representative for receiving correspondence in Poland (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). Missing a letter can mean missing a deadline.

A worked example

The example below shows how the steps fit together for a worker in Kraków whose national work visa expires on 15 May. It is an illustration only.

1. Early March: the worker downloads the MOS checklist for the temporary residence and work permit and asks the employer to confirm the contract terms for the next two years.
2. Mid-March: the worker checks that login.gov.pl works and that a trusted profile can be used to sign. The worker pays PLN 440 stamp duty and PLN 100 for the card to the accounts published by the Lesser Poland office, and saves the confirmations.
3. Late March: the worker fills in the form in MOS and uploads the photograph and documents. The employer completes and signs Annex 1.
4. Early April: after the email saying the application can be completed, the worker checks everything, signs and sends it, and saves the UPO.
5. After filing: the worker watches MOS and email, and answers a request to add a missing document within the deadline.

By filing six weeks before the visa ends, the worker leaves time to deal with problems and keeps the protection of a pending case.

Polish terms you will see

• Zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy: temporary residence permit.
• Zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę: temporary residence and work permit.
• Załącznik nr 1: Annex 1, completed by the employer.
• Urzędowe Poświadczenie Odbioru (UPO): official confirmation of receipt.
• Opłata skarbowa: stamp duty.
• Karta pobytu: residence card.

Signing problems and how to solve them

Signing is where many applicants get stuck. Before you begin, test that you can log in to login.gov.pl and sign a document. If you do not yet have a trusted profile, you will usually need a PESEL first (Wielkopolska Voivodeship Office). A qualified electronic signature is another option. If your employer must sign Annex 1, ask them to test their own login in advance as well. Problems with signatures discovered on the last day of legal stay are hard to fix in time.

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).
• The Office for Foreigners publishes guidance on residence procedures and fees at gov.pl/web/udsc.

Your next steps

1. Note the last day of your current legal stay and set a target filing date at least a month earlier.
2. Choose the permit that matches your main purpose of stay.
3. Create your MOS account and test your signature through login.gov.pl.
4. Download the checklist and gather the documents.
5. Pay both fees and save the confirmations.
6. For a work-based permit, agree a date with your employer for Annex 1.
7. File, save the UPO and watch your MOS account and email.

Common mistakes

• Using an old MOS account. You need a new account in the current portal.
• Applying for the wrong permit. Match the permit to the main purpose of your stay.
• Not waiting for the employer's annex. For work permits, the application is not complete without it.
• Paying the wrong amount or to the wrong account. The stamp duty and the card fee are separate.
• Not saving the UPO. Without it, you cannot prove that you applied on time.
• Applying on the last day. Leave a margin for problems.
• Uploading unreadable scans. Poor scans can lead to requests for correction and delays.

Changes after you apply

If your job, employer or pay changes while your application is pending, tell the office, because the decision is based on the conditions you described. A change of employer in particular can affect the outcome. See changing job terms in Poland without losing your permit and losing your job in Poland on a residence and work permit.

Before your permit ends

A temporary residence permit has an end date. If you want to stay longer, you file a new application through MOS before your current permit expires. Our guide on extending your residence and work permit in Poland explains how to plan this. For background on the residence card itself, see our guide to the residence card in Poland.