There are two steps that you need to take to stay in Poland for over 3 months legally. The whole procedure is quite simple (compared to what it used to be a few years ago) so don’t panic. All you need to do is get a residence permit for a fixed period of time and then register your place of residence. Below we walk you through how it is done.
Step One – register your stay in Poland
If you plan to stay in Poland for over 3 months you are legally obliged to register your stay. Well, if you’ve just arrived and you’re sure that you will stay here for a while then you can put on your jacket and go straight to the office of voivodeship (Urząd Wojewódzki) any time you want. Although make sure that you’ve done it within your first 3 months here.
As you might know, polish people (officials especially) don’t like it if you show up with empty hands so make sure you have a couple of legal documents with you:
1. Passport or another form of ID with a photo that could be taken as a proof that you are who you claim to be.
2. A document giving a reason of your stay here – pick one from below:
-a possibility of future employment for example – statement from your future employer plus proof of health insurance and proof of having enough money to live in Poland
– the intention of studying in Poland: confirmation of admission to university plus proof of health insurance and having enough money to live in Poland
– being married to a Polish citizen – the act of marriage
3. Filled out form
The most important is that you have to go to the legal office yourself and no-one else can do it for you. Don’t worry about being rejected. You are all welcome here and there should be no problem with getting through the entire procedure. Satisfaction guaranteed!
Step two – register your place of residence
In Poland, all citizens are obliged to indicate their place of residence and this rule as well applies to foreigners staying in Poland for over 3 months. So the next stage of your registration is letting the City Council (Urząd Miasta) know what is your place of residence.
There are two options:
– temporary registration
– permanent registration
The temporary registration of your stay lasts between 3 months and 5 years whilst the permanent is for over 5 years.
To register your place of residence you need to take some documents to the local city council. You need:
1. ID or Passport
2. Lease (if you are choosing temporary registration) or act of ownership of the flat (if you are choosing permanent registration)
3. Filled out either temporary residence registration form or permament residence registration form
