Legalization of stay
Citizens of the Member State of the European Union, or citizens of the Member State of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – parties of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) or citizens of the Swiss Confederation
If you are one of the above you are required to register your stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland at the Voivodeship Office if it exceeds 3 months.
Required documents:
To register the stay as an EU citizen, you must submit:
- an application for registration of residence of an EU citizen + 1 photocopy- completed in Polish and submitted in personHere you can download the form.
- a valid travel document or another document confirming identity and citizenship (for inspection) + 2 photocopies,
- 4 recent biometric photographs
- a current certificate of employment or a written statement from the employer about the intention to employ you
- if the applicant has been assigned a PESEL number and has a registered address, documents confirming this (certificates from the city or municipal office) must be attached
Submitted documents must not be older than 30 days.
Documents must be submitted in Polish or with a sworn translation into Polish.
The registration is free of charge. The application must be submitted in person.
Customer service for the Department for Foreigners is available in the building at Konstantego Damrota 16 in Katowice during the following office hours: Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 15:30 (Tuesdays until 18:00).
The Correspondence address:
Silesian Voivodeship Office in Katowice, Department for Foreigners,
ul. Jagiellońska 25, 40-032 Katowice
You can book an appointment to submit the application or collect the document/decision in the queue system rezerwacja.slask.eu, or collect a queue ticket from the machine on site.
The branch office in Bielsko-Biała (Piastowska 40) accepts applications from residents of the city and the districts of Bielsko, Cieszyn, Pszczyna, and Żywiec.
The branch office in Częstochowa (Jana III Sobieskiego 7) accepts applications from residents of the city and the districts of Częstochowa, Kłobuck, Lubliniec, Myszków, and Zawiercie.
Citizens of the third countries (other than EU or EFTA)
If you come from a country outside the EU or EFTA and you plan remain in Poland beyond your visa validity, visa-free allowance, or Schengen residence card period, you are required to legalize your stay by applying for a residence permit at the Voivodeship Office.
You can apply for the residence permit at any time within your legal stay in Poland, at latest on the last day of the legal stay, that is, on the last day of your visa or residence permit’s validity date, or on last day of the stay within the visa-free travel. Since the procedure may take several months, it is advisable to submit the application as early as possible. Once your application is properly submitted, your stay in Poland remains legal even if your visa or other document expires afterwards. However, submitting application does not allow you to re-enter Poland after going abroad.
Application
In order for the residence permit application to be submitted you need to fill in the application form online (in the so called MOS system). The application form should be completed in Polish. Then, as of today, it needs to be printed and, together with attachments – submitted at the Voivodship Office in the area of your residence.
Attachments to the application
There are some documents that should be prepared- by you and by the University as attachments to the application, such as copy of all pages of your passport or a certificate confirming that the employer has no outstanding tax liabilities.
Important: if you change your address or phone number after submitting your application, you must inform the Voivodeship Office as this information is used to send important notifications, such as requests for additional documents or decisions regarding your permit.
The residence permit is issued as a plastic card, which you should carry with you at all times in case of control.
There are several types of residence permits, depending on the nature of the work performed and other circumstances related to the situation of the person applying.
You can find comprehensive information about legalization of stay of the citizens of a third country here:
https://www.mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl/en/potrzebuje-informacji/spoza-ue-3-en
https://www.euraxess.pl/poland/residence-permit-scientists-non-eu-countries
Foreigner Hotline of the Silesian Voivodeship Office: 780 100 935 (open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
III. More information about types of legalization of stay adjusted to the personal situation and common mistakes made by foreigners:
https://www.mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl/en/potrzebuje-informacji
https://www.mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl/en/czeste-bledy/filmy-inst-en
