How long to wait for a residence card in Poland in 2026: the law and practice

In short: by law the voivode must decide a temporary residence case within 60 days and a permanent residence case within 6 months. But until 4 March 2027 these deadlines are suspended for all foreigners, not only Ukrainians, so in practice people wait many months. While you wait, your stay in Poland is legal if you filed the application correctly and during a legal stay.

How long the law says

The Act on Foreigners (art. 112a) gives the voivode 60 days to decide on temporary residence. Since 27 April 2026 those 60 days run not from the filing date but from the later of two moments: when the application is free of formal defects (or the defects are fixed), and when you have submitted all documents or the deadline the office gave you for them has passed. Until your documents are complete, the clock does not even start.

Why it takes longer in practice

The special act (art. 100d) says that until 4 March 2027 the deadlines in voivode cases on temporary and permanent residence, EU long-term residence, and changing or withdrawing permits do not start, and those already running are suspended. The office can still work and issue decisions, but it cannot be penalised for delay: a complaint about inaction or excessive length gets no result in this period, and no fines or money are awarded against the office. The date was first 4.03.2026 and was later extended to 4.03.2027.

An audit by NIK, Poland's Supreme Audit Office, of the Lower Silesian office shows what this looks like: in the cases it checked from 2022–2024, people waited over 9 months on average, and the longest case took 3 years and 7 months. We found no official 2026 waiting-time statistics per office.

How to apply in 2026: steps

Since 27 April 2026 residence applications are filed online only, through the MOS system. Paper applications filed after 26 April 2026 are not processed.

1. Log in to MOSThrough login.gov.pl, and fill in the application online. You can only file it while in Poland.
2. Sign the applicationWith a trusted profile (profil zaufany), a qualified signature or an e-ID signature.
3. Pay the feesFor the permit and for the card; amounts in the table below.
4. Get your confirmationsThe system issues a UPO and then a zaświadczenie that you filed on time. Passport stamps are no longer given.
5. Give fingerprintsThe office may call you in person to take your fingerprints.

While you wait for the card

If the application was filed correctly and during a legal stay, your stay in Poland is legal from the filing date until the decision becomes final. The zaświadczenie from MOS confirms it.

FAQ

Sources

• Special act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens, consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1293, art. 100d: deadlines suspended until 4.03.2027 (read 2.11.2026); extension in Dz.U. 2026 poz. 203, art. 17(50).
• Act on Foreigners, art. 112a (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1079, as in force from 27.04.2026): 60-day and 6-month deadlines.
• MOS FAQ: legal stay, zaświadczenie instead of a stamp, travel (read 2.11.2026).
• Mazovian Voivodeship Office, 15.04.2026: applications only via MOS from 27.04.2026.
• Mazovian office: fees (read 2.11.2026).
• NIK: audit of the Lower Silesian office, cases 2022–2024.