Since 27 April 2026, applications for a Polish residence permit (Karta Pobytu) can only be filed online through MOS 2.0, the government portal for foreigners at mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl. The way you apply has changed, but the rules have not: the voivodeship office still checks your legal basis, your documents and every stage of the case as strictly as before.
ONE PLUS prepares your residence permit application in MOS 2.0 and helps you file it, whether for work, study, business or family. We work out which permit fits your reason for staying and check your documents. After you submit, we deal with the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki) and keep track of your case. We are based in Wrocław, where we offer full residence permit help, and work with clients from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the US, the UK and other countries. Our clients live all over Poland.
When a letter arrives from the office, ask two questions. What does it want, and by when? The deadline to reply is written in the letter, so read it the day it comes. After you send the form in MOS, the office may ask for more documents (a wezwanie). It may call you in for fingerprints, or stay silent for weeks. The office decides the date and the result, and we cannot promise either.
At a glance:
- Where: online only, at mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl, since 27.04.2026. Access to the portal is free.
- Who signs: you, with Profil Zaufany (needs a PESEL) or a qualified electronic signature.
- Stamp duty (opłata skarbowa): PLN 340, 440 or 640, not refunded after a refusal or discontinuation if you filed from 05.03.2026. The PLN 100 card fee is separate.
- Biggest risk: after you click «Wyślij» (send), the application cannot be edited or withdrawn.
- Timing: 60 days by law, but until 04.03.2027 time limits are suspended (art. 100d).
- Help from ONE PLUS: from PLN 800 net for a check and help with filing. Official fees are separate.
- Checked: 18.10.2026.
What ONE PLUS does for you
We choose the permit with you, check the documents, fill in the MOS form together and answer the office’s letters after you send it. MOS 2.0 changed only the way you apply. The office still checks that the permit fits your situation and that your data agree across all papers. The portal does not.
- Review. We look at your passport, current status and the date your stay ends, then choose the permit type and assess the risk of refusal.
- Checklist. You get a document list made for you, with a note of what needs a sworn translation.
- Access and signature. We help with a PESEL and Profil Zaufany, or discuss a qualified signature, and test your login at login.gov.pl.
- Form and annex. We fill in the Polish form with you, upload the files and send your employer or university the link to Annex No. 1 (załącznik nr 1).
- Signing and sending. You sign and click «Wyślij» yourself, with our specialist next to you in the Wrocław office. We save the UPO, the PDF and XML and wait for the zaświadczenie.
Before sending we compare name, address, job title, salary, hours, contract period and workplace across the form, the contract and Annex 1.
Can I apply myself?
Yes. Access to MOS is free, and the Office for Foreigners (UdSC) says you can apply without a paid intermediary.
Dostęp do systemu MOS jest bezpłatny. Wniosek możesz złożyć samodzielnie, bez konieczności korzystania z odpłatnych usług pośredników.
We agree, so here is what you pay us for. MOS will not tell you that you picked the wrong permit. It will not warn you if the salary in the form differs from the contract, or if your stay ends before your employer signs. The case officer, the person at the office who handles your file, will notice later, and the stamp duty is not refunded after a refusal.
| On your own | With ONE PLUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Permit type and data | you choose and compare | we check them before sending |
| Office letters | you answer | we prepare the reply |
What changed on 27 April
Since 27.04.2026 a residence permit (karta pobytu, often called a TRC) is requested online only. MOS stands for Moduł Obsługi Spraw, the Office for Foreigners’ portal. Now the first step is electronic, and mistakes cost more.
- Online only. A paper application that reaches the office after 26.04.2026 is left unexamined. The date of receipt counts, not the date you posted it.
- Paper is still used for intra-corporate transfers (ICT), mobility, and family reunification when the relative is abroad. It also applies to family of Polish, EU and UK citizens outside Poland.
- New account. Old MOS accounts do not work, and you log in at login.gov.pl.
- No passport stamp. MOS gives you a certificate of filing (zaświadczenie) instead. Paper remains only for card replacement, changes to a case and appeals.
How to apply online, step by step
Log in at login.gov.pl, pick the application type, fill in the form in Polish, upload documents, pay outside the portal, sign and send. Field-by-field help: how to fill in a residence application in MOS 2.0.
The UPO (urzędowe poświadczenie odbioru) appears right after sending. It proves one thing: the application has reached the voivode.
Signing and your PESEL
Only you can create the account and sign. A representative with a power of attorney (pełnomocnik) cannot file from their own account, but may help while you are logged in. If you apply alone, the law names two tools: Profil Zaufany, which needs a PESEL, and a qualified electronic signature. The e-ID signature (e-dowód) is meant for legal representatives, such as a parent signing for a child.
No PESEL yet? Whether you can complete the whole MOS process without one depends on your case, so we check it before we plan the filing date. See our PESEL service.
Checking your case status
After sending, MOS shows only the status «przesłany» (sent). It does not show progress or carry letters. Letters arrive by post, or via e-Doręczenia if you set up a mailbox; see e-Doręczenia and MOS 2.0 in Wrocław. More in how to check your residence permit status.
Documents you need
You need a common set and the papers for your reason for staying.
| Document | MOS requirement | Who prepares it |
|---|---|---|
| Passport and photo | every page of a valid passport; photo 35 × 45 mm, under 6 months old, JPG at least 684 × 883 px | you |
| Payment proofs | stamp duty and the PLN 100 card fee, two transfers to different accounts (city and voivodeship office) | you; we check the details |
| Annex No. 1 | signed electronically in MOS by your employer, university or traineeship organiser | employer or university |
| Insurance and supporting papers | see the list below; files up to 10 MB each, 50 MB in total | you; we check them |
| Translations | sworn translation into Polish of every foreign-language document | we arrange it |
Supporting papers by reason for staying:
- Work: contract, Annex No. 1 and company documents. More in residence permit based on work.
- Study: university certificate, tuition payment proof, evidence of funds, health insurance. More: student residence permit.
- Business: CEIDG or KRS registration, PIT or CIT returns, ZUS certificates, proof of income and costs.
- Family: marriage or birth certificates with a sworn translation. An apostille depends on the country that issued the paper. More in family reunification.
- Permanent or EU long-term residence: residence history, income, Polish language proof and the papers for your specific ground.
The full checklist is in our document list for a residence permit. A correctly sized photo can be made online with DocPhoto, our own tool. Papers from abroad need a sworn translation: sworn translation service.
Fees and costs
You pay the state a stamp duty of PLN 340, 440 or 640 and, as a rule, PLN 100 for the card. The stamp duty goes to the city account (in Wrocław, Gmina Wrocław) and the PLN 100 card fee to the voivodeship office, because you cannot pay inside MOS.
| Payment | Amount | When it is not refunded |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty | PLN 440 for a single work and residence permit or Blue Card, PLN 340 for study, family and CUKR, PLN 640 for permanent and EU long-term residence | after a refusal or discontinuation, for applications filed from 05.03.2026 |
| Card fee | PLN 100, or PLN 50 on a ground in art. 237 with proof; no reduction for CUKR | a separate payment; the stamp duty rule does not automatically cover it |
The PLN 50 rate applies to children under 16 on the filing date. It also covers people studying at a Polish secondary school or university, and people in a difficult financial situation. You must attach proof.
How long does it take?
By law the office has 60 days for a temporary permit and 6 months for permanent or EU long-term residence. But these time limits are suspended until 4 March 2027 (art. 100d), so in practice you will wait longer. Treat this as a guide, not a forecast.
The order is: UPO right after sending, then the zaświadczenie in MOS (print it and keep it with your passport). Next may come a wezwanie by letter. The case officer examines the file outside MOS, the decision arrives by letter, and then the card is made.
Nobody can guarantee a date, but you do not have to wait in silence. First look at the status in MOS: it shows whether a letter is waiting for you. If nothing moves for a long time, we go through the history of the case and prepare a ponaglenie (a complaint about the delay). A court complaint about inaction depends on the circumstances and on art. 100d. We promise no deadline or compensation. See speeding up a residence permit case. The UPO and the zaświadczenie do not let you work for any employer and are not travel documents.
If the office sends a letter
Read the letter (wezwanie) and find the deadline: it is written in the letter itself, and you must not miss it. The office writes when it needs more documents, corrected data, an explanation of differences, or a visit for fingerprints.
We read the letter, explain what is needed, prepare the reply and send it so that the date can be proved.
The office can still call you in for fingerprints and a signature sample. Bring your original valid passport and the originals of the documents you uploaded. The office sets the date; we tell you what to bring and remind you of the deadline.
Common reasons for refusal
Refusals and extra requests usually come from the wrong permit type, mismatched data, missing papers or a missed deadline.
- The wrong permit, for example a general temporary permit instead of the single permit for residence and work.
- Filing in the last days of your stay, when the employer cannot sign Annex 1 in time.
- One figure that differs between the form, the contract and Annex 1.
- Passport pages missing, a poor photo, one payment instead of two, or a transfer to the wrong account.
- A child’s application without the rules for minors.
- A missed deadline in a wezwanie.
After a refusal you can appeal within 14 days of receiving the decision. We look for grounds and tell you honestly whether an appeal makes sense, without promising a result.
Employer not signing Annex 1
Without the signed Annex No. 1 MOS will not let you send a work-based application. You enter the company’s email in MOS and the system sends a link that is valid for 30 days. A person authorised to represent the company, or its pełnomocnik, signs it electronically.
- Check which company email got the link and who may sign.
- Job title, salary, hours, place and period of work must match the contract exactly.
After the card is issued, both sides have duties. If you lose the job, you notify the voivode within 15 working days, and the employer within 15 calendar days (art. 121), in writing and not through MOS. If an agency hired you, the annex must come from your actual employer.
Special cases
UK and Irish citizens
Most British citizens who moved to Poland after Brexit need a residence permit once their 90 visa-free days in any 180 run out. Those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement follow separate rules, explained in our guide for UK and Irish citizens.
Applicants from India, Pakistan and the Philippines
Two mistakes come up often. One is the wrong permit type after a recruiter arranged the contract. The other is filing in the last weeks of a stay while the employer is slow to sign.
Applying for a child
A parent or guardian creates the account and signs. Read residence card for a child via MOS 2.0.
Already applied yourself?
A sent application cannot be edited, but you can add documents. We can join at any stage: we check the PDF, UPO, zaświadczenie and letters, tell you what is missing and prepare the reply. People often come after their employer, salary, address or university changed.
Which help to choose
You pay for a complete application and a named person who owns your case.
| Option | What is included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Check and file | consultation, refusal risk review, document check, checklist, filling in the form, help submitting | PLN 800 |
| Work with the office after filing | everything above, plus client cabinet, SMS or Telegram status alerts, contact with the office, sending documents, ponaglenie, representation under a power of attorney | PLN 1,800 |
| The whole case | everything above, plus coming with you to fingerprinting and card collection, appeal after a refusal, a complaint about inaction, a personal manager, re-filing if the card is issued for under 6 months | PLN 2,000 |
Prices are net for a work-based permit; other grounds are in the ONE PLUS price list. Stamp duty, sworn translations, insurance and notary fees are extra. We confirm the amount in the contract.
Expert advice
Tatiana Vyborna, President of the Management Board of ONE PLUS, has more than 12 years of practice in residence permits and employment for foreigners. She graduated in law from the University of Wrocław and completed postgraduate studies at Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny we Wrocławiu. She has represented clients in more than 25 inspections by the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna), the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP), the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) and the Tax Offices (Urząd Skarbowy). Expert profile.
From Tatiana Vyborna’s practice: applicants from the UK, US and Canada often lose weeks on the signature, not the form. Settle the signing method first.
Tip from ONE PLUS: before you click «Wyślij», open the PDF of the application. Compare three fields with your contract: job title, salary and period of employment. These most often differ from Annex 1.
Small things often cause trouble in MOS. A job title that differs from the contract, a signature made the wrong way, a wezwanie answered a day late. More than 15,000 clients have used ONE PLUS, and we work every day with inspectors at voivodeship offices, for example in Warsaw and Gdańsk. We read your PDF with you before you click «Wyślij» (Send).
Our Google rating is 4.7 (around 445 reviews), and we are an «Orły Prawa» laureate. Is your visa, visa-free stay or card running out? Describe your situation in the form below or on our contact page. We will check the deadlines and suggest an option.
Updated: 20.10.2026. Sources: Office for Foreigners: MOS Q&A, Lower Silesian office: online only from 27 April, Office for Foreigners: no refund of stamp duty, Act on Foreigners (consolidated text).
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