Residence card in Poland via MOS: how to apply in 2026

Since 27 April 2026, a karta pobytu (residence card) for work – the temporary residence and work permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę) – can only be applied for through the new MOS (Moduł Obsługi Spraw, the online service for foreigners’ cases). You fill in the application online, your employer signs their part, you pay PLN 440 and PLN 100 and submit everything no later than the last day of your legal stay. Then you are called in to give your fingerprints, and the voivode makes a decision.

Who needs a residence card for work

You need this permit if you are a non-EU foreigner who wants to live and work in Poland longer than a visa or visa-free travel allows. The voivode issues it for up to 3 years, and it is tied to a specific employer and specific working conditions.

The main conditions:

• you are in Poland legally on the day you apply;
• you have health insurance or confirmation that your insurer covers treatment in Poland;
• your pay is not lower than that of workers in comparable jobs and not lower than the minimum wage – PLN 4,806 gross in 2026;
• for regulated professions, such as driver, you have documents confirming your qualifications.

Ukrainian citizens with UKR status follow separate rules, so they should check their own procedure first.

What changed in MOS on 27 April 2026

• Paper applications that reached the office after 26 April 2026 are not processed.
• The previous version of MOS was switched off on 17 April 2026 and its accounts were deleted. You need to create a new account, which you can do with the same email address.
• An application counts as submitted at the moment MOS sends it to the voivodeship office.
• The stamp in your passport has been replaced by a zaświadczenie confirming your application. You can download it once an office employee has checked your application.
• Changes (a new employer, different conditions, a new address) and appeals against a decision are submitted outside MOS: on paper or to the voivode’s e-Doręczenia (electronic delivery) address.

The Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców (Office for Foreigners) has published official answers to common questions about the new MOS.

Step by step: how to apply through MOS

1. Check how long your legal stay lasts. You must submit the application no later than your last legal day, but it is better to do it a few weeks earlier: your employer’s signature and the documents can take time.
2. Get a PESEL and a profil zaufany. A MOS account is created through login.gov.pl, which requires a profil zaufany, and that requires a PESEL number. How to get the number is explained in our article PESEL in Poland.
3. Create a new MOS account. Only an adult can create one; for a child, a parent or guardian does it.
4. Pay the two fees as separate transfers. PLN 440 stamp duty (opłata skarbowa) goes to the account of the city office (urząd miasta) named by your voivodeship office, and PLN 100 for the residence card goes to the voivodeship office’s account. Put your first name and surname in the payment reference. The stamp duty is not refunded if you are refused.
5. Fill in the application in Polish. Attach scans or photos of every page of your passport, a photo (file up to 2.5 MB), your insurance, documents confirming your qualifications and confirmations of both payments. You can come back to an unfinished draft within 45 days of the last change.
6. Enter your employer’s email address. They will get a link to their part of the application (załącznik nr 1), fill it in and sign it electronically: with a profil zaufany, a personal signature (podpis osobisty) or a qualified signature. The link is valid for 30 days, and MOS will not let you submit the application without the signed annex.
7. Sign and submit the application. You must sign it yourself – with a profil zaufany, a personal signature or a qualified signature. Save the UPO, the official receipt confirmation.
8. Download the zaświadczenie. It confirms that your stay is legal from the day you applied until the day the decision becomes final, unless you yourself asked for the proceedings to be suspended.
9. Go and give your fingerprints. The voivode will call you in person to give your fingerprints and a specimen signature and to show your original passport. You cannot book this appointment through MOS; the office sets the date.

Can I work while my application is being processed

The zaświadczenie confirms your legal stay, but on its own it does not give you the right to work. You can work while your application is being processed if one of these conditions is met:

• you have a valid work permit or oświadczenie, and you had the right to work in Poland right before you applied;
• you work on the basis of a work permit or a previous residence card and applied, while it was still valid, to continue the same job; if your application has no formal defects, working on the same terms counts as legal until the final decision;
• you have worked for at least 3 months under an umowa o pracę (employment contract) based on an oświadczenie and applied before it expired to keep working for the same employer in the same job.

Example: a Moldovan citizen works under an oświadczenie during a visa-free stay and applies through MOS before the 90 days are up. While the application is being processed, he can keep working for as long as the oświadczenie is valid.

If none of these conditions applies, work becomes illegal once your previous document expires, and the foreigner faces a fine of at least PLN 1,000. Check your situation with your employer before your permit or oświadczenie runs out.

How long it takes and what happens after the decision

Processing time depends on the voivodeship office and on how complete your documents are; in practice you may wait several months. The decision arrives by post at the correspondence address you gave.

Once you have the card, remember two rules:

• to move to another employer, you need to apply to change your permit, otherwise the voivode may start proceedings to revoke it;
• if you lose your job, tell the voivode in writing within 15 days; if you do so in time, your permit will not be revoked because of the job loss for at least 30 days, and in that time you can find a new job and apply to change your permit.

Common mistakes

• Waiting until the last day. If your employer doesn’t sign the annex in time, MOS will not accept the application, and your legal stay will run out.
• One transfer of PLN 540. The stamp duty and the card fee go to different accounts.
• An incomplete passport scan. Every page is needed.
• A paper copy or email. A completed application sent by post, email or through e-Doręczenia is left unprocessed.
• Working “on the zaświadczenie”. It does not replace the right to work; the conditions are described above.
• A new job without changing your permit. The permit is only valid with the employer and on the conditions stated in the decision.
• Paying “middlemen for a fast card”. Access to MOS is free, and you sign the application yourself. How to spot scammers is explained in our article fake job offers: how to spot them.

How STARKO helps

We arrange work permits and help with PESEL and residence cards. Our coordinator speaks Ukrainian and Russian and is available every day. Looking for a legal job with accommodation in Poland? Send us a request, and we will tell you what you need in your situation.