Your first step is to decide on the purpose of your stay in Poland. The options can be as follows:
-Employment;
-Studies;
-Family reunification;
-Business immigration;
-Permanent residence based on Polish roots.
These are the main purposes for which foreigners consciously come to Poland.
However, today there are also those who came to Poland out of necessity, such as citizens of Ukraine. We covered all the nuances related to the UKR status in detail in one of our previous articles.
Your purpose of stay is employment
If you have arrived for employment purposes, according to Polish law, your official income must be at least the minimum wage, which in 2023 is 3,490 zł. This information must be emphasized in załącznik nr. 1, which your employer will provide, confirming their intention to employ you for a long-term period and outlining the conditions under which you will work. In addition, you must be insured, meaning you must have ZUS. If there are no issues with this, you will have no problems with legalization either.
Your purpose of stay is studies
Students, in turn, must show that they have sufficient funds for their maintenance in Poland for the entire duration of their stay. The university must provide a certificate stating that they have no academic arrears and that they are currently studying. It is very important that the student has insurance covering medical expenses. This can be ZUS insurance or any other private insurance issued for the period of stay.
If you are moving to Poland for family reunification
In this case, the spouse's official income must cover the subsistence minimum for each family member. You will receive your karta pobytu until the expiration date of your spouse's card.
If you are applying for a residence permit at the same time, your spouse will receive a decision first, followed by you.
The purpose of your stay will be confirmed by a marriage certificate or a child's birth certificate, as well as income certificates and a ZUS statement from your spouse. You must also have insurance covering medical treatment. As a rule, your spouse can add the entire family to their insurance.
Business immigration
This, in turn, can be planned or spontaneous.
Whatever the reason, the nuance is the same: the activity you conduct must generate a profit of no less than 12 average salaries, or have already generated the expected income. If you are only planning to reach this amount, you need to carefully approach the issue of documents confirming that you are carrying out such activities, draft a business plan competently, and describe everything in detail within it.
If you are coming to Poland for permanent residence with Polish roots or a Karta Polaka
You need to provide one of the following documents:
-Confirm your affiliation with the Polish nation;
-Provide a Karta Polaka;
-Provide documents confirming your Polish roots.
After that, you need to confirm your intentions to settle in Poland. You can work, study, or run a business; the main thing is to show what you are doing here.
Stay for humanitarian reasons
This topic is relevant for Belarusian citizens. Since 2020, Poland has provided the opportunity to obtain a residence permit on humanitarian grounds on a one-time basis. In other words, it is quite straightforward here: you arrived on a humanitarian visa, applied for a karta pobytu, and received your residence permit.
Make sure you have health insurance, a place of residence, and sufficient funds to support yourself.
As for income, in the case of employment or business activity, your income and insurance are confirmed by your employment contract or the fact that you receive a salary.
For family reunification, your spouse receives a salary and adds you to their insurance.
For studies, you show proof of sufficient funds (a bank statement or a letter from your parents confirming they receive income within the EU, or your employment contract if you work part-time).
As for the address of residence: in the case of employment, it is simply enough to state it. In the case of business, family reunification, studies, and pobyt stały, you need to provide a lease agreement, registration (zameldowanie), or a statement from the apartment owner confirming they are providing you with this housing.
Perhaps the most important step is submitting your documents correctly. To do this, you need to gather the complete list of documents, which can be found in one of our articles or on the Urząd website.
Fill out all the necessary application forms, schedule an in-person appointment for submission (which we strongly recommend), or, if some voivodeships do not offer this option, send your documents by mail and wait for a summons to provide fingerprints. Remember that the sooner you submit them, the faster your case will be assigned to an inspector, and you will receive a decision on your case.
In some voivodeships, you can also check the status of your case online, while in others this is done by contacting the infoline.
Based on all the above information, we can summarize:
Problems with legalization in Poland are easy to avoid; you just need to document the purpose of your stay and handle the other formalities.
And we discuss all these formalities in detail in our blog or during a comprehensive consultation.
See for yourself — subscribe to the social media of Spravochnik Immigranta or call us right now.
We will provide comprehensive support tailored specifically to your situation and break down all the nuances related to your case in detail.
Useful materials:
All about the karta pobytu for Belarusian citizens based on a humanitarian visa in 2022.
3 reasons why you shouldn't delay applying for a karta pobytu after arriving in Poland.
All about the karta pobytu for Belarusian citizens based on a humanitarian visa in 2022.
3 reasons why you shouldn't delay applying for a karta pobytu after arriving in Poland.
Permanent residence in Poland: EU long-term resident card — How to get it? Detailed guide.
Karta pobytu through work or family reunification? Which to choose? A complete breakdown.
