The Karta pobytu is a document confirming the legal stay of a foreigner in Poland.
This document allows multiple border crossings without a visa (not only the border of Poland, but of the entire European Union).
Essentially, this is the most main and important document that a foreigner wishing to legally stay and work in Poland must obtain.
In this article, we have gathered the top 10 questions most frequently asked by our clients.
1. How to get a Karta pobytu quickly?
To obtain a Karta pobytu in the shortest possible time, you need to submit a complete set of documents and provide fingerprints.
To do this, you need to schedule an in-person document submission, bring all necessary documents, and make all administrative payments.
We recommend paying for the plastic card printing immediately and attaching the oświadczenie o wydruku karty bez adresu statement to your application so that your card goes straight to print once your decision is issued.
2. How to book an appointment for fingerprinting?
In Poznań and the Greater Poland Voivodeship, it is not possible to book fingerprinting in advance.
If you sent your documents by mail, then unfortunately, the process of obtaining your Karta pobytu will be delayed because the documents will remain in the registry office until an inspector takes them up and calls you in for fingerprinting.
And you might wait for this for up to a year.
3. Can an employer cancel a Karta pobytu?
An employer cannot cancel a Karta pobytu because they do not issue it.
All they can do is notify the Urząd about your dismissal.
And if within a month you do not submit an application for a change of employer, the Urząd may cancel the decision.
4. How to get a Karta pobytu without being tied to an employer?
to an employer?
"Being tied to an employer" is a conditional term that entails the need to notify the urzad about changing employers.
Previously, changing employers meant having to apply for a new Karta pobytu.
Now, starting from February 2022, a procedure has been introduced to apply for a decision amendment.
Under which, within 14 days, you must notify the urzad about the dismissal
and within 30 days submit documents from the new employer, namely:
- załącznik nr 1;
- potwierdzenie zgłoszenia do ZUS, umowa o pracę/zlecenia.
If your residential address has also changed, you need to report it.
You should also fill out a special application and make a payment of 220 zł.
The following groups of persons are exempt from this procedure:
- Citizens of Ukraine, in connection with the law on assistance to citizens of Ukraine;
- Graduates of Polish schools and universities;
- Holders of a Karta pobytu through family reunification;
- Holders of an EU long-term resident card or Pobyt stały.
5. How to obtain Pobyt stały based on the Karta Polaka while in Belarus?
In order to obtain a pobyt stały, you need to prove your intention to settle in Poland.
This can be done by confirming your residential address and showing what you do in Poland.
This can be achieved by:
- Having an employment contract;
- Studying in Poland;
- Running a business (JDG);
- Being a dependent of a spouse who lives with you in Poland
It is impossible to obtain a pobyt stały while living in Belarus, as none of the above points can be fulfilled remotely.
And people who offer such services are most likely scammers.
Therefore, we recommend paying attention to this and avoiding being scammed.
6. How to apply for a Karta pobytu for a child?
There are several ways; it all depends on the available documents and the purpose of the parents' stay.
You can read about this in detail in this article.
7. Is it possible to issue a visa in Poland?
It is not possible to issue a visa in Poland; only the extension procedure exists.
However, visas are extended in cases where a person physically has no opportunity to leave the country.
Also, in connection with recent regulations, drivers from Ukraine and Belarus who work for Polish companies and perform international transport operations have gained the opportunity to extend their visas.
This can be done if the visa was issued for a period of less than a year, in which case the visa is extended up to a one-year period.
In all other cases, you should consider applying for a Karta pobytu.
8. I received a refusal for a Karta pobytu. What should I do to stay here?
First of all, you need to review the reason for the refusal.
To do this, you need to receive the decision.
From the moment you receive the decision, you will have 14 days to write an appeal.
If the refusal was issued unfairly, we draft an odwołanie and send it to the urząd.
If the refusal was issued through your own fault, then while the period of the state of epidemic threat or the law on assistance to citizens of Ukraine is valid, you can re-apply for a new Karta pobytu.
9. I arrived in Poland from Ukraine after 24.02.2022, how do I get a Karta pobytu?
In connection with the law on assistance to citizens of Ukraine, any citizen of Ukraine who arrived in Poland after 24.02 can apply for a card only after 9 months of stay.
Before that, they can stay in Poland legally and carry on their activities on the basis of registering as a citizen of Ukraine residing in Poland in connection with the military conflict in their country.
This will be confirmed by a PESEL with a CUKR status and an electronic document stored in the Obywatel or diia.pl application.
10. I have a humanitarian visa and work in Poland.
How do I get a card without being tied to an employer?
You can obtain a Karta pobytu for humanitarian reasons.
It will be issued for a period of 3 years with access to the labor market (which means exemption from the so-called ties to the employer).
However, I recommend considering whether you actually need it.
After all, currently, the period of stay based on such a card does not count
towards the 5-year period required to obtain a EU long-term resident's card.
And the tie to the employer is not that scary, as it merely means the formality of informing the urzad about changing employers after obtaining such a card.
Need help with obtaining a temporary or permanent residence permit in Poland?Contact the professionals!Leave a request below or call the specified phone number.
Useful materials:
All about the Karta pobytu for Belarusian citizens based on a humanitarian visa in 2022.
3 reasons why you should not delay applying for a Karta pobytu after arriving in Poland.
Permanent residence in Poland: EU Long-Term Resident's Card - How to get it? Detailed guide.
Karta pobytu based on work or family reunification? What to choose? Full breakdown.
TOP 5 cases when the Karta pobytu can truly be free from employer ties
Refusal of a Karta pobytu: unspoken reasons (undesirable stay, SIS) - Solutions to the problem
Permanent residence in Poland without a Karta Polaka: the complete process of obtaining a Karta stałego pobytu in 2022 based on roots
Family reunification in Poland - everything about the Karta pobytu in 2022 for spouses and children.
Stały pobyt in 2022: Permanent residence in Poland with a Karta Polaka - processing and receiving financial support
Blue Card in Poland in 2022 - everything about the Karta pobytu and residence permit for highly qualified specialists.
