Permanent residence permit

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Documents

a. Documents required at the application stage

A foreigner applying for a permanent residence permit submits to the voivode competent for the place of their stay:

  • completed, in accordance with the instruction, the application form for granting a permanent residence permit – under pain of leaving the application unexamined.

    The rules for completing the application are presented in the next stage: "Completing the application". In this section there is also the application itself to be completed and sent in the MOS.

  • 4 up-to-date photographs presenting in an unquestionable way the image of the foreigner's face, without headgear and blackout glasses, meeting the detailed criteria set out by law, i.e. undamaged, coloured, with good sharpness; measuring 35 mm x 45 mm; taken not earlier than within 6 months before the date of submitting the application; depicting the image of the face from the top of the head to the upper part of the shoulders, so that the face occupies 70-80% of the photographs, on a uniform light background, depicting a foreigner facing straight ahead with open eyes, unobstructed hair, with a natural facial expression and closed mouth, as well as reproducing the natural color of their skin; clearly depicting the eyes of the foreigner, and especially their pupils, and the line of the foreigner's eyes is parallel to the upper edge of the photograph – under pain of leaving the application unexamined.

    The regulations allow for a situation in which:

• a foreigner who wears a headdress in accordance with the rules of their religion will attach to the application photographs depicting them in this headdress, as long asthe image of the face is fully visible in the photograph, and they attach to the application a statement of the foreigner about belonging to a religious community;

• man with congenital or acquired defects of the organ of vision may attach to the application photographs depicting them in glasses with dark lenses. In this case, however, they should attach documents confirming disabilityand, if it is not possible to presentthem, submit a declaration of disability;

• the foreigner will attach to the application photographs with their eyes closed, other than natural facial expressionsor with their mouth open, if this is objectively justified (e.g. their state of health).

  • a photocopy of a valid travel document (at the same time presents the person accepting the application with its original for inspection – under pain of leaving the application unexamined);

    In a particularly justified case, if the foreigner does not have a validtravel document and it is not possible toobtain it, they may present another document confirming their identity in a way that does not raise doubts. At the same time, it should document the objective inability to obtain a travel document and the efforts made to obtain it.

  • proof of payment of stamp duty. Go to the "Stamp Duty" stage for more information.

b. Other documents

At the stage of submitting the application, it isdesirable to provide also the documents necessary to confirm the data contained in the application and the circumstances justifying applying for a permanent residence permit on the territory of the Republic of Poland.

These waters are not affected by the rigour of leaving the application unexamined and may be supplemented in the course of the proceedings. However, it should be remembered thatcombining full documentation already at the stage of submitting the application is an action consistent with the interest of the party. It organizes and simplifies the proceedings, because already at the initial stage the authority can make correct determinations regarding the foreigner's situation, which undoubtedly speeds up the process of examining the application and eliminates the risks associated with the need to supplement the documentation by the foreigner in the further course of the procedure for granting a permanent residence permit.

The evidence to be presented in the proceedings includes:

in the case of a minor child of a Polish citizen:

• child's birth certificate

• a copy of the parent's ID card

in the case of a minor child of a foreigner:

• child's birth certificate

• a copy of the decision to grant the parent a permanent residence permit or a long-term EU resident's residence permit

in the case of applying for a permit in connection with the possession of the Pole's Card:

• a copy of a valid Pole's Card (the original to be presented) - and a statement of intention to settle in Poland permanently

in the case of a foreigner of Polish origin:

• declaration of intention to settle permanently in Poland

• documents confirming the possession of links with Polishness and Polish origin, referred to in Article 5(1) and Article 6(1) and (2) of the Repatriation Act of 9 November 2000 (Journal of Laws of 2019). item 1472).

in the case of a spouse of a citizen of the Republic of Poland:

• current copy of the marriage certificate

In the event of doubts as to the authenticity of the presented civil status document, the voivode may additionally require the certification of this document in the form of an apostille or its legalization made by Poland consul after prior authentication by the competent authority of the country of origin.

• a copy of the spouse's ID card

• documents proving that the stay in the territory of Poland was uninterrupted or documents stating the reasons for the interruption of stay.

in the case of a victim of human trafficking:

• documents confirming cooperation with law enforcement authorities and having reasonable fears of returning to the country of origin;

• a copy of the decision granting a temporary residence permit to victims of trafficking in human beings.

for beneficiaries of international protection (refugee status, subsidiary protection) and national forms of protection against expulsion (humanitarian residence permit, tolerated residence permit)

• documents proving that the stay in the territory of Poland was uninterrupted or documents stating the reasons for the interruption of stay;

• a copy of the decision to grant refugee status in Poland, grant subsidiary protection, grant one of the above-mentioned consents.

In the case of foreigners who have been granted asylum in Poland – a decision on granting asylum;

For UK nationals:

• documents confirming that the foreigner until 31 December 2020 performed work on the territory of the Republic of Poland as a posted worker;

• documents proving that the stay in the territory of Poland was uninterrupted or documents stating the reasons for the interruption of stay;

• a copy of the decision on granting a temporary residence permit pursued to Article 186(1)(8) of the Act on Foreigners;

• documents confirming the possession of a source of stable and regular income sufficient to cover the costs of living for oneself and dependent family members (for a single person – in the amount higher than PLN 776 net per month, for a person in the family – in the amount higher than PLN 600 net per month);

• documents confirming the possession of health insurance.

in the case of the will to be represented in the proceedings by a proxy – a power of attorney together with confirmation of payment of stamp duty.

Remember!

  • the documents should be attached in the original or in a copy certified to be a true copy of the original by a notary public or the party's attorney who is an attorney-at-law or legal advisor; certification of the compliance of the copy with the original may also be made by an authorized employee of the voivodeship office in the administration office, upon presentation of the original document;

  • closely related documents should be presented jointly (e.g., a sublease agreement with a lease agreement) and be valid on the date the permit is issued.

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