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For business

A Blue Card, i.e. a temporary residence permit for the purposes of highly qualified employment, is granted to a foreigner whose purpose of stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland is to perform work in a highly qualified profession. This permit is intended for persons employed on the basis of an employment relationship. Thus, running a business does not qualify for a Blue Card.

Submitting an application for a temporary residence permit does not affect your ability to travel. However, it should be remembered that the traveller must have a valid basis for crossing the border of the Republic of Poland and for returning. Submitting an application legalises your stay in the Republic of Poland, but does not entitle you to cross borders. Persons without any other basis for legal residence should refrain from travelling until they have obtained a residence card.

A residence card is valid for the period for which a temporary residence permit has been granted. The legislation does not provide a catalogue of situations in which the permit is issued for a specific period of time, but if all the necessary conditions for obtaining the residence permit are met, it is usually issued for a period of 3 years.

For foreigners

At the moment, only foreigners are entitled to apply for a temporary residence permit for persons with temporary protection, the so-called UKR status:

  • employed on the territory of the Republic of Poland;
  • conducting economic activity in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
  • who meet the requirements to obtain the so-called Blue Card.

This catalogue is closed. Current regulations do not provide for the possibility to apply for a temporary residence permit for family members in order to reunite them (only applicable to persons with temporary protection).

Legislative work on the amendment of the Law of 12 March 2022 on assistance to citizens of Ukraine in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of the country is underway. The draft amendment envisages granting the right to obtain a residence card also to family members with UKR status. The expected date of entry into force of the amendments is 1 July 2024

The validity of the residence card is linked to the duration of the temporary residence permit. If the permit expires, a new application must be submitted.

Permanent residence is a permit issued mainly on the basis of blood ties and nationality. The counterpart of permanent residence is the residence permit for a long-term EU resident – it is a permit of indefinite duration. You can apply for it after 5 years of legal and continuous residence in the territory of the Republic of Poland.