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Today’s post continues the thread concerning residence of foreigners in Poland. Having fulfilled certain conditions, an alien may apply for a residence permit for EU long-term resident which authorizes their permanent stay in Poland. If you are interested how to gain such a permit, this post is right for you.
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Who may apply for residence permit for EU long-term resident?

EC long-term residence permit is a specific permit which is obtainable subject to meeting a number of stringent premises. An alien who fails to fulfill any of those premises will not obtain a favourable decision. So, who may gain such a permit? An EC long-term residence permit will be issued to a foreigner who:

  • • has legally and incessantly stayed in Poland for at least 5 years directly preceding their application, while in certain cases that period will have to be longer (e.g. an alien who had studied in Poland will be able to account only half of his study time as a qualifying period of residence);
  • • has a source of stable and regular income sufficient to cover the maintenance cost for themselves and dependent family members;
  • • has a health insurance;
  • • has a certified command of the Polish language. The permit is issued for indefinite time while the residence card is valid for 5 years from the date of issuance and then has to be renewed.
Where should I apply?

As in the case of temporary residence permit, the proceedings are held by aliens department of province government office (urząd wojewódzki). A foreigner should submit an application to the office competent for their place of residence.

What documents should be attached to my application?

Apart from a filled-in form, four photographs and a copy of travel document, an alien is required to attach documents confirming information contained in the application form and circumstances justifying their application for residence permit for EU long-term resident. Applicant should prove their legal and incessant stay in Poland for at least 5 years, stable and regular source of income as well as proof of income for the last 3 years. It is also essential to be registered for health insurance and to have a tenure of accommodation. Since February 2018 an alien must also present a document proving their command of the Polish language at minimum B1 level. This can be, among others, a certificate of graduation from a school or college in Poland, a certificate of graduation from a school or college abroad where Polish is the language of instruction, or a certificate issued by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language. An ordinary certificate of completion of a course of Polish issued by a private language school will not be accepted. Before placing an application an alien should verify it for completeness, which will speed up proceeding.

Work permit

An advantage of having an EC long-term residence permit is that an alien is authorised to work in Poland without a separate work permit. Upon granting a favourable decision, a note “access to labour market” will be recorded in the residence card.

The procedure of application for EC long-term residence permit is time consuming and may seem complicated to anyone outside Poland. If you are not sure you can manage to get through the formalities, just write to me!

  1. Photo by Slava Bowman on Unsplash ↩