Document confirming right to permanent residence of an EU citizen
Where and when to apply
The application is to be submitted by an EU (EEA/Swiss Confederation) citizen in person (i.e. it is required to appear in person when submitting the application or at the request of the authority) to the competent province governor for the area where the EU citizen resides.
The application in case of:
- a minor – is submitted (i.e. signed) by parents or guardians appointed by the court or other authority or by one of the parents or one of the guardians appointed by the court or other authority;
- a totally incapacitated person remaining under parental authority is submitted by parents, and for those not remaining under parental authority is submitted by a guardian appointed by a court or other authority;
- an unaccompanied minor –is submitted by a guardian.
- In particularly justified cases, including due to the health condition of an applicant, the requirement to appear in person may be waived.
Required documents
- Completed application form for a document confirming the right to permanent residence;
- Four biometric photographs taken not earlier than 6 months before the date of application;
- A valid travel document or another valid document confirming identity and citizenship (the original document available for inspection);
Please note: Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned documents will result in the applicant being requested to provide the missing documents within a deadline of not less than 7 days after service of the request, otherwise the application will not be considered.
- Documentary evidence of an uninterrupted stay of 5 years (or 3 years if applicable) in the territory of the Republic of Poland in accordance with the conditions of the right to stay for periods longer than 3 months;
- Documents stating the reasons for interruptions in the stay, if any.
Please note: If there is a need to provide explanations or clarification of the evidence held by a competent authority in a given case, the applicant may be requested in the course of the proceedings to provide additional documents or give evidence of the circumstances referred to in the application.
Required fees
No fees are charged for issuing a document confirming the right to permanent residence.
Case processing time
The document confirming the right to permanent residence is issued without undue delay after submission of the relevant application.
Information on the issued document
A valid travel document or another valid document confirming identity and citizenship must be presented upon receipt of the document confirming the right to permanent residence. When the document is received by the applicant’s proxy – a special power of attorney must be presented to collect the document.
A document confirming the right to permanent residence is valid for 10 years. A new document is issued upon request in connection with the expiry of the document's validity.