More and more Westerners are willing to settle in Warsaw, Gdańsk or Cracow. There are many reasons for that, but one thing is certain: a temporary residence permit is required. Let’s talk about it, then. Learn how to become a legal resident in Poland!
Staying in the Republic of Poland
Americans, for example, or Australians can stay in Poland for up to 30 days without any registration at all. However, since Poland is a part of the European Union, it allows other European citizens to stay within its borders for longer – up to 90 days. The citizens of the United Kingdom are also eligible to use this privilege. But there is a catch. Only tourists qualify, people who are visiting Poland on their own time. Everyone else must have a temporary residence visa. It can be easily arranged online through karta-pobytu.pl.
Temporary residence permit in Poland
Today, large Polish cities need native speakers for education purposes. French, English, Spanish… There are plenty of language schools around where a foreign native speaker can find decent employment. Furthermore, many businesses are keen to hire foreign business advisors, lawyers and even artists. No matter the occupation, though, every employment requires a work visa in Poland.
The temporary residence card allows foreigners to work for a Polish employer for three years. It is important to understand that the permit isn’t prolonged automatically. Every individual must apply for temporary residence again before the previous card expires. A British native speaker in Poland must therefore contact the local Voivodeship Office in time. Otherwise, the employment contract might become invalid.
A similar thing can happen to an intern. If a Westerner wishes to start an internship in Poland, he/she is obligated to have a temporary residence permit. But things don’t end here. The firm or institution in question must be approved by the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs. Only then an internship permit can be granted.
What is an EU Blue Card?
It is a special type of working visa in the European Union. In Poland, too, a Blue Card is issued. But it is different from an ordinary permit we mentioned earlier. You see, EU Blue Cards are given to highly qualified personnel only. A native speaker might not receive it. A university professor surely can. With this kind of temporary residence permit, a foreigner in Poland can occupy unique job positions, which require both a degree and a certain set of skills. In most cases, experience is equally important. There are also professions that demand more qualities, but the details vary depending on particular positions.
A reason to stay in Poland
This is a fundamental element of the process: everyone who applies for temporary residence must provide a document behind the purpose of staying in Poland for longer. If current employment is that purpose, a foreigner must provide a contract proving this is indeed a fact. The same refers to students willing to find education in Poland. They also need a temporary residence permit for their purposes. In that case, an acceptance letter from a university is usually enough to apply for the permit.
There is also a matter of voluntary work. A lot of people travel across the continent to perform different services for free. Do they need a temporary residence permit for volunteers in Poland? Yes. The document is issued according to similar rules that cover an internship. In this case, however, volunteers must also prove that they possess funds, allowing them to stay in Poland and go back home whenever their services are completed.
Registration of residence cards
So, the application for a temporary residence permit in Poland requires a reason to stay, which needs to be proven on paper. There are additional documents foreigners must remember about. They must have a place of residence. This can be a dormitory for students or an apartment, which has to be rented. The exemplary native speaker must provide a written proof that confirms the address of residence during his/her stay (a lease agreement is sufficient).
A temporary residence for Westerners in Poland also demands health insurance and a valid travel document (EU ID or a passport). In addition, four current biometric photographs must be added to the application form. They must be 35 x 45 mm in size. What’s equally important, they can’t be older than six months and the background must be a uniform bright color. The face should occupy 70-80 % of the picture. The same applies to a situation when a replacement of the residence card is needed. If the original gets lost or stolen, a brand-new document will be issued. This, however, demands the whole application process to be repeated.
A longer stay in Poland requires a temporary residence visa. Volunteer services and internships can’t be performed without it as well. The application process isn’t complicated, but some foreigners might use help in order to do things right. For this to happen, they only need to follow the link provided earlier.
