Karta Pobytu

Hi Sar3,

Which location are you asking about?

Dolnoslaski

Ok. Wroclaw area. It is not that popular nor it is a first or second choice of foreigners to come so thankfully you will wait less. But then much depends on the people in the Foreigners' Affairs Dept. at the Voivode Office. I don't have very up-to-date feedback from there unfortunately, but after you get the work permit you're working legally and the stay had been leegal since the moment of applying so the only hassle is to get the decision (i.e. residence card afterwards the decision is issued AND picked up) in order to enable you to travel freely. But that's the only obstalce.
Has your visa expired?

Yes, it has been a crazy time so far. We've been waiting since May 2017. My visa expired in August so I've been stuck for a while. I'm happy that I'm able to work legally now but I really need the card, just for security and to feel safe and to travel wherever I like. So you say that I must wait for the decision and then going to pick it up, are you thinking a month or two?

Thanks for your help so far

Thats what I heard. I just had a friend get his decision on an renewal application that was submitted about the time as yours in Gorzow Wielkopolski. I had thpugjt that because I too am in a less desirable area and from the US that I would  see sooner news but its been since October and no news with the exception of the Police visit. My wife contacted a friend who works there and told her that its taking 6 to 9 months to process the temporary resident cards. It not good news.

Wow this is crazy. It used to be only 2-3 months so I never thought it would be like this. Definitely learning patience here in Poland that's forsure! Goodluck with everything, I hope you hear news soon.

We have had Christmas and New Year holidays, so that could be the reason why things slowed down?

Unfortunately my situation is same as yours my employee got my work permit 2 months ago but I am still waiting residence card and and as expats you,me and more we are waiting also because of Ukrainian immigrations after the joined Ukraine to eu,Poland engaged many Ukrainian for working so it is also why we are waiting long time for processing

Since I arrived here in Dolnośląskie I can see that this place is crowded and the office is taking longer than ever to start any foreign process.
The average time I heard is from 8 to 12 months, but a friend of mine (Russian, holds an Italian PhD and some other post doc) got his positive Bluecard decision in 4 months, so I would think there's something about degree level on that line of who's next to get evaluated.

I think the easiest way to get any paperwork fast is to move to Warszawa. That is a place where things work zip fast.

Good look with that (to us)!

Hi.
Warsaw has been clogged up for a few years now, with the most messy system there, but it didn't take as long as 8 months or more as you write it is in Wroclaw.
That means the officers there or the whole department at Urzad Wojewodzki in Wroclaw is extremely inefficient. This area doesn't recieve that much applications as this isn't the first or even third choice to be for foreigners. I can compare this with Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk and Silesia area, and even the Silesian district office in Katowice (being the most inefficient) has managed to work it through a bit better.
That means either your friend has applied long time ago or that isn't true or he missed some details. Also that is a different procedure, so don't compare like that.

Hello Mundis,

It's not only my friend's application that is taking longer than 8 months, you just need to ask around. Even here in this forum you'll find plenty of people that waited more than 8 months for an application response or are still waiting for it after a year.

About Warszawa being a place that works, I speak by experience with the work permit, which, of course, I know that it's a different document, but I used logic here to think that if the WP was quick, the rest could follow the same way. Mine took only 2 weeks, while in Dolnośląskie area is taking up to 4 months (again, if you ask around, you'll get a lot of responses than you can do your own math to get an average). I work for a big company, so I already got these numbers with some colleagues and put the brain to work it.

About Wrocław not being a common destination for immigration, I think that changed last year. When I was applying for the Bluecard, the officer taking care of my case was explaining that in the last 6 months the whole Dolnośląskie office has received more than 50 thousands applications, and that he never saw anything like this in his entire career (more than 30 years working for the government, if I'm not mistaken). He was terrified showing an application number from 6 months ago and then my number, something like that number + 50.000.

I'm here just trying to exchange information in a sense that helps everyone interested on it. I have no reasons to lie or create fallacies here. I would prefer to better invest my time than typing a long text in a small smartphone keyboard in a language that is not my mother tongue.

I'm sorry if my previous message offended you in some way. That was definitely not the intention.

My best regards,
Lucas

lucasestevao wrote:

Hello Mundis,

About Wrocław not being a common destination for immigration, I think that changed last year. When I was applying for the Bluecard, the officer taking care of my case was explaining that in the last 6 months the whole Dolnośląskie office has received more than 50 thousands applications, and that he never saw anything like this in his entire career (more than 30 years working for the government, if I'm not mistaken). He was terrified showing an application number from 6 months ago and then my number, something like that number + 50.000.


I'm sorry if my previous message offended you in some way. That was definitely not the intention.

My best regards,
Lucas

Hi!
No offence taken whatsoever! I did not suggest that you are lying, I meant all the stories that some people say, like "I got my card in a month" etc. I've done and managed a few hundreds of those procedures so I don't feel like asking around how much it takes.
Your quote above about the officer shows that they are not prepared and not efficient to process that many applications. That is what I meant.

About your case: If you get a case number (starts with WO.V......) then you can inquire about updates more successfully, because 8 months is off-the-scale even for the current situation. And the officers need to close their cases too, as they have to follow kodeks postępowania administracyjnego, which has deadlines...

Lucas,

Thanks for the information; I applied for my temporary resodent card in September through a small village called Gorzow. I too have yet to hear anything regarding my application process so it is a problem that must felt all over Poland. I believe that your information is correct wnd that 50K applications is insane and hard to handle. I also think that no matter where you have applied your wait will be long because Warsaw vets and reviews all the applications that are sent. I just hppe I hear soon, i cant leave until i get approved even though I am from the US  and donr need a visa to return.

Hi befranklin,

I am just about to embark on the same process as you. I will be married shortly and will then immediately apply for a temporary residency card.

Can you explain why you are not able to leave Poland while you wait for the decision? I don't understand this at all. If you don't need a visa to visit Poland, why would you not be allowed to return to Poland after leaving?

-Hayden

Hi Hayden,

I don't really know if I can't leave the county.  I"m from the USA and applied for my TRC in September  and we don't require a visa for most of the EU so I really shouldn't have a problem returning.  The problem is though since I have been here beyond the 90 days that I am allow to stay in the Schengen area and since I have gone through EU-Schengen immigration and had my passport scanned when I come in they have a record of when I came in so they may be able to see that I was here longer than 90 days.  But then again they might not because ordinarily you don't go through customs to leave the Schengen area so they wouldn't know when I left but I also have a stamp in my passport saying that I have filed for TRC in Poland so I don't really know what would happen if I left and came back to Poland.  I usually don't fly directly into Poland when I fly out internationally but through Oslo or Reykjavik, Iceland when I come in through customs.  So I really haven't found any information that says that I can't leave but everything that I have read on the internet says not to leave so I really don't know what to do.  I was planning to go back to the US in May but have given up the idea for now.   By the time I really know anything tickets will be expensive and not very reasonable.  And besides that we will be spending most of our summer in Greece so I have spent most of our money on that. I hope that you have better luck than we have had thus far in our journey here in Poland.

Bernie

Hi Mundis,

How is the fact that having not received any numbers of letters that the application is acknowledged by an officer within 5 months by now, do you think we still by chance have any opportunity to track or speed up our process?

Hi!

It's tough. Do you at least have some confirmation of submitting? A copy of the form with a stamp from the Voivode Office (date stamp usually) or a special confirmation they sometimes hand out? Anything to proove you submitted the application 5 months ago?

I only have a stamp on my passport with the application date on it.

Ok, that's enough - you can go with it to information desk at your Voivode Office and inquire. It's been 5 months, they definitely should have started the procedure and you should get a letter from the office. Have you moved/changed flats in the meantime maybe? The letter would be sent to the address in Poland that you gave in the form...

Thanks, let me go and inquiry the status then. I haven't changed the flat and checking mail box everyday

Mundis wrote:

Hi.
Warsaw has been clogged up for a few years now, with the most messy system there, but it didn't take as long as 8 months or more as you write it is in Wroclaw.
That means the officers there or the whole department at Urzad Wojewodzki in Wroclaw is extremely inefficient. This area doesn't recieve that much applications as this isn't the first or even third choice to be for foreigners. I can compare this with Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk and Silesia area, and even the Silesian district office in Katowice (being the most inefficient) has managed to work it through a bit better.
That means either your friend has applied long time ago or that isn't true or he missed some details. Also that is a different procedure, so don't compare like that.

About Wroclaw. I've got married to a Polish girl in another country and we came to wroclaw.
In Sep2017 I applied my doc for getting the karta pobytu and now its June2018 and I didn't got even an answer about my case, they're ignoring my emails, they don't give a number to call and talk with them, and when i go none knows anything they will tell you just some general infos!
All that time living in Poland I couldn't even work or earn for my living! While i'm legally married and all my documents are correct didn't missed anything.
Now i'm planning to travel away this month i will not wait for the card anymore i just got enough of living afraid -__-

Hey

That sucks big time.
The only way is to inquire there, do you have a proof of submitting the application??

Yes, I've a paper with the stamp and date when I submited docs. The most ridiculous, that police which was supposed to come for an interview, never came. When my wife started to call, they said that they had some request from Governatory, but they sent back. Noone knows what they sent. The only kind person, an inspector of the police dep in Wroclaw told her that mostly its the language issue, they don't speak Eng and it makes a barrier to them. Started to feel, that cases are its results are based on nationality, which would be so sad.

I don't think it's a matter of nationality. But in any case do inquire - the Voivode Office has to follow the administrative code, which obliges it to conclude a procedure in a designated time - of course thery have ways to prolongi it, but in your case, if they haven't notified you, then you can even file a formal complaint. You can bases it on article 36 paragraph 1 of the administrative code and art. 37 par. 1, and art. 35 par. 3.

Cheers
M

Hello, Mundis. Thank you so much for your tips. I was searching for administrative code online, can't find the source to read, all I found are interpretations, do you have any link to the source?

Hi, if you still haven't found it, here it is link to English translation of Code of Administrative Procedure.

[link moderated]

dr_Wojcik, a link got deleted by moderator, but thank you anyway.

there is no online system and email to make the appointment for karta pobytu in Krakow. the only way is a telephone, but it is so busy every time. Do you have any other ideas to make the appointment in Krakow or is it possible to make the appointment in other areas？

Hi
is there any way to speed up the decision process? please explain more about personal experience? this is really a big obstacle which for long time you can not leave the country?! How we can contact the case officers?

Hi Gesi, I am looking for something similar. heard that some lawyers (kancelarj adwokatcy ) do this for 3k zlotys and you wait just three months. . but right now I don´t have that money.I´ve been waitin´ for more than a year, with no stamp on my passport and no possibilities to leave the country,  which is driving me crazy. btw, you can contact them by sending and official letter inquiring for your case. normal post office.  once you have a number case you can ask to accelerate the process.

Mundis wrote:

I don't think it's a matter of nationality. But in any case do inquire - the Voivode Office has to follow the administrative code, which obliges it to conclude a procedure in a designated time - of course thery have ways to prolongi it, but in your case, if they haven't notified you, then you can even file a formal complaint. You can bases it on article 36 paragraph 1 of the administrative code and art. 37 par. 1, and art. 35 par. 3.

Cheers
M

Dear Mundis,

Do you know who has to pay for the fees in a work +residence permit procedure?  , well in my opinion is the employer who has to pay the fee for completing the application. In my job, according to them,  I have to pay this 440 zlotys. looking for some legal details, I found  some legal info but no idea since is in polish...

http://www.migrant.info.pl/tl_files/for … 13%20r.pdfhttp://www.migrant.info.pl/tl_files/for … 1635Lj.pdf

Since that time till now, I still didn't received an answer from them. so tell me now is it about my nationality or no?

Hi. First time I got my TRC that was after appeal. It took 4 month but I did through the consultancy company called Audytowanie. pl. I currently live in Warsaw so recently few of my friends applied their cases here in August, and they got positive decisions in the end of October. So it took them around 3 month. I don't know why but during the COVID time they issue the decisions pretty fast. By the way, my friends also applied with the help of the same consultancy, so I highly recommend these guys. So to sum up in Warsaw now it takes 3-4 month to get decision, but I am not sure about other regions.

This is the last thing you ever want to do in Poland. Applying karta pobytu. I am struggling for almost a year to get this due to marriage. But they even didn't give a case number. In Poland if you want to love some person from another country, you shouldn't! Because the government literally doesn't allow this. And you are getting sick of all procedures. I am in my 2nd year waiting for at least the case number and stamp on my passport, but every time we're calling urzad about my case they are telling me they have a lot of cases, so they don't have time. We are sending letters, they even don't answer these letters and let us know in which phase my case is. So I'm just wondering what are they doing in the urzad, I've been calling them with 3 different phones at the same time at least one of them picked up after 45 minutes (this had been the minimum waiting time of mine). You even don't know what to do about this except waiting because of love

Honestly Foreigners & expats who are applying for a Karta Pobytu and who can afford it should use the services of a Local Polish Lawyer to cut the red tape.

It was not a problem for us. I married my Polish wife in Johannesburg. The Polish authorities were even quicker than the French to register us. My consul wanted a proof it was not a blank marriage:  A common bank account was enough and we had to open one.

Seems it doesn't work like this anymore. They don't work in generally, they have tea time all the time

My friend had the lawyer, now they are waiting together with the lawyer. This urzad just don't give a sht about anything. They even applied for a court, the court gave urzad  till 1st of november, they didn't care. Now they gave 1st of december, but the urzad said they can start only since 15th of december. So funny/