According to the National Statistical Office (GUS), the number of foreigners residing in Poland has kept climbing every year since our original 2020 estimate of 2,000,000, and one of the most common points of confusion we hear from clients is the difference between “Permanent Resident” and “EU Long-term Resident.” In most EU countries the two concepts overlap; in Poland, they don’t. Here’s how to tell them apart, and how to actually get the EU Long-term Resident status.

Everything below applies to non-EU/EEA nationals, the rules for EU/EEA and Swiss citizens are different (and much simpler, see the first section).

If you’re an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen

If you’re a national of another EU member state, another EEA country, or Switzerland, the “EU long-term resident” status isn’t something you need to worry about. As an EU/EEA citizen, you only need to register your stay with the local authorities once you’ve decided to settle in Poland. After 5 years of registered residence, you become eligible for Permanent Residence in Poland directly, no separate “long-term resident” track exists for you.

This means the whole procedure described below (B1 Polish, income test, application fees) simply doesn’t apply if you hold an EU/EEA or Swiss passport.

If you’re a non-EU national

If you’re a non-EU national, say, from India, Ukraine, the US, Mexico, or China, and you don’t hold a Pole’s Card, aren’t a victim of human trafficking, and aren’t a refugee, you are not eligible to apply for the narrow “Permanent Residence” (zezwolenie na pobyt stały) track. Permanent Residence in Poland is granted only on a short list of specific grounds under Art. 195 of the Act on Foreigners: Polish origin (including Pole’s Card holders), being the child of a Polish citizen or resident, marriage to a Polish citizen (3+ years, with 2 years of legal residence in that marriage), refugee status (after 5-10 years), or being a victim of trafficking.

For everyone else, which, in practice, is the vast majority of foreign professionals, business owners, and long-term expats, the path to an unlimited-duration status in Poland is the EU Long-term Resident permit (Zezwolenie na pobyt rezydenta długoterminowego UE), not “Permanent Residence.”

How to get EU Long-term Resident status

Under Art. 211 of the Act on Foreigners (Journal of Laws 2025, item 1079), you’re eligible once you’ve resided in Poland legally and without interruption for at least 5 years directly before filing, and you meet three conditions together:

  • a stable and regular source of income sufficient to support yourself (and any dependent family members), measured against the income criteria in Art. 8 of the Social Assistance Act: PLN 1,010/month for a single-person household, PLN 823/month per person for a household with dependents (effective since January 1, 2025, unchanged into 2026);
  • valid health insurance (NFZ or a private policy covering treatment in Poland): if you’re employed under a standard employment contract or its civil-law equivalent (with the specific-task contract, umowa o dzieło, being the main exception), this is usually already taken care of;
  • confirmed knowledge of Polish at level B1.

You’ll also need a legal title to your housing (e.g., a lease agreement). “Uninterrupted” residence means no single trip abroad exceeded 6 months, and the total time spent abroad over the 5 years didn’t exceed 10 months (Art. 212 §3). If you’re running a business here in Poland, or working as an IT contractor through our incubation programme, that income counts toward the requirement in the same way as employment income.

The Polish language certificate (B1)

Added by a 2018 amendment to the Act on Foreigners and unchanged in 2025/2026, this is one of the requirements people underestimate most. Attending a Polish language school, even a state-funded one, is not enough. You need one of:

  • a certificate from the State Commission for Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language (certyfikatpolski.pl);
  • a diploma from a Polish school or university where instruction was in Polish;
  • an equivalent diploma from abroad where instruction was in Polish.

If you’re a Polish university graduate but every course was taught in English, that diploma won’t exempt you, you’ll still need the certificate. Children under 16 on the filing date are exempt. There’s no workaround: without a B1-level certificate, you cannot apply.

If you work as a B2B contractor with a single client and are wondering how the PIP 2026 reform might affect your cooperation’s classification, that’s a separate topic we cover in our PIP 2026 series.

Fees

  • PLN 640: stamp duty for reviewing the application, payable to the relevant voivodeship office. Refunded if the application is refused.
  • PLN 100: fee for issuing the physical card once the decision is positive. PLN 50 for children under 16.

Failure to pay in advance or provide proof of payment means your application won’t be reviewed at all.

Filing your application and appeals

The application must be submitted in person, no later than the last day of your legal stay in Poland. You’ll get a special stamp in your passport confirming your case is under review by the Polish authorities and that you’re staying here legally, from the filing date until the final decision, even if the expiry date on your previous residence card says otherwise. That stamp does not give you the right to cross into other Schengen states, though you may still return to your country of origin.

If the voivode refuses your application, you have 14 days from receiving the decision to file a written appeal with the Head of the Office for Foreigners, through the voivode who issued it. Appeals typically take between 2 months and 2 years to resolve, and your stay remains legal throughout.

Validity

The permit itself is granted for an unlimited duration. The physical card, however, is only valid for 5 years, you need to apply for a replacement no later than 30 days before it expires (Art. 230 §2 of the Act on Foreigners).

Bibliography and Legal Basis

  • Act of December 12, 2013, on Foreigners (consolidated text, Journal of Laws 2025, item 1079), Arts. 195, 211-219, 230.
  • Act of March 12, 2004, on Social Assistance, Art. 8, income criteria effective from January 1, 2025 (Council of Ministers Regulation of July 12, 2024).
  • Act of November 16, 2006, on Stamp Duty, schedule of fees.

Want help mapping out your own timeline to EU Long-term Resident status? Book a free consultation with our team.

Author: MojaFirma team.

*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every situation depends on the specific documents and individual circumstances. If something about your own situation isn’t quite clear, feel free to book a free consultation with our team.*