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Appeals

Application denied? It’s not always the end of the road

A negative decision on your work permit, residence permit or visa is not the end. We read the decision, explain your options and lead you through the appeal, inside the deadline.

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Your deadline

14days

from receiving the decision, in most cases. Send it to us the day it arrives.

Residence
Appeal to the Head of the Office for Foreigners
Visa
Reconsideration by the same consul
Just late?
Not a refusal. For residence cases at the voivode, the ponaglenie is suspended until 4 March 2027

Your right to appeal

If your application for a work permit, residence permit, or visa has been denied, you have the legal right to appeal the decision. The route depends on what was refused: residence permit appeals go to the Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef Urzędu do Spraw Cudzoziemców), a visa refused by a consul is challenged by asking that consul to reconsider, and work permit appeals go to the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

Time is critical. You typically have 14 days from receiving the decision to file an appeal. We read the decision with you, say whether an appeal has grounds, and prepare it inside the deadline.

Common reasons for rejection

  • Incomplete or incorrect documentation
  • Failure to meet income or insurance requirements
  • Doubts about the purpose of stay or the employment relationship
  • Missing a deadline for supplementing documents
  • Security or public order concerns

How we help after a refusal

We read the decision first and tell you plainly whether an appeal has grounds or a new application is the better route. If you appeal, we draft it with you, gather the missing evidence and file it within the 14 days. If the decision is only late, we explain what you can do now and after 4 March 2027.

  • The refusal read and the grounds for appeal explained
  • Advice on appeal versus a new application
  • For a late application: the ponaglenie and court complaint where the law allows them
  • The appeal drafted with you and filed within the deadline
  • Communication with the Office for Foreigners until the appeal decision

Refused, or just late?

The appeal process

  1. You have 14 days from the date you receive the negative decision.

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    For residence permits, the appeal goes to the Head of the Office for Foreigners. For a visa refused by a consul, you file a request for reconsideration with the same consul, who must decide within 14 days. For work permits, the appeal goes to the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy. Both review the case from scratch. If the appeal is also denied, a residence or work permit case can go to the Voivodeship Administrative Court. A national visa refused by a consul cannot be taken to court; only Schengen visas and visas for family members of EU citizens can.

  2. During the appeal process, your legal stay in Poland is usually maintained.

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    You don’t need to leave the country while waiting for the outcome.

Ponaglenie: when your application is late, not refused

  1. A ponaglenie is the formal reminder under article 37 of the Code of Administrative Procedure, filed when the office has missed the statutory deadline or is taking longer than the case needs.

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    For residence permits it goes to the Head of the Office for Foreigners through your voivode, who has 7 days to forward it with the file; the Head then has 7 days to respond.

  2. It makes the office answer in writing and is the required first step before a court complaint for inaction.

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    It won’t move you up the queue. Until 4 March 2027 it is suspended for residence applications at the voivode: article 100d of the Act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine stops the deadlines in those proceedings and rules out remedies for inaction or delay. Proceedings outside that rule, such as an appeal waiting with the Head of the Office for Foreigners, are not affected. After that date, we file one once every document request is answered, biometrics are done, and the application has sat still for months.

  3. Complaint to the administrative court

    If the office still hasn’t acted after your ponaglenie, you can file a complaint about inaction or excessive length with the Voivodeship Administrative Court (Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny), under article 53 §2b of the Law on Proceedings before Administrative Courts.

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    There’s no deadline: you can file it any time after the ponaglenie. The court fee is a flat 100 PLN.

    If the court agrees, it orders the office to act within a set deadline and rules on whether the delay was a gross violation of law; it can also fine the office.

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    It doesn’t decide your permit application itself, only forces the office to. Until 4 March 2027 this route is closed for residence applications at the voivode: article 100d rules out inaction complaints and fines for that period.

What clients say

“The service has been once again amazing and without unnecessary troubles. Paweł handled my case. He is very professional and answers thoroughly all questions related to the process. Krakspire is a trustworthy company and I could rely on them completely. Highly recommended.”
Maya S.

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Appeals: frequently asked questions

You have 14 days from the date you receive the written decision. This deadline is strict: missing it means losing your right to appeal. Contact us as soon as you receive a negative decision.

Usually yes. Filing a timely appeal generally means your stay remains legal while the case is being reviewed. However, this depends on your specific situation. We’ll advise you on your legal status during the process.

It depends on the reason for rejection. If the decision was based on a procedural error or misinterpretation of your documents, an appeal is often the right move. If there were genuine gaps in your application, a new application with better documentation might be faster.

You can file a complaint with the Voivodeship Administrative Court (Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny) within 30 days of receiving the appeal decision. Court proceedings are the final step in the administrative process.

Not before 4 March 2027. Until then, article 100d of the Act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine suspends the deadlines in residence proceedings at the voivode (temporary, permanent and EU long-term residence permits, changes to a work-based permit, and withdrawal of a permit) and rules out the ponaglenie and the court complaint for delay. Check that nothing is outstanding on your side, then send a written enquiry with your file number. After that date, if the application still does not move, a ponaglenie makes the office respond in writing and opens the way to a court complaint.

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