Permanent residence: frequently asked questions
Permanent residence (pobyt stały) is for people with specific ties to Poland: Polish ancestry, marriage to a Polish citizen, or certain other grounds. Long-term EU residence (pobyt rezydenta długoterminowego UE) is for anyone who has lived in Poland legally for 5 continuous years. Both give you indefinite residence, but the EU permit also lets you live in other EU countries.
Decision times depend on the voivodeship office. The Permit Barometer at the top of this page shows the current average for each office, and many people wait longer than the average. For long-term EU residence, the office needs to verify your 5-year residence history, which can take additional time if records span multiple cities or voivodeships.
For the long-term EU resident permit, yes: you need a B1 Polish language certificate or equivalent proof. For pobyt stały based on Polish ancestry or marriage, the language requirement is not always applied, but it depends on your specific situation.
Yes. Permanent residence or long-term EU residence is typically a prerequisite for Polish citizenship through naturalization (recognition as a Polish citizen). With either permit you can apply after 3 years of continuous legal residence in Poland. Shorter periods apply to, among others, spouses of Polish citizens (2 years, with at least 3 years of marriage), refugees (2 years) and people whose permanent residence was granted on the basis of Polish origin or a Karta Polaka (1 year).
The government fee is 640 PLN for the application. After a positive decision, you pay 100 PLN for the karta pobytu. We quote our service fee in writing after the first consultation; government fees are separate.
With pobyt stały, you can be absent from Poland for up to 6 years without losing your permit (though the karta pobytu must be renewed every 10 years). With long-term EU residence, you lose it if you leave the EU for 12 consecutive months (24 months for former Blue Card holders) or Poland for 6 years.