Who can get a permanent residence permit?

A permanent residence permit may be attained by a foreigner who:

1. is a child of a foreigner who has permanent residence permission or a long-term resident’s EU residence permit in Poland and is under his parental care, and who:
a). was born after his parent received permanent residence permission or long-term EU resident permission in Poland, or
b). was born during the period of validity of the temporary residence permit held by his parent,

2. is a child of a Polish citizen and remains under his parental care,

3. is a person of Polish origin and intends to settle in Poland permanently,

4. remains in a marriage recognized by Polish law and concluded with a Polish citizen for at least 3 years before applying for permanent residence permission and immediately before submitting the application he lived in Poland continuously for at least 2 years based on the temporary residence permit issued for based on marriage with a Polish citizen or based on obtaining refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to stay for humanitarian reasons,

5. is a victim of human trafficking and:
a). lived in Poland immediately before applying for not less than 1 year based on the temporary residence permit issued to foreigners who are victims of human trafficking,
b). cooperated with law enforcement authorities in criminal proceedings;
c). has justified concerns about returning to the country of origin, confirmed by the prosecutor conducting the proceedings in the case,

6. immediately before applying for permanent residence permission, he lived in Poland continuously of not less than 5 years based on refugee status, subsidiary protection or permission to stay for humanitarian reasons,

7. immediately before applying for permanent residence permission, he lived in Poland continuously for not less than 10 years based on a tolerated stay permit granted in the case of:
a). if the obligation to return the foreigner can only be made to the country in which:
– the right to life, liberty and security of the person would be endangered
– a foreigner could be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or
– a foreigner could be forced to work, or
– a foreigner could be deprived of the right to a fair trial or be punished without a legal basis
b). the obligation to return a foreigner can only occur to a country to which his release is inadmissible based on a court decision or due to the decision of the Minister of Justice refusing to release a foreigner,

8. he was granted asylum in Poland, or

9. has a valid Polish Card and intends to settle in Poland permanently.

It is worth knowing that this type of permit cannot be obtained through a work-related stay in Poland.

A permanent residence permit is issued for an indefinite period, and the document is valid itself for 10 years, which means that after this date the card should be replaced.
Its issuing is requested at the Voivodship Office competent for the place of residence. All necessary documents should be attached to the application. The stamp duty is 640 PLN, while the card issue costs 50 PLN. Having this type of permission releases you from the obligation to apply for documents legalizing your work.