Who can apply
- Permanent residence - only in the situations listed in the Act, e.g. the spouse of a Polish citizen, a person of Polish origin, a holder of the Pole's Card, a child of a Polish citizen (Art. 195 para. 1 of the Act on Foreigners). Knowledge of Polish is not required.
- EU long-term resident - anyone who has lived in Poland legally and continuously for at least 5 years, has a stable income, health insurance and confirmed knowledge of Polish (Art. 211 para. 1). See: how to count 5 years.
Card and the right to work
- Both permits are granted for an indefinite period. The residence card is valid for 10 years with permanent residence and 5 years with EU resident status (Art. 243 para. 1).
- In both cases you work without a work permit (Art. 3 para. 1 points 6 and 7 of the Act on the conditions for entrusting work to foreigners).
- The stamp duty for both permits is 640 PLN. A holder of the Pole's Card does not pay it for permanent residence.
Leaving Poland
- Permanent residence is withdrawn, among other things, after leaving Poland for a period longer than 6 years (Art. 199 para. 1 point 5).
- EU resident - the permit is withdrawn after leaving Poland for more than 6 years, after 12 consecutive months outside the European Union (24 months with an EU Blue Card) or when you get resident status in another EU country (Art. 215 para. 1 points 3-5).
You cannot have both
Permanent residence expires by law on the day the EU resident permit is granted (Art. 200 point 1). It does not work the other way: the voivode will not examine an application for permanent residence submitted while you stay on an EU resident permit (Art. 196 para. 1 point 1 letter d). If you have a ground for permanent residence, check it before applying for EU resident status.
Path to citizenship
Residence on both permits counts towards recognition as a Polish citizen (Art. 30 para. 1 of the Act on Polish Citizenship). See: recognition as a Polish citizen.