Which address is on the card

The residence card carries the address of registration for permanent or temporary residence (Art. 244 para. 1 point 3 of the Act on Foreigners). It is the address from the registration - not a correspondence address. If you have not registered at the place of a temporary stay lasting more than 2 months, there is no address on the card (Art. 244 para. 4).

After moving you therefore have two steps: registering at the new address and - if an address is on the card - replacing the card.

Step 1: registering your address

  • If you are not a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, or a family member of such a citizen, you register at the place of permanent or temporary residence no later than on the 4th day after arriving at that place (Art. 41 para. 3 of the Act on Population Registration).
  • You have no obligation to register if your stay in Poland does not exceed 30 days (Art. 42 para. 2).
  • You register at the municipal office competent for the new address. When you register at the office, the owner of the premises or another person with a legal title to the premises confirms your stay on a form (Art. 28 paras. 1 and 2 in conjunction with Art. 40 para. 1).
  • If you do not have a PESEL number (the Polish national identification number), you must come in person (Art. 40 para. 3).
  • You deregister from the old address (Art. 33 para. 1). You can do this by registering at the new place (Art. 33 para. 3).

We help with registration in the service Start in Poland.

Step 2: replacing the card

If the card shows a registered address and you register at a different address, the data on the card is no longer up to date. A change of data on the card means replacing it (Art. 241 point 1). You submit the application within 14 days (Art. 230 para. 1).

  • You submit the application to the voivode competent for your new place of stay (Art. 245 para. 3). After moving to a different voivodeship this is a different office from the one that issued the card.
  • In the application you give the new registered address (Art. 231 para. 1 point 3) and you give your fingerprints (Art. 246 para. 1 point 3).
  • The fee for replacement is 100 PLN. Details: card replacement.
  • The existing card loses validity on the day you collect the new one (Art. 250 point 2 letter b).

Evading replacement of the card is a petty offence punishable by a fine (Art. 465 para. 1 point 4).

If your card shows no address, moving alone does not change the data on the card.

The voivode and the new address

During the proceedings for a permit you notify the office of every change of address. If you do not, a letter sent to the old address is deemed delivered (Art. 41 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). This way you may miss a summons or a decision. See: case status.

After the permit is granted the Act on Foreigners does not provide for a separate notification of the voivode about a new address. You give the new registered address in the application for card replacement. You do, however, notify the voivode within 15 working days when the reason for granting the temporary residence permit ceases (Art. 113 para. 1).