Before you start

From 4 May 2026 applications for the CUKR card can be submitted (announcement M.P. 2026, item 371). First check whether you meet the conditions for the CUKR card. You submit the application only in electronic form, in the online service of the Head of the Office for Foreigners, that is in MOS (Art. 42f para. 1). An application submitted in another way is left unexamined by the voivode (Art. 42f para. 7).

Step by step

  1. Pay two fees. You pay the fee of 100 PLN for the card by transfer to the account of the voivodeship office or at its cash desk. You pay the stamp duty of 340 PLN at the cash desk of the tax authority or to its account - this is the city mayor competent for the voivode's seat (point 7 of the application template).
  2. Prepare the photo. A JPG file, in colour, taken no earlier than 6 months before the application, at least 684 × 883 pixels and up to 2.5 MB, in the proportions of a 35 × 45 mm photo (point 5 of the template). The wider rules are described in the guide photo and attachments in MOS.
  3. Prepare the signature. You sign the application with a qualified electronic signature or a trusted signature (Art. 42f para. 5). See: Profil Zaufany and the application in MOS.
  4. Fill in the form. The template is set by the regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of 3 April 2026 (Journal of Laws 2026, item 530). You fill it in in Polish and fill in all the required fields. When you do not have the data, you tick "none" (points 2 and 3 of the template).
  5. Attach proof of payment and send the application. You attach a digital copy of both payment confirmations (Art. 42f para. 3).

For a child or a person with limited legal capacity the application is submitted and signed by a parent, a guardian, a curator or a temporary guardian (Art. 42f paras. 4 and 5).

When the application is deemed submitted

The application is submitted when two requirements are met together (Art. 42g para. 1): the data in the PESEL register and in the register of beneficiaries of temporary protection are complete, and the application is signed. The PESEL register must contain, among others, the series, number and expiry date of a valid travel document (Art. 42g para. 2 point 1). The register must also contain fingerprints (or information that they cannot be taken) and a specimen signature for a person who has turned 12 (Art. 42g para. 2 point 2).

The MOS portal states that the application will not be submitted when the data in MOS differ from the data in the PESEL register (read on 10 October 2026).

After submitting the application

  • Until the end of the proceedings you cannot submit a second application for the card (Art. 42g para. 5).
  • An earlier proceeding on a temporary residence permit that has not ended is discontinued by operation of law (Art. 42i).
  • The voivode issues the card or refuses to issue it within 180 days from the day on which the application met the requirements of Art. 42g (Art. 42l). The competent voivode is the one for your place of stay at the moment of submitting the application. Moving house does not change this (Art. 42o paras. 1 and 2).
  • If you submit the application by 4 March 2027 at the latest, your stay is deemed legal until the card is collected or until the refusal decision or discontinuation decision becomes final (Art. 42x).

Collecting the card and refusal

You must collect the card within 60 days from the day on which the voivodeship office made the information about the possibility of collection available. A card that is not collected is invalidated, and the fees are not refunded (Art. 42r para. 2).

The refusal to issue the card is made by a decision (Art. 42o para. 3). You file an appeal within 14 days of delivery, through the voivode, and it is examined by the Head of the Office for Foreigners (Art. 42o para. 4 and Art. 129 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). The details of the card are described in the guide CUKR residence card.