Prakash has been working in Kraków for two years — steady job, decent flat, a valid karta pobytu (Polish residence permit). His wife and eight-year-old daughter are still in Kathmandu, waiting. Every call ends the same way: "When can we come?" The answer isn't complicated. But the paperwork is. This guide walks you through every document, every fee, and every office step involved in bringing your family to Poland in 2026 as a Nepali permit holder — so Prakash's story can have a different ending.
Who Can You Bring to Poland Under Family Reunification?
Polish immigration law allows you to sponsor two categories of family members for a temporary residence permit (karta pobytu) under family reunification: your legal spouse and your unmarried children under 18. Both must be people you are legally responsible for. Cohabiting partners, parents, and adult children do not qualify for this specific route — they would need their own independent permit basis (work, study, etc.). The full legal framework is published on the official government portal — the cudzoziemcy.gov.pl site is the authoritative source, always check it for the latest rule updates.
One important note for Nepali applicants: your own permit status matters enormously. To sponsor your family, you must hold a valid karta pobytu (not just a stamp in your passport) and have at least 15 months left on your permit when you file. If you are mid-renewal, wait until your new card arrives before starting the family application. If you are still in the stamp-in-passport waiting period, read our guide to what rights that stamp actually gives you first.
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The Nepal Document Problem: MoFA Attestation, Not Apostille
Here is where most Nepali family applications run into trouble — and it is entirely avoidable if you plan ahead. Nepal is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. That means the simple apostille stamp that works for Indian or Filipino documents does not exist for Nepali documents. Instead, you go through a two-step process: MoFA attestation followed by Polish Embassy legalization.
Step one: take your original marriage certificate and your child's birth certificate to the Department of Consular Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at Tripureshwor, Kathmandu. You can book an appointment at demand.nepalconsular.gov.np. The fee is NPR 500 per document. Realistic timeline: 7–15 working days. During peak migration season (May–August) expect the longer end.
Step two: once MoFA has stamped your documents, take them to the Polish Embassy or Consulate in Kathmandu (or whichever Polish diplomatic post covers Nepal) for consular legalization. This confirms that the MoFA seal is genuine. Add another 5–10 working days and check the Embassy's current fee schedule directly, as consular fees change periodically.
Step three: after legalization, every document going to the Polish urząd must be translated into Polish by a sworn (przysięgły) translator registered in Poland. A regular bilingual translation is rejected. Sworn translators are listed on the Polish Ministry of Justice website. Expect PLN 80–150 per page for Nepali-to-Polish translations given the language combination. See also our detailed post on when a sworn translator is required for karta pobytu.
Full Document Checklist: What Each Family Member Needs
Below is what you need to prepare for each family member applying. The sponsor (you, the permit holder in Poland) also has documents to provide.
For the sponsor in Poland:
- Copy of your valid karta pobytu (both sides)
- Copy of your valid passport (all pages with stamps)
- Proof of stable income: last 3 months' pay slips OR employment contract + employer statement. Polish law requires that you can support yourself and your family — the informal benchmark is the social assistance threshold (currently check the current rate at gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy), though no hard PLN floor is written into law for family reunification specifically.
- Proof of accommodation: a rental agreement or property ownership document registered at your address, showing enough space for the whole family. A notarized declaration from your landlord also works.
- Health insurance covering all family members you are sponsoring (NFZ registration or private policy with Poland-wide coverage — see the official NFZ requirements at nfz.gov.pl)
For each family member applying:
- Completed application form (filled in Polish, submitted via MOS portal — see Step 3 below)
- Valid passport (original + copy of all pages)
- 2 recent passport-style photos meeting Polish biometric photo requirements
- Marriage certificate (for spouse) — MoFA attested + Polish Embassy legalized + sworn Polish translation
- Birth certificate (for children) — same legalization chain as above
- PLN 340 stamp duty payment confirmation (opłata skarbowa) per person, paid to the relevant voivodeship account
- PLN 100 card issuance fee — paid only after a positive decision, before card collection
Total confirmed fees per family member: PLN 440 (PLN 340 + PLN 100). For a family of three — you, your spouse, your child — budget PLN 880 for the family members' fees alone (you as the sponsor are not paying again if your own card is already valid).
Practical tip: Do not wait until your own karta pobytu renewal is finished to start collecting family documents. The MoFA attestation and Polish sworn translation process for Nepali documents takes 6–10 weeks minimum. Start the document chain the moment your own card arrives.
How to File in 2026: Everything Goes Through MOS
Since 27 April 2026, all karta pobytu applications — including family reunification — must be filed electronically via the MOS portal (mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl). Paper applications are no longer accepted at voivodeship offices for most categories.
If your family members are still in Nepal when you apply, there is a specific exception: a sponsor in Poland can file a family reunification application on behalf of a spouse or child who is abroad. The applicant does not need to be physically present in Poland to start the process. This is important — your family does not have to first fly to Poland on a tourist visa to apply. You file for them from here.
Here is the process step by step:
- Create or log in to your Profil Zaufany (Trusted Profile) at gov.pl — this is your digital identity for all Polish government services.
- Open MOS at mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl and select 'Temporary residence — family reunification' (pobyt czasowy — połączenie z rodziną).
- Fill in the application form in Polish. Each family member requires a separate application.
- Upload scanned copies of all required documents (passport, marriage/birth certificate with translations, income proof, housing proof, insurance).
- Pay the PLN 340 stamp duty online and attach the payment confirmation.
- Submit. You will receive a reference number — save it. This is how you track progress.
- Attend a fingerprint appointment at the urząd wojewódzki (voivodeship office) responsible for your area of residence. MOS will notify you of the appointment slot.
- After a positive decision, pay the PLN 100 card issuance fee and collect the physical karta pobytu card.
How Long Will Your Family Wait? Realistic 2026 Timelines
Processing times in Poland vary dramatically by voivodeship. For family reunification specifically (a lower-volume category than work permits), waits tend to be shorter than for work-based applications — but do not count on the statutory 60-day deadline. In practice:
- Warsaw (Mazowieckie): 6–10 months. Highest-volume office in Poland.
- Kraków (Małopolskie): 5–8 months.
- Wrocław (Dolnośląskie): 4–7 months.
- Poznań (Wielkopolskie): 4–6 months.
- Gdańsk (Pomorskie): 4–8 months.
- Smaller voivodeships (Lubuskie, Opole, Podlaskie): 3–5 months.
During this wait, your family members can stay in Poland if they entered legally (for example on a national D visa or on a Schengen visa). If they are still in Nepal waiting for the outcome, they should not travel to Poland until the application is resolved — entering on a tourist visa and then overstaying while waiting is a red flag that can harm the application. For context on how waiting periods work, see our deep-dive on how long Nepali applicants wait for karta pobytu decisions in 2026.
You can track the application status through MOS using your reference number. For step-by-step tracking instructions, see our guide to checking karta pobytu application status online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bring my parents to Poland under family reunification?
No — the standard family reunification permit covers only spouses and unmarried children under 18. Parents are not eligible for this route. If a parent has a specific basis (for example, a job offer or study enrollment in Poland), they can apply independently. There is no parent sponsorship track for third-country nationals under current Polish law.
My spouse is already in Poland on a tourist visa. Can they switch to family reunification without leaving?
Yes, in most cases. If your spouse entered Poland legally and their visa is still valid (or they applied before it expired), they can apply for family reunification from inside Poland via MOS without leaving. However, if their Schengen stay has already expired, the situation is more complex — contact Legal Solutions before they overstay further, as each extra day makes the case harder.
Does my child born in Poland automatically get legal status?
No. A child born in Poland to two non-EU parents does not receive Polish citizenship or automatic residence status. You must apply for a karta pobytu for the child separately. However, children under 13 are exempt from the biometrics requirement and the application is usually processed faster. Check the current procedures at gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy.
What if my family reunification application is refused?
You have 14 days from receipt of the refusal decision to file an appeal (odwołanie) with the Office for Foreigners (Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców). This is a hard deadline — missing it means losing your right to challenge the decision at this stage. Read our post on the 14-day karta pobytu appeal process for Nepali applicants for a detailed breakdown of what the appeal must contain.
How long is the family reunification karta pobytu valid?
Family members are typically granted a card valid for the same duration as the sponsor's permit, or up to 3 years, whichever is shorter. If your own karta pobytu expires in 18 months, your family's cards will also be valid for 18 months. Plan renewals together — both yours and theirs — to avoid the process getting out of sync.
Reuniting your family in Poland is possible, and for most Nepali workers with a stable job and a valid karta pobytu, the application is straightforward. The real risk is underestimating how long Nepali document legalization takes. Start 3 months before you plan to file. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp — we read every message. Message us on WhatsApp