It's Sunday night. You open MOS to check on your karta pobytu application, and the screen is empty. Or it asks you to create an account you're sure you already have. Your stomach drops. Did the application disappear? Did HR file anything at all? Breathe. One very common cause is that Poland switched MOS off and rebuilt it in April 2026, and many workers are still looking in the old place. This guide shows how to check your karta pobytu (Polish residence permit) case status in MOS in 2026, step by step. It also covers what the status can and can't tell you, and what to do when the screen says nothing useful.
So what actually changed with MOS on 27 April 2026?
The short version: the old MOS was shut down on 17 April 2026 and the user accounts in it were deleted. The new portal went live on 27 April 2026. Since that date, applications for temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term residence are filed only electronically through MOS. A few types of cases still go on paper. Paper applications that did not reach the voivodeship office before 27 April 2026 are not examined, and the date that counts is the date of receipt, not the date of posting. Applications that reached the office before that date are still processed. The Office for Foreigners explains this in its MOS questions and answers.
What does this mean for you? If you applied before and had a login in the old MOS, that login is gone. You need a new account in the new portal, and to create it you must have a Profil Zaufany (Polish trusted profile). Many Filipino workers we talk to are stuck at exactly this point: they have a case number on paper but no way to see the case on a screen.
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How do I check my case status in MOS, step by step?
Set aside ten quiet minutes, keep your phone and your passport nearby, and do this in order:
- Type the address of the official portal yourself: mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl. Don't click a link that arrived in a message from a stranger or a Facebook group.
- Click 'Zaloguj' (log in). The portal sends you to login.gov.pl, the government's identity login page.
- Confirm who you are with the method linked to your Profil Zaufany.
- If it's your first time in the new portal, complete the registration form. You will get an email with an activation link. Click it to activate the account.
- From now on, you log in the same way every time: 'Zaloguj', then login.gov.pl.
- Open your case and read the status and any messages or requests from the office. Take a screenshot with the date visible.
No Profil Zaufany yet? Sort that out first, because the account cannot be created without it. The gov.pl pages explain the ways to get one. Also, never give anyone your login.gov.pl password or codes. That includes agents, 'helpers' in online groups, and people who promise to 'speed things up'. If someone else filed your application for you, ask them for the case number and a copy of what was submitted.
One honest note: the exact names of sections and statuses inside the portal can change as the system develops, and we don't want to hand you a list that is out of date next month. Read what your screen shows, and check the official MOS portal and the foreigners information on gov.pl for current instructions.
What does the status really tell me — and what does the stamp do?
Most workers read a status like a delivery tracker. It's more like a queue with several doors. In practice, a case moves through these stages:
- Formal check: the office checks that your application is complete. If something is missing, you get a letter listing the documents you must add. Watch your post and your account for it.
- Fingerprints: offices generally arrange a fingerprint appointment only for applicants whose application has passed the formal check.
- Stamp: after fingerprints and after any formal gaps are fixed, you can get the stamp confirming your application in your passport.
- Decision: the voivode decides on the substance of your case. This is the longest part.
Why does the stamp matter so much? Because if your application was filed during your legal stay and had no formal defects, your stay is treated as legal from the day you filed until the decision becomes final. The stamp is the practical proof you show an employer or border officer. It does not give you the right to enter Poland or travel around the Schengen area. We explained the details, including what changed on 27 April, in Is My Stay Legal While Waiting for Karta Pobytu? The Stamp Changed on 27 April 2026.
A composite example, not a real client: Maricel, a warehouse worker from Cebu, sent her application in March and was told 'it's in the system'. In May she opened MOS, found no account, and assumed the application was lost. It wasn't. Her paper application had reached the office before 27 April, so it was being processed. She only needed a new account and a call to the office with her case number. The panic cost her two weeks of sleep, not her permit.
Practical tip: the day you get a case number, write it in your phone notes together with the filing date, the office name and a photo of your stamp page. Every question you ever ask an office or a lawyer starts with these four things.
Nothing has moved for weeks — what can I do?
First, check the boring things: is your address correct, did a letter arrive asking for documents, did you miss a fingerprint invitation? Most 'frozen' cases have a letter behind them that nobody opened.
Second, call. The Office for Foreigners infoline provides information on case status, and the number published on its contact page is (47) 721 76 75. Confirm it on gov.pl/web/udsc before you dial, because numbers get updated. Have your case number and passport number ready, and write down the name of the person you spoke to and the date.
Third, understand the timing. Decision deadlines for voivodes in these residence cases are currently suspended by law until 4 March 2027, according to the Polish Ombudsman's office. That makes it harder to complain that the office is 'late', and the legal debate around this rule is not settled. So don't file a complaint on your own because a blog told you to. Get advice first. For realistic waiting times, read How Long Does a Foreign Employee's Karta Pobytu Take in 2026? And if the status shows a negative decision, the clock to appeal is short. See Karta Pobytu Refused? You Have 14 Days and start the same day.
Which mistakes make workers lose track of their case?
We see the same handful of problems again and again:
- Using old bookmarks. The old MOS is closed, and guides that point to older systems may be out of date.
- Losing access to the Profil Zaufany. If the phone number or email behind it changes, fix it before you need it.
- Not keeping the case number. Without it, every phone call starts from zero.
- Paying strangers for 'status access'. No one needs your login to tell you what the office has written.
- Ignoring letters. A request for missing documents has a deadline, and the case does not move until you answer it.
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