Can I just walk into the Bydgoszcz office and file on paper?

No, not for temporary residence. Since 27 April 2026 these applications go in only through the MOS portal, and a paper or other non-electronic filing is left without consideration. In-person visits still matter later, for fingerprints and your original passport, but the application itself starts at your laptop with a login.gov.pl account and an electronic signature.

How much does a karta pobytu cost in 2026?

The stamp duty is PLN 340 for temporary residence in most cases, and PLN 440 when it is a combined residence-and-work permit. You pay outside MOS, using the account details on the voivodeship website. The card fee is separate, and the sources we found disagreed on the amount, so confirm it on the official MOS fees page before paying.

Do I give fingerprints in Bydgoszcz or in Toruń?

The KPUW’s official page says the step after MOS is an in-person visit for fingerprints. We could not confirm that the Toruń branch handles this, so follow the exact location in the message you receive. If the message is unclear or you cannot make the date, write to us on WhatsApp before you travel.

If I’m refused, do I get my PLN 340 back?

For applications filed after 5 March 2026, the stamp duty is not refunded after a refusal or a discontinuation. A refusal also starts a 14-day appeal clock. Read the decision the day it arrives and contact us the same day, because the deadline does not wait for you.

Bydgoszcz TRC 2026: Karta Pobytu in 5 Steps

You work a shift in Toruń. Your flat is in Bydgoszcz, under an hour away. Your employer says, “Just apply for the card.” So you google karta pobytu Bydgoszcz and get three different addresses, a portal you have never used, and a friend who swears you need paper forms. Who is right?

Short answer: a karta pobytu (Polish residence permit, also called a TRC) for this part of Poland is handled by the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship office, and since 27 April 2026 the application itself is filed online. Below: who runs your case, what you pay, what you still do in person, and where people lose weeks.

So, which office handles a TRC in Bydgoszcz or Toruń?

Both cities sit in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship. Residence cases belong to the voivode’s office, the Kujawsko-Pomorski Urząd Wojewódzki (KPUW), with its seat in Bydgoszcz. Its official accessibility page says the Bydgoszcz office occupies two connected buildings, on ul. Jagiellońska and ul. Konarskiego, and that the Toruń branch (Delegatura) is at ul. Moniuszki 15.

Here is the catch. We could not confirm that the Toruń branch takes fingerprints for residence cards. So treat Bydgoszcz as your default, and follow the exact address written in your own appointment message. Don’t spend a day off on a guess.

One more thing: the office that decides is tied to where you live, not to where your employer’s head office sits. If you moved recently, read Moving Voivodeship Mid-Process: 3 Steps to Keep Your TRC Case Alive (2026) before you file anything.

💬 Skip the reading — talk to a human. WhatsApp +48 735 248 525 (Kamil, English) — we reply in 15 minutes, free, no commitment. Open chat →

A quick boundary: we handle the residence card itself. The visa and the work permit (or the employer’s declaration) are arranged by your employer or the consulate, not by us. If one of those is missing from your paperwork, sort that out first and come to us for the card.

Commute between two cities, one office: the Bydgoszcz seat of the KPUW holds your case file

How does a karta pobytu application work now that MOS is online-only?

Paper forms are history for temporary residence. Since 27 April 2026, applications go in only electronically through the MOS portal, and anything filed another way is left without consideration, according to regional office guidance (see the Poznań office notice and the general foreigners portal). Here are the five steps.

Check your dates. File while your current stay is still legal, no later than its last day. A late filing is the hardest mistake to repair.
Set up your login and signature. The MOS account runs through login.gov.pl, and the application must be signed with a qualified electronic signature or a trusted signature (podpis zaufany). Do this first. It is the step that surprises people.
Fill in the form and attach scans. Use the documents your employer and the consulate arranged: contract, employer details, the work paperwork. We don’t obtain those for you, but we check that your application matches them.
Pay the stamp duty (opłata skarbowa) outside MOS. It is PLN 340 for temporary residence in most cases and PLN 440 for a combined residence-and-work permit. The system does not take payment: the bank account numbers are on the voivodeship’s own website.
Go to the fingerprint visit. After you apply online, the KPUW page says the next step is appearing in person to give fingerprints. Bring your original passport and be ready to give a specimen signature.

The duty is not refunded if your case ends in a refusal or discontinuation, for applications filed after 5 March 2026 (prawo.pl explains the change). So the first filing is the expensive one. The separate card-issue fee is another story: the sources we checked disagreed on the amount, so look up the current figure on the official MOS fees page before you pay.

What do you need ready before you open MOS?

The exact attachment list depends on why you are staying (work, family, study or business), and the MOS form shows which ones apply to you. For most workers in Bydgoszcz and Toruń, the folder looks like this:

A valid passport, with the data page scanned clearly.
Your employer’s documents: contract and company details.
Proof of where you live, such as a rental contract.
Proof of health insurance, if the form asks for it.
The payment confirmation for your stamp duty.

Scan everything into one folder with clear file names before you log in. A form that times out while you hunt for a document on your phone is a very common way to lose an evening.

Your passport, your e-signature and one folder of scans: the whole application fits on a laptop

How long is the wait, and can you keep working?

The office’s own information card gives 60 days for a decision. That card is older, though, and real cases can run past it. What happens on day 61 is covered in Day 61 and No Answer? Poland TRC Decision Time in 2026. While you wait, keep everything consistent: same address, same employer, same passport.

If your job situation changes, a short clock starts. Read Leaving Your Employer? 15 Working Days to Act on Your TRC (2026) the same day it happens. Planning a trip home? Check Can I Travel While Waiting for a Karta Pobytu? 4 Checks Before You Book (2026) first.

A composite example, not a real client: Arjun, a warehouse operator from India living in Bydgoszcz, left his e-signature until the last week. The signature took four days to arrange, the MOS form took one evening, and he filed with nine days of legal stay left. The lesson he passes on: do the slow thing first.

Live in Toruń, work in Bydgoszcz (or the other way round)?

Commuting between the two cities is normal for workers here, and it is fine for your case, as long as your paperwork tells one consistent story.

Put the address where you actually live in the application, and keep your rental contract at hand.
Tell your employer about the fingerprint date early so you can get the time off.
If you plan to move to another voivodeship while the case is open, don’t just change your address. Ask first.
Keep your passport valid well beyond the expected decision date.

Passport running out soon? Read Passport Renewal During Your TRC Application: 5 Steps.

Five mistakes that cost weeks (and how to skip them)

Arriving at the office with paper forms instead of filing in MOS.
Leaving the e-signature for the last day.
Paying PLN 340 when your case is the PLN 440 type, or the reverse.
Ignoring the message about your fingerprint appointment.
Filing after your legal stay has ended.

Between shifts in Toruń and Bydgoszcz, the fingerprint visit is the one date you cannot reschedule casually

What if the answer is no?

A refusal is not the end of the road. You have 14 days to appeal, and the first day is the most useful one. Our guide Karta Pobytu Refused? 14 Days to Appeal — What to Do on Day One (2026) walks through it step by step. We help with appeals and with stuck cases, including reminders to the office (ponaglenie) when a decision is overdue.

Practical tip: Set up your podpis zaufany and scan every document into one folder at least two weeks before your legal stay ends. The MOS form is quick. Getting the signature and the right documents is what takes time.

Stuck between MOS, the e-signature and a fingerprint date? Let us take the paperwork off your plate. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp — we read every message.