Karta Pobytu for Work 2026: Full Document Checklist

It's Tuesday morning. Your employer texts: 'Everything's ready, go ahead and apply for the card.' You open MOS, see twenty fields, a few uploads, and a line about Attachment 1 — and you've never heard of it. Sound familiar? Here's the full karta pobytu (Polish residence permit) for work document checklist for 2026: in order, with amounts, and with the spots where people most often trip. No legal fog, just the kitchen-table version.

Which documents do you need for a karta pobytu based on work?

We're talking about the single permit for residence and work (pobyt czasowy i praca): one application covers both. You file online through MOS (the Polish case-handling system for foreigners) with the voivodeship office, the urząd wojewódzki, for the region where you live. Ukrainian citizens have a separate special-act route — covered near the end.

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Here's what actually goes into your folder before you press send:

1. The application form (wniosek) in MOS — filled in online; every detail must match your passport letter for letter.
2. Attachment 1 (Załącznik nr 1) — completed and electronically signed by your employer. It's the heart of the case; there's a section on it below.
3. Your passport — copies of all completed pages, including visas, stamps and earlier permits.
4. A passport-style photo, 35 × 45 mm. A selfie against a wall won't do.
5. Proof of work: an employment contract (umowa o pracę or umowa zlecenie) or other document your employer refers to in Attachment 1.
6. Health insurance: proof that you're insured under the general rules (for example, registered with ZUS), or confirmation that medical costs are covered.
7. Proof of payment of the PLN 440 fee — paid when you file.
8. Qualification documents if your profession is regulated: diploma, certificate, licence.
9. Translations: anything not in Polish needs a translation by a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły).

The official list and templates live on zielonalinia.gov.pl and the gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy portal. We always check our list against them: requirements change, and a voivodeship office can ask for extras in your specific case.

Attachment 1 (Załącznik nr 1): what your employer writes and why it matters

It's a one-page document and the one people underestimate most. The office uses it to check that the job is real and the terms are lawful. A mistake here, and instead of a decision you get a request to fix deficiencies, while the clock keeps running.

Your employer states in it:

• your position or type of work and where you'll be working;
• the legal basis for the work — the type of contract;
• working time;
• the amount of pay;
• your main duties in the role.

Pay can't be below the minimum: in 2026 that's PLN 4,806 gross per month (PLN 31.40 per hour). It's a floor regardless of whether you work full or part time, and regardless of contract type. Pay must also be comparable to what Polish workers get in the same role in that sector.

We've covered the employer's side separately: what the employer must do for your karta pobytu. Send that article to HR — it often saves a week of messages.

What does it cost and how long does karta pobytu take: PLN 440, PLN 100, 60 days

There are two payments and they're different. PLN 440 is the fee for the permit itself, paid when you file. PLN 100 is for producing the card, paid when you collect it. They're easy to mix up: plenty of people think PLN 440 is 'all in' and are surprised by the second payment.

By law the office has 60 days to decide, and in practice it often takes longer — read how long a karta pobytu takes in 2026 for the details. For the filing steps themselves, see the MOS application step by step.

What happens after you file: fingerprints, the stamp and collecting the card

Pressing 'submit' is only the middle of the road. The usual order from there:

1. You sign the application in MOS with an electronic signature — you'll need a Profil Zaufany (the state e-ID) or another accepted method.
2. You pay PLN 440 and attach the confirmation.
3. You're invited to appear in person and give fingerprints. The office sets the date; don't miss it.
4. You get a stamp (stempel) in your passport — it shows your case is accepted and your legal stay continues.
5. You wait for a decision. If a request to fix deficiencies arrives, answer within the deadline given.
6. After a positive decision you pay PLN 100 and collect the card. You normally need proof of registered address (zameldowanie) to pick it up.

Important: file before your current legal stay ends. When you file on time you can usually remain in Poland and keep working on the same terms, but details depend on your situation — check before you change anything.

How much you need a Profil Zaufany varies — see do you need Profil Zaufany in Poland.

An illustrative example, not a real client. Anwar, a welder from Central Asia, filed alone without checking Attachment 1: his employer had put a pay rate below the minimum. A request to fix deficiencies arrived with a short deadline. We corrected the attachment with the employer and sent the reply on time — the case moved forward. The whole problem was one line, not fifty pages.

What families add and what Ukrainians change under CUKR

If you're not applying alone, relationship documents join the list: marriage certificate and children's birth certificates — with a sworn translation and, as a rule, an apostille or legalisation if the issuing country requires it. Ask the voivodeship about the exact set in advance: it depends on the country and the type of permit.

Ukrainian citizens and some of their family members have a separate CUKR card — according to UdSC it is issued for 3 years and applications are made only through MOS. Official sources say filing opened on 4 May 2026 and runs until 4 March 2027; check the conditions (UKR status, continuity of status and others) on gov.pl before you file. For everyone else, including citizens of South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia, the main route is the single permit this article covers.

Practical tip: before filing, put every file in one folder and name them in plain words — passport.pdf, contract.pdf, attachment1.pdf. Check that every passport page is readable and that the pay in Attachment 1 isn't below the minimum. One missing page is the cheapest mistake you can fix before sending.

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