The letter from the urząd wojewódzki (voivodeship office) arrives on a Friday evening. You open it, see the word «odmowa» — and everything crashes into your head at once: the job, the rent, the kids' school, the tickets you already bought. First thought: pack the suitcase. Second thought: call everyone who has been through this and listen to ten different versions.
Take a minute. A karta pobytu refused decision (karta pobytu is the Polish residence card) is not the end of your case. It is a first-instance decision, and you have 14 days to disagree with it. Below is what to do, in order — from the first evening to a possible court complaint. No panic and no promises nobody is entitled to make.
Karta pobytu refused: what to do in the first 24 hours?
Paper first, emotions second. Almost everything you need in the next few hours is written in the decision itself (decyzja) — and you need to read all of it, not just the first line.
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- Find the delivery date. The 14 days run from the day the decision was delivered to you, not from the day you read it. Write the date down and set a reminder for day 10, not day 14.
- Read the uzasadnienie — the reasoning. This is where the office explains what it found missing. Your whole appeal depends on it.
- Find the pouczenie — the instruction section that says where and by when you can challenge the decision.
- Photograph the decision, the envelope and the post office receipt. The date on the envelope can matter.
- Gather what you have on the case: the confirmation of filing (potwierdzenie złożenia wniosku), the passport stamp, a copy of the application and the attached documents.
How many days for the odwołanie, and where do you file it?
The short answer is 14 days from delivery of the decision. The odwołanie is an appeal: a written statement that you disagree with the decision, filed with the same office that issued the refusal.
According to the explanation from the Poznań voivodeship office (migrant.poznan.uw.gov.pl), the appeal must be signed by you or your representative. You can send it by post (the postmark date counts), hand it in at the foreigners' department desk, or send it through ePUAP. Missing documents can be attached straight away.
- Write a short letter: your details, the case number, the date and number of the decision, and one clear sentence that you disagree and ask for the decision to be changed or cancelled.
- Answer the points in the uzasadnienio one by one: what the office considered unproven, and what proves it.
- Attach the documents that were missing — with a sworn translation if they are not in Polish.
- Sign it. An appeal without a signature is a formal defect that can cost you time.
- Send it so that a trace remains: registered post with a receipt, or a stamped copy at the desk.
From there, two paths are possible. If the appeal is justified, filed on time and the gaps are closed, the voivodeship office can issue a new decision itself — within 7 days, according to Poznań. If doubts remain, the case goes to the second instance: the Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef Urzędu do Spraw Cudzoziemców) in Warsaw. An appeal filed on time suspends the execution of the decision.
More on day one after a refusal: Karta Pobytu Denied? 14 Days to Appeal — What to Do on Day One.
Can you stay in Poland while the appeal is pending?
The big fear is: «they will remove me at once». Let's stay with the facts, with no scare tactics either way.
If your temporary residence application was filed on time — no later than the last day of your legal stay — and had no formal defects (or you fixed them in time), your stay in Poland counts as legal from the day you filed until the day the decision becomes final (ostateczna). That follows from the Act on Foreigners; general information for foreigners is collected at gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy. While an appeal filed on time is pending, the decision has not taken effect. That is not a guarantee of the outcome, but it is not a reason to pack tomorrow either.
Now the other side. If the 14 days pass, the decision becomes final. Then, unless you have another legal basis to stay in Poland, you must leave within 30 days — that is how the Poznań office explains it. So the deadline is the one thing in this story you cannot fix later.
An illustrative example — a composite, not a real client. Rustam, a welder from Uzbekistan, was refused because proof of housing was missing from the file. He didn't wait for the last minute: on day 8 he filed the appeal with a rental contract and a letter from his employer, and the voivodeship office reviewed the case itself, without sending it to Warsaw. The same decision on day 5 and on day 15 puts you in two different positions.
Why are applications refused, and what goes into the appeal?
An appeal is not a new application and not a complaint about life. You are arguing with the specific points in the uzasadnienie, and each point needs a document or an explanation that answers it.
These are groups of reasons that come up often. The list is not complete — your reason is written in your decision:
- missing documents, or documents prepared incorrectly (translation, apostille, signature, validity);
- the office did not see proof of the purpose of stay — for example, the work contract or permit is not set up the way it requires;
- questions about income or about the employer;
- no proof of housing or health insurance;
- formal mistakes when the application was filed.
On money. The fee for examining a temporary residence application is PLN 340, and PLN 440 for the unified permit (residence together with work) — these figures come from voivodeship offices; check the current payment details on your own office's website, for example here. Whether anything must be paid at the appeal stage is stated in the pouczenie of your decision — don't rely on hearsay.
Practical tip: put the decision in front of you and mark each of the office's arguments with a red marker. Next to each one, write the document that answers it. A blank next to a point is your first question to a lawyer.
What if the appeal is rejected: court or a new application?
It happens. The decision of the Head of the Office for Foreigners is the second instance. After it, the remaining route is a complaint to the voivodeship administrative court (WSA, Wojewódzki Sąd Administracyjny).
The complaint deadline is usually 30 days, but the exact deadline and procedure are stated in the pouczenie of your decision — check it the day you receive it. At this stage you need a professional representative: Legal Solutions helps with preparing documents and supporting the case, but representation in court is the work of an advocate (adwokat) or legal adviser (radca prawny). If you're waiting for a decision and wonder whether the wait is normal, see How Long to Wait for a Karta Pobytu in 2026.
Sometimes a new application makes more sense, if new circumstances have appeared — but only while you still have a legal basis to be in Poland. Deciding that alone is risky. For the basics of temporary residence, read Temporary Residence in Poland for Foreigners 2026.
A note for Ukrainian citizens. If you are applying not through the ordinary route but for the CUKR card (for former holders of temporary protection), the procedure is different: the application is filed only electronically through MOS, by 4 March 2027, with a PESEL carrying UKR status and other conditions. The current conditions are in the question database on mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl.
Frequently Asked Questions
I missed the 14 days. Is it over?
The decision becomes final, and unless you have another legal basis to stay, you must leave within 30 days. But the door is not always shut: a new application may be possible if circumstances have changed. Don't wait — show the decision to a lawyer the same day, while there is still time.
Can I file the appeal myself, without a lawyer?
Yes. You need a signed letter that shows what you disagree with, and documents that answer the office's points. A lawyer helps when the reason for refusal is unclear or the case goes to the second instance. Signing and sending it on time is essential either way.
I never received the letter — there's an awizo at the post office. What now?
Collect it immediately. A letter that is not picked up is usually treated as delivered once the storage period ends — and the 14 days start running even if you never read it. Don't ignore an awizo, especially while waiting for a decision.
Can I leave Poland while the appeal is pending?
That is a separate risk: without a valid card or stamp, coming back can be hard. Before any trip abroad, check your situation with a lawyer against your documents — not against stories from friends.
A refusal is not a verdict if you move inside the deadline. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp — we read every message.