Poland TRC for Mexicans: Step by Step 2026

It's Tuesday night, you're on day 71 in Poland with your Mexican passport, and your mom messages you on WhatsApp: «Did you sort out your papers yet?». You still don't know whether 90 days really means 90 days. Breathe: nobody is deporting you tomorrow, but the clock is running. If you want a Poland TRC (the karta pobytu, Poland's temporary residence card) as a Mexican, Colombian, Peruvian, Argentinian or Venezuelan citizen, the date that matters isn't day 91. It's the last day of your legal stay. Here is the 2026 step-by-step, with official sources: what to do with your 90 days, what to bring from home, and what happens if your passport is a problem.

What do your 90 visa-free days mean for a karta pobytu?

With a Mexican passport you can stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. Poland is part of that area, so those days add up with any time you've spent in Spain, Germany or any other Schengen country. Poland's official migration portal (mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl) says the same: 90 days in every 180, and having a legal stay does not «reset» that limit.

For you that means two things. First: while you're inside the 90 days, your stay is legal and you can file a karta pobytu application. Second: the application must be filed at the latest on the last day of your legal stay. According to the official information published, if you file correctly and on time, your stay is treated as legal from the day you file until the decision becomes final. Filing on day 89 with mistakes is not the same as filing properly on day 40.

One warning: being able to file doesn't mean any reason will do. A karta pobytu is requested on a specific basis (work, study, family, your own business…) and each one has its own requirements. And one honest clarification: we do not arrange visas or work permits (the employer or the consulate does that). We handle the residence card, permanent residence, appeals after refusals and stuck cases.

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And your country? Here is what I found when checking the lists:

• Visa-free for 90 days: Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Venezuela are among the Latin American countries exempt from the Schengen visa, along with Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and several Central American countries. The legal basis is Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II.
• Visa required: in the lists consulted, Ecuador and Bolivia do need a Schengen visa to enter. If you're from there, your entry works differently, so review your case first.
• ETIAS: the EU is preparing an electronic travel authorisation for people who now enter without a visa. The dates have shifted several times, so check the official EU website before you travel.
• Lists get updated. Always verify yours on official sources the same day you plan your trip or your application.

Step by step: how to file your karta pobytu application in MOS

MOS (Moduł Obsługi Spraw, the case-handling module) is the portal where applications are filed. According to the information published, from 27 April 2026 temporary residence applications from third-country nationals are filed electronically only, and an application filed any other way is not examined. Confirm the current status on the official portal before you start. The steps:

1. Define your basis. Work, study, family, business… without a clear basis there is no application to file.
2. Count your days. Add up entries and exits over the last 180 days using your passport stamps and write down your last legal day.
3. Gather what you already have in Poland: a valid passport, photos, proof of address, health insurance and whatever your basis requires. The exact list changes by case.
4. Order your home-country documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, criminal record or diplomas, if you need them) with an apostille. More on that below.
5. Get a sworn translation into Polish of everything that's in Spanish.
6. Log in to MOS with your login.gov.pl account, choose «Zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy» (temporary residence permit) and sign with a trusted signature (podpis zaufany) or a qualified electronic signature.
7. Keep your filing confirmation and check your account often: the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki, the regional migration office) may ask for extra documents.

If you're close to 90 days and still missing something, read 90 Days Are Up in Poland? 3 Steps to Stay Legally With a TRC (2026). The general procedure for foreigners is on gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy.

Apostille and sworn translation: what you bring from home

Your home-country documents need two things before Poland accepts them: an apostille and a translation. An apostille is a stamp confirming that the signature and seal of the official who issued your document are genuine; it is issued by an authority in your country of origin, not by Poland. The Polish embassy in Mexico, for example, explains the process on gov.pl.

The translation is done by a tłumacz przysięgły (a Polish sworn translator): you go from Spanish into Polish, not the other way round. A translation by a friend, even a perfect one, normally won't do. Important: which documents are requested and which need an apostille depends on your type of karta pobytu. Confirm it before translating anything so you don't pay twice.

Start here because it takes the longest: an apostille in your country depends on offices you don't control, and nothing you do from Warsaw can speed it up.

Illustrative example (a composite case, not a real client): Daniela, a designer from Guadalajara, arrived in Warsaw with her Mexican passport and a job offer. On day 60 she realised her birth certificate had no apostille and nobody had translated it. She requested the apostille in Mexico, hired a sworn translator as soon as the document arrived, and filed in MOS before her last legal day. The lesson: home-country papers come first, not last.

If you're Venezuelan: expired passport and hard-to-get documents

Let's be clear: I found no published official Polish rule saying an expired Venezuelan passport is accepted for a karta pobytu application. Other countries have introduced flexibility, but it doesn't automatically apply in Poland. Don't assume anything and don't file blind. What you can do:

• Check your passport's expiry date today, not on day 80. If it expires soon, renewing it comes first.
• If renewal is slow or impossible because of consular obstacles, ask before your deadline which travel document the voivodeship office accepts in your case. Don't rely on an informal answer: get it confirmed by a specialist or by the office itself.
• Order birth, marriage and police records with an apostille early: getting official documents from Venezuela can be slow or complicated, so leave a margin.

If your passport expires while your case is pending, see Passport Renewal During Your TRC Application: 5 Steps.

A note on international protection: it is a separate procedure, meant for people who genuinely face a risk of persecution in their home country, with its own rules. It is not a shortcut to stay in Poland or a way to buy time. If you think it might apply to you, get advice on your specific situation before deciding anything.

And if you receive a refusal, there is a short deadline to appeal or apply again: Karta Pobytu Refused? 14 Days to Appeal — Or Apply Again (2026).

Practical tip: put three dates in a calendar: your last day of legal stay, the deadline for having apostilles and translations ready, and the day you'll file in MOS (with several weeks of margin before the last day).

Your 90 days aren't a problem if you use them well. Message us on WhatsApp or call +48 735 248 525 — you can write in Spanish and we'll read every message. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate.