You've been in Poland for eighty-one days. You came in on your Venezuelan passport, no visa, and everything felt fine until a coworker asked, "Wait, how long are you allowed to stay?" You do the math and realise you have nine days left. Breathe. This is the guide on the legal stay of Venezuelans in Poland that we wish someone had handed you earlier: what those 90 days really allow, the last day you can file for a karta pobytu (the Polish residence card, often called a TRC), and what to do about an expired passport or documents from Venezuela.
One thing up front: this is about putting your stay in order, not about shortcuts. Nobody serious can guarantee you a result, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What we can do is walk you through the path under today's rules.
What do your 90 visa-free days actually allow?
Citizens of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, among others, can enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The rule sits in Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, whose Annex II lists the exempt countries. According to published information, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba and the Dominican Republic still need a Schengen visa. If that's you, your starting point is different, and the visa comes from the consulate, not from us. Always check the current list before you decide anything.
What matters is understanding what that permission is, and what it isn't:
- It's 90 days in total within any rolling 180-day window, and every Schengen country counts, not just Poland. Days you spent in Spain or Germany count against you.
- It's permission to be here, not to work. Entering without a visa doesn't give you the right to a job. The work permit or declaration is something your employer files.
- Your entries and exits are logged digitally. The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) went into full operation on 10 April 2026, so overstaying leaves a trace.
- ETIAS, the EU travel authorisation, still has no confirmed start date. Check the official EU site before assuming anything.
If you want to see the same logic laid out for another Latin American country, we have a step-by-step guide: karta pobytu for Colombians. The 90-day rules are the same for you.
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What is the last day to file for a karta pobytu?
This is where people lose sleep, and for good reason. Polish law requires you to file the temporary residence application no later than the last day of your legal stay in Poland. Not "around the end of the month". The last day. If your visa-free stay ends on day 90, that's your deadline.
According to the urzędy wojewódzkie (the voivode's offices, the regional immigration authority), since 27 April 2026 the temporary residence application is filed electronically on the MOS portal, and an application filed another way may be left unexamined. The physical card itself is requested separately. If you file properly and on time, your stay is treated as legal while the case is decided. Careful, though: "legal" doesn't mean you can work for any employer. That depends on your basis for residence.
We don't promise decision times, because they vary a lot by office. To see how different they are, check processing times by voivodeship. General information on the procedure is on the official gov.pl page for foreigners.
This sequence keeps your head straight:
- Count your days using real entry and exit dates: stamps, flight tickets, records. Don't trust memory.
- Decide your basis for residence: work, family, study or business. Each needs different documents.
- Gather documents and translations with room to spare, not in the last week.
- File on MOS within the deadline.
- Keep the filing confirmation. It's your proof that you filed on time.
Expired passport: what are your real options as a Venezuelan?
This is the question we get most. First, the general rule: to file, you need a valid travel document. Second, the part you may not want to hear: we can't promise that an expired passport, or one with an extension stamp, will be accepted in your case. The office decides.
What is documented: according to press reports from March 2025, SAIME stopped issuing the five-year passport extension and tells people to apply for a new 10-year passport through its website (El Diario). There are also reports that appointments and passport delivery abroad have been irregular. So check the current status with SAIME or your consulate before you plan.
- Start the new passport now, not on day 85.
- Keep proof of every attempt: application, appointment, emails, screenshots.
- Before you file anything on MOS with a doubtful passport, write to us and we'll review your case.
- Never use someone else's documents or "get" papers through strange channels. It's the fastest road to a serious problem.
Documents from home: apostille and sworn translation (tłumacz przysięgły)
Documents issued in Venezuela or another country (marriage or birth certificates, criminal record certificates, diplomas) normally have to be submitted in Polish. That's done by a tłumacz przysięgły, a sworn translator listed by the Polish Ministry of Justice. A translation by a friend, even one who speaks perfect Polish, won't do.
An apostille is a stamp certifying that a public document is authentic between countries of the Hague Convention. In Venezuela there is an electronic apostille system run by the Foreign Ministry, according to El Espectador. Whether you need one depends on the document and on what the office asks for. An official note from the Polish foreign ministry says an apostille doesn't by itself require translation, but the receiving office may have its own requirements, so confirm. Also, an apostille can't be placed on a photocopy of a sworn translation. Details are on the gov.pl apostille page.
The usual order is: original document, apostille if it applies, then the sworn translation into Polish. Don't mix up the order or leave it all for the end.
Practical tip: check that your name and surnames are spelled exactly as in your passport on every document and every translation. One different letter can bring a request for clarification and lost time.
What about international protection? Only if it truly applies
We'll say it plainly: international protection (ochrona międzynarodowa) is not a shortcut to stay in Poland and not an alternative to the karta pobytu. It's a procedure for people who face a real risk of persecution or serious harm in their home country. It is requested through the Straż Graniczna (the Border Guard) and has its own rules, rights and consequences. Your individual story is examined, not your nationality.
If you're not in that situation, it doesn't apply to you, and filing without a basis can hurt you. If you think it does apply, get advice from a lawyer or a specialised organisation before deciding. Official information is on the Office for Foreigners (UdSC). Legal Solutions focuses on residence permits and doesn't replace that advice.
Which karta pobytu bases exist, and what do we do (and not do) at Legal Solutions?
The temporary karta pobytu is requested on a concrete basis: work, study, business or genuine family ties in Poland. We handle residence: we prepare the case, file it (including on MOS), appeal if there's a refusal, and push when a case stalls, using a ponaglenie or a skarga na przewlekłość (complaints about procedural delay).
What we don't do: we don't obtain visas or work permits. The permit or declaration (oświadczenie) is handled by your employer, and the visa by the consulate. If you're at that stage, read the difference between a work permit and a karta pobytu and the 3 steps after your work permit is approved.
An illustrative example (a composite, not a real client): Daniela, a Venezuelan engineer, arrived in Kraków without a visa. At day 50 she counted her remaining days using real dates, started her new passport while keeping every receipt, translated her documents with room to spare, and filed on MOS before the last day. No magic, just order. The final outcome is always up to the office, not to us.
If your 90-day clock is already running, message us on WhatsApp at +48 735 248 525 in Spanish or English. We read every message and review your case with you. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate.