Wezwanie Letter from Urząd: 7-Day Deadline 2026

It's Thursday evening. You open your e-mail, or your MOS account, and there it is: a letter with one strange Polish word at the top. Wezwanie. Underneath, a paragraph of legal Polish and a number: 7. Seven days. Your stomach drops, because nobody told you this could happen.

Take a breath. A wezwanie letter from the urząd is not a refusal and it is not a deportation notice. It is the office telling you: “Your file isn't complete yet. Fix this and we'll continue.” This guide explains what the letter means, how the 7-day deadline really works, and what to do tonight so your Karta Pobytu (Polish residence permit) case stays alive.

So what does “wezwanie” mean, and is it bad news?

Wezwanie means “summons” or “call”. It is a formal request from the voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki) handling your residence case. Most of the time it is routine paperwork, not a verdict. In a residence-permit case it usually asks you to do one of three things:

• Supplement a missing document or fix a formal defect in your application.
• Give explanations or extra proof, for example more detail on your job, your contract or where you live.
• Come to the office in person, for fingerprints, a signature sample, or to show your original passport and documents.

Since 27 April 2026, temporary-residence applications are filed online through MOS, so the wezwanie normally reaches you electronically. Don't assume, though: read the letter itself and check the delivery method. The official overview for foreigners is on gov.pl/web/cudzoziemcy.

What a wezwanie is not: a decision. A refusal or approval comes later, in a separate document. The wezwanie only decides whether your case moves forward or stalls.

💬 Skip the reading — talk to a human. WhatsApp +48 735 248 525, free, no commitment. Open chat →

How does the 7-day deadline work, and when does the clock start?

Here is the legal logic. Under Article 64 § 2 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (KPA), when an application has defects, the office must call you to fix them within a set time that is not shorter than seven days. The call must also warn you that if you don't fix the defects, your application will be left without consideration.

So seven days is the legal floor, not a magic number. Some letters give seven, some give more. The date written in your letter is the date that counts.

• Find the deadline sentence. In Polish it often reads like “w terminie 7 dni od dnia doręczenia wezwania” (within 7 days of delivery).
• Find the delivery date. The day of delivery itself is normally not counted, and counting starts the day after. If you're unsure, ask us to count it with you.
• Write the last day in your phone calendar tonight and set a reminder for two days before.
• Check your MOS account and your e-Doręczenia address daily while the case is open. A letter you didn't see still has a deadline running.

If you haven't set up electronic delivery yet, read what Filipino applicants must set up for e-Doręczenia and MOS. The advice applies to every nationality.

What exactly should you send back, and how?

The biggest mistake is answering too much, or answering the wrong question. The office asked for specific things. Give it those things, cleanly, once.

1. Read the list in the letter line by line. Each missing item is usually numbered or described in a separate sentence.
2. Take a photo of the whole letter and save the delivery date. This is your proof if anyone later argues about timing.
3. Collect only the requested documents. A document in a language other than Polish normally needs a sworn translation.
4. Send the answer the way the letter tells you. In MOS cases that normally means electronically through your account. Keep the confirmation.
5. If you truly cannot finish in time, write to the office before the deadline and explain why. Don't count on an extension. Send everything you can by the date.

Not sure which papers make a complete file? Our Karta Pobytu for work checklist lists the usual documents, and 7 MOS errors Bangladeshi applicants make shows where online filings usually go wrong.

Here is an illustrative example, a composite and not a real client. Ramesh, a welder from Gujarat, got a wezwanie asking for a corrected employer statement. His employer was on leave and the 7 days were running. He wrote to HR the same evening, got the signed paper on day five, uploaded it and kept the confirmation. His case moved on to the decision stage.

Practical tip: the moment you open a wezwanie, photograph it, note the delivery date and write the last day of the deadline in your calendar. Do this before you do anything else, even before you call anyone.

What if you miss the deadline or can't make it in time?

This is the scary part, so let's be direct. If the defects aren't fixed on time, the office can leave your application without consideration. In practice your case stops, as if you hadn't filed. A new filing means a new application. The current fees are PLN 440 when you file and PLN 100 for the card, so check the amounts before you plan.

Your right to stay while the case is pending depends on when and how you originally filed. That's exactly why you shouldn't let a case close by accident. If your permit is close to expiring, message us before the deadline, not after.

Missed it because of something outside your control, such as a hospital stay or a letter you truly could not receive? Article 58 KPA allows a request to restore the deadline. You must file it within 7 days of the day the reason ended, show you weren't at fault, and do the missing action at the same time. The government's own guide is on zielonalinia.gov.pl.

And if the letter in your hand is a refusal, not a wezwanie, that's a different clock. See Karta Pobytu refused: 14 days to appeal, step by step.

What if the wezwanie tells you to come in person?

Some wezwania are appointments, not document requests. Fingerprints, a signature sample and showing your original passport are the usual reasons. Go on the date given, bring the originals the letter names, and arrive early. Regional office contacts and addresses are listed on the pages of each voivodeship, for example via uw.gov.pl.

Can't make the date? Contact the office early and in writing, and say why. Offices handle rescheduling case by case. For regional office pages, start at uw.gov.pl.

A wezwanie feels scary, but most of them are fixable if you answer in time. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp — we read every message.