Temporary residence permit for trainee

Introduction

Internship in the Act on Foreigners means performing tasks commissioned by the organizer of the internship, which do not constitute the performance of work. These tasks are performed in order for the foreigner to acquire knowledge, practical skills, and professional experience, adequate to the field and level of completed or completed studies.

A trainee is defined as a third-country national (i.e., a person who does not have the nationality of one of the EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland or is stateless) who has completed higher education or is still studying outside the European Union during the last two years and is staying on the territory of the Republic of Poland for the purpose of a traineeship.

If the internship of such a person takes place in a unit that has been approved under the appropriate procedure by the minister competent for internal affairs for the purpose of accepting foreigners as trainees, they may apply for a temporary residence permit for the trainee.

A temporary residence permit for a trainee is a type of temporary residence permit, i.e., a permit entitling to stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland for a specified period.

Only those foreigners who have been admitted as trainees by concluding an appropriate agreement with them by the organizer of the internship may apply for this permit.

The traineeship must also justify their stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland longer than 3 months.

This permit is granted by the voivode, competent for the place of residence of the foreigner, and in the case of appeal proceedings – by the Head of the Office for Foreigners, for the period necessary to complete the internship – for a minimum period of more than 3 months, but not longer than for a period of 6 months.

This permit is not automatically renewed – a foreigner interested in continuing their stay in Poland before its expiry should apply for a temporary residence permit, e.g., another temporary residence permit for a trainee, or an indefinite permit (i.e., a permanent residence permit or a long-term EU resident's residence permit), if it meets the requirements necessary to grant it.

Remember!

If you have a temporary residence permit in Poland for the purpose of working in a profession requiring high qualifications (Blue Card) or a permit to perform work as part of an intra-corporate transfer granted to you as an intern employee, then the authority will refuse to initiate proceedings for this purpose. In such a situation, if you also have another purpose of stay in Poland, choose this purpose of stay as the main one.