Right of permanent residence of an EU citizen

Introduction

The foreigner has a citizenship of the European Union, provided that they have a citizenship of one of the following EU member states:

• Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Italy.

Within the meaning of the migration regulations, an EU national is also any citizen from:

• Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

EU citizens acquire the right of permanent (i.e., indefinite) residence, as a rule, after 5 years of uninterrupted residence on the territory of the Republic of Poland, with the proviso that uninterrupted residence does not mean the absence of any departures from Polish.

Stay on the territory of Poland at that time should be in accordance with the Regulations applicable to the acquisition and retention of the right of residence by an EU citizen in Poland. (See the explanation in the "Registration of Stay" tab – stage "Requirements").

In certain cases, it is possible to acquire the right of permanent residence after a shorter period of uninterrupted residence in Poland.

An EU citizen who has acquired the right of permanent residence is issued with a document confirming the right of permanent residence. The issuance of this document requires an EU citizen to submit an application in person to the voivode competent for their place of residence in Poland. This application is submitted on a special form.

The document confirming the right of permanent residence is issued after 30 days.

Remember!

• If for a sufficiently long time (basically 5 years) you have been continuously in Poland meeting the conditions of the right of residence, then even if you have not completed the formalities related to the registration of residence lasting more than 3 months, you acquire the right to permanent residence in Poland. To obtain a document confirming the acquisition of this right, you should apply to the voivode, competent for the place of residence, with an application submitted on the form.

• If you have acquired the right of permanent residence before the accession of Polish to the structures of the European Union (i.e., before 1 May 2004, on a general basis), you retain this right as it was granted to you indefinitely. Remember, however, that your current status is only accompanied by the status applicable to EU citizens, so in such a situation you should apply for a document confirming the right of permanent residence, in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC (i.e., in accordance with the procedure described in this tab).