New temporary-residence application form simplifies photo and fingerprint rules

Foreign nationals filing for a Polish temporary-residence permit now have to use a brand-new application form introduced by a regulation of 25 November 2025. The form became mandatory on 1 December and trims paperwork by halving the number of biometric photos required—from four to two—and by providing integrated annexes for combined stay-and-work, EU Blue Card and intra-corporate-transferee requests.

The regulation also standardises the stamp that confirms a timely filing, details how fingerprints are to be collected and codifies the technical requirements for digital photos, paving the way for fully online submissions in 2026. The Ministry of Interior says the new layout aligns Polish practice with the EU Long-Term Residents Directive and eliminates regional variation that often confused applicants.



Companies should replace all legacy templates immediately; voivodeship offices will reject old forms. HR teams are advised to update onboarding checklists and instruct assignees to book fingerprint appointments earlier, as slots are expected to be scarce in the first weeks of the new regime.

While the content of eligibility rules is unchanged, practitioners expect shorter adjudication times because data fields now mirror the immigration authority’s back-office system, reducing manual re-keying.