Foreign nationals applying for a Polish temporary-residence permit woke up on 1 December to a brand-new, 18-page application form that cuts red tape in several practical ways. The regulation of 25 November, which introduced the form, reduces the number of biometric photographs that must be attached from four to two and collapses several annexes into a single, modular document. Applicants for combined stay-and-work permits, EU Blue Cards and intra-corporate-transferee (ICT) permits now tick dedicated sections instead of submitting separate schedules.
Although the underlying statutory criteria for obtaining a temporary-residence card remain unchanged, practitioners say the streamlined paperwork will shave at least a week off average preparation times. The Ministry of the Interior argues that the layout also aligns Poland with EU standards by spelling out precisely how fingerprints are to be taken and by standardising the ‘stamp in passport’ that proves a timely filing.
![Poland halves biometric photo requirement in revamped temporary-residence application]()
The form’s metadata already anticipates the government’s 2026 goal of end-to-end online processing: it contains embedded technical specifications for digital photographs that can be uploaded directly once qualified electronic signatures are allowed.
For global mobility managers the immediate takeaway is simple: update document check-lists, adjust employee briefings and dispose of old paper stock. Companies that prepared packages in November but have not yet filed must transpose the data into the new format or risk rejection at the voivodeship office counter.
Longer-term, the harmonised form should reduce the regional disparities that have long plagued Poland’s immigration system—for example, Mazowieckie province used to insist on an extra health-insurance annex that is now integrated for the entire country. Mobility teams should therefore see fewer surprises when relocating talent to secondary Polish cities in 2026 and beyond.
Although the underlying statutory criteria for obtaining a temporary-residence card remain unchanged, practitioners say the streamlined paperwork will shave at least a week off average preparation times. The Ministry of the Interior argues that the layout also aligns Poland with EU standards by spelling out precisely how fingerprints are to be taken and by standardising the ‘stamp in passport’ that proves a timely filing.
The form’s metadata already anticipates the government’s 2026 goal of end-to-end online processing: it contains embedded technical specifications for digital photographs that can be uploaded directly once qualified electronic signatures are allowed.
For global mobility managers the immediate takeaway is simple: update document check-lists, adjust employee briefings and dispose of old paper stock. Companies that prepared packages in November but have not yet filed must transpose the data into the new format or risk rejection at the voivodeship office counter.
Longer-term, the harmonised form should reduce the regional disparities that have long plagued Poland’s immigration system—for example, Mazowieckie province used to insist on an extra health-insurance annex that is now integrated for the entire country. Mobility teams should therefore see fewer surprises when relocating talent to secondary Polish cities in 2026 and beyond.
