Poland’s long-planned digital immigration overhaul just came fully online. As of 00:00 on 1 January 2026, every temporary-stay (residence) permit application must be lodged exclusively through the Moduł Obsługi Spraw (MOS) portal and signed with a qualified electronic signature. Paper dossiers handed to any of the 16 voivodeship offices are now legally deemed “not filed,” forcing employers, relocation providers and foreign assignees onto the new platform overnight.
The fee shock is as dramatic as the technological shift. The standard residence-permit charge jumps from PLN 100 to PLN 400, posted-worker permits leap to PLN 800, while national (type D) visa fees rise to €200 and Schengen (type C) visas to €90. Authorities argue that higher fees will fund faster processing and anti-fraud analytics, but corporate mobility teams must now budget four times more per assignee.
For organisations and individual travellers who need help navigating these abrupt changes, VisaHQ offers a turnkey solution: the company’s Warsaw-based experts can handle MOS filings, arrange qualified electronic signatures, and keep you updated on fee forecasts and regulatory tweaks. Explore their services at https://www.visahq.com/poland/ to streamline compliance and avoid costly missteps.
![Poland switches to mandatory MOS e-filing and quadruples residence-permit fees]()
Behind the scenes, MOS completes a year-long digitisation drive that already migrated work-permit filings to praca.gov.pl and trialled biometric uploads. The Interior Ministry says it expects a 30 % reduction in average processing times once initial backlogs clear and believes the unified data set will help target labour-market shortages. Employers, however, report teething problems ranging from overloaded servers to challenges obtaining qualified e-signatures for new hires abroad.
Practical tips for HR: 1) build an internal library of MOS screenshots in English to guide applicants; 2) purchase bulk e-signature certificates from certified providers; 3) update cost projections for 2026 budgets immediately; and 4) schedule extra lead time for the first quarter while officials adjust to the digital workflow.
Although painful, Poland’s “digital-only” mandate positions it as one of the most advanced immigration systems in the EU—a potential blueprint for neighbouring states wrestling with paper-based backlogs.
The fee shock is as dramatic as the technological shift. The standard residence-permit charge jumps from PLN 100 to PLN 400, posted-worker permits leap to PLN 800, while national (type D) visa fees rise to €200 and Schengen (type C) visas to €90. Authorities argue that higher fees will fund faster processing and anti-fraud analytics, but corporate mobility teams must now budget four times more per assignee.
For organisations and individual travellers who need help navigating these abrupt changes, VisaHQ offers a turnkey solution: the company’s Warsaw-based experts can handle MOS filings, arrange qualified electronic signatures, and keep you updated on fee forecasts and regulatory tweaks. Explore their services at https://www.visahq.com/poland/ to streamline compliance and avoid costly missteps.
Behind the scenes, MOS completes a year-long digitisation drive that already migrated work-permit filings to praca.gov.pl and trialled biometric uploads. The Interior Ministry says it expects a 30 % reduction in average processing times once initial backlogs clear and believes the unified data set will help target labour-market shortages. Employers, however, report teething problems ranging from overloaded servers to challenges obtaining qualified e-signatures for new hires abroad.
Practical tips for HR: 1) build an internal library of MOS screenshots in English to guide applicants; 2) purchase bulk e-signature certificates from certified providers; 3) update cost projections for 2026 budgets immediately; and 4) schedule extra lead time for the first quarter while officials adjust to the digital workflow.
Although painful, Poland’s “digital-only” mandate positions it as one of the most advanced immigration systems in the EU—a potential blueprint for neighbouring states wrestling with paper-based backlogs.
