Poland has flicked the digital switch on what officials call the largest shake-up of its immigration system in a generation. From 00:00 on 1 January 2026 every temporary-stay (residence) permit application—whether for a new hire, an intra-company transferee or a family member—must now be lodged exclusively through the government’s Moduł Obsługi Spraw (MOS) e-portal and signed with a qualified electronic signature tied to the applicant’s Trusted Profile or EU e-ID. Paper dossiers delivered to any of the 16 voivodeship offices are legally deemed “not filed”, forcing employers, relocation providers and foreign assignees onto the new platform overnight.(visahq.com)
The technological pivot is matched by a dramatic hike in government charges. The standard residence-permit fee has jumped from PLN 100 to PLN 400, while posted-worker permits now cost PLN 800. Consular tariffs rose in tandem: national (type D) visas increased from €135 to €200 and Schengen (type C) visas from €80 to €90. The Interior Ministry argues the extra revenue will fund cybersecurity, additional case officers and a 30 % cut in processing times; HR directors counter that 2026 relocation budgets were blown overnight.(visahq.com)
Early user feedback is mixed. Multinationals praise faster uploading and real-time tracking but complain of e-signature glitches, time-outs and a payment gateway that rejects some foreign credit cards. Smaller employers—especially those outside major cities—report steep learning curves as staff scramble to secure Trusted-Profile logins and navigate the Polish-language interface. Immigration advisers recommend screenshotting each submission step, as a crash can erase an un-saved draft and the legal clock for “timely filing” keeps ticking.
![Poland makes MOS e-portal mandatory, quadruples residence-permit fees as 2026 immigration overhaul goes live]()
Companies that prefer a smoother on-ramp to the new rules can outsource the heavy lifting: VisaHQ’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) creates Trusted Profiles, procures qualified e-signatures and submits MOS applications end-to-end, while its multilingual support line troubleshoots payment or portal errors in real time and keeps HR teams updated on every status change.
Practical implications for mobility teams are significant. Every foreign assignee now needs (1) a Trusted Profile or EU e-ID, (2) a qualified e-signature and (3) MOS training. Employers must budget roughly PLN 2 000–2 500 per employee for new fees, signatures and courier costs—2.5–3 times the 2024 outlay. Failure to file electronically will strand employees in limbo without lawful status or the right to work.
Looking ahead, the government plans to migrate permanent-residence, citizenship, Blue Card and seasonal-worker filings to MOS by mid-2026. Officials insist full digitisation is the only way to tame backlogs that topped 340 000 cases last year. Until the portal stabilises, however, Poland’s promise of “faster and friendlier” immigration remains a work in progress.
The technological pivot is matched by a dramatic hike in government charges. The standard residence-permit fee has jumped from PLN 100 to PLN 400, while posted-worker permits now cost PLN 800. Consular tariffs rose in tandem: national (type D) visas increased from €135 to €200 and Schengen (type C) visas from €80 to €90. The Interior Ministry argues the extra revenue will fund cybersecurity, additional case officers and a 30 % cut in processing times; HR directors counter that 2026 relocation budgets were blown overnight.(visahq.com)
Early user feedback is mixed. Multinationals praise faster uploading and real-time tracking but complain of e-signature glitches, time-outs and a payment gateway that rejects some foreign credit cards. Smaller employers—especially those outside major cities—report steep learning curves as staff scramble to secure Trusted-Profile logins and navigate the Polish-language interface. Immigration advisers recommend screenshotting each submission step, as a crash can erase an un-saved draft and the legal clock for “timely filing” keeps ticking.
Companies that prefer a smoother on-ramp to the new rules can outsource the heavy lifting: VisaHQ’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) creates Trusted Profiles, procures qualified e-signatures and submits MOS applications end-to-end, while its multilingual support line troubleshoots payment or portal errors in real time and keeps HR teams updated on every status change.
Practical implications for mobility teams are significant. Every foreign assignee now needs (1) a Trusted Profile or EU e-ID, (2) a qualified e-signature and (3) MOS training. Employers must budget roughly PLN 2 000–2 500 per employee for new fees, signatures and courier costs—2.5–3 times the 2024 outlay. Failure to file electronically will strand employees in limbo without lawful status or the right to work.
Looking ahead, the government plans to migrate permanent-residence, citizenship, Blue Card and seasonal-worker filings to MOS by mid-2026. Officials insist full digitisation is the only way to tame backlogs that topped 340 000 cases last year. Until the portal stabilises, however, Poland’s promise of “faster and friendlier” immigration remains a work in progress.
