The Office for Foreigners has notified applicants that, as of 5 March 2026, stamp duties paid for Polish residence-permit, visa-extension or permit-amendment applications will no longer be refundable if the application is refused or the case is discontinued. Refunds have until now been possible under the general Stamp Duty Act.
The change flows directly from the Phasing-Out Act adopted on 23 January, which amends multiple articles of the 2013 Act on Foreigners. Fees affected include PLN 440 for temporary residence, PLN 640 for permanent residence or EU long-term resident status, PLN 220 to amend a combined residence-and-work permit and the PLN 406 equivalent for a national-visa extension. Schengen-visa fees of €40–160 paid at the border are also covered.
![Poland abolishes stamp-duty refunds for rejected visa and residence applications]()
Companies and individuals looking to minimise the risk of costly repeat filings can turn to VisaHQ’s Poland service centre (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), where specialists guide applicants through eligibility checks, document preparation and online submission—helping to prevent rejections that would now forfeit the entire stamp duty.
For businesses this means higher sunk costs when hiring non-EU talent: if an application is denied the duty is lost and must be repaid on re-filing. Mobility budgets should therefore accommodate the risk of multiple fee cycles, and HR teams are urged to triple-check eligibility before submission. Immigration advisers expect the rule to encourage more applicants to appeal unfavourable decisions rather than withdraw and start afresh.
The Office for Foreigners emphasised that applications lodged before 5 March are not subject to the new restriction. Nevertheless, the notice is part of a broader drive to digitalise immigration payments via Poland’s MOS portal, which became mandatory for most filings in January.
The change flows directly from the Phasing-Out Act adopted on 23 January, which amends multiple articles of the 2013 Act on Foreigners. Fees affected include PLN 440 for temporary residence, PLN 640 for permanent residence or EU long-term resident status, PLN 220 to amend a combined residence-and-work permit and the PLN 406 equivalent for a national-visa extension. Schengen-visa fees of €40–160 paid at the border are also covered.
Companies and individuals looking to minimise the risk of costly repeat filings can turn to VisaHQ’s Poland service centre (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), where specialists guide applicants through eligibility checks, document preparation and online submission—helping to prevent rejections that would now forfeit the entire stamp duty.
For businesses this means higher sunk costs when hiring non-EU talent: if an application is denied the duty is lost and must be repaid on re-filing. Mobility budgets should therefore accommodate the risk of multiple fee cycles, and HR teams are urged to triple-check eligibility before submission. Immigration advisers expect the rule to encourage more applicants to appeal unfavourable decisions rather than withdraw and start afresh.
The Office for Foreigners emphasised that applications lodged before 5 March are not subject to the new restriction. Nevertheless, the notice is part of a broader drive to digitalise immigration payments via Poland’s MOS portal, which became mandatory for most filings in January.
