Travel Stats

• 5 years of uninterrupted residence — counted backwards from the application date, NOT from arrival (Art. 211(1) Law on Foreigners). The 5-year clock is evaluated at the moment you file, so the window is always the 5 years immediately preceding your application.
• Stable and regular income — Employment or other reliable income source
• Legal housing — Lease or ownership documentation
• Polish language proficiency (Art. 211(3)) — Closed list: state-issued B1 certificate from the Państwowa Komisja ds. Poświadczania Znajomości Języka Polskiego jako Obcego, OR a diploma from a school/university where Polish was the medium of instruction. Private language school certificates do NOT qualify.
• Absence limits within those 5 years preceding the application:
  • Up to 6 months at a time — any single absence longer than this breaks continuity and resets the 5-year clock
  • Up to 10 months in aggregate across the 5-year window
  • Brief vacations/holidays within these limits do NOT break continuity

⚠️ Note: The 5-year requirement is evaluated at the moment of filing. Once you file, the clock is "frozen" — time spent during processing does not reset it, but you must already meet all criteria when you submit. See Art. 211(1) and Art. 212 of the Law on Foreigners.

📞 Office for Foreigners: +48 47 721 76 75 (Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00) | ul. Koszykowa 16, 00-564 Warszawa