Residence Permit Replacement Procedure for Foreigners
Residence card replacement process in Poland is simple and straight, but you must consider some key points. It is common to face any unexpected event of a card being lost or damaged where we have to apply for a replacement residence permit. So in this blog, we will try to cover this topic and guide you on how to apply for card replacement in Poland. Let’s start the discussion by answering key questions.
Who can apply for a replacement residence card?
You can apply for a replacement residence card in these situations:
a. If you lost your card somewhere that is hard to find, or if your card was damaged by some unexpected event, etc.
b. If you see there is a mistake in your card, e.g., your name, date of birth, or anything else that might affect you while traveling abroad,.
When can you apply for a replacement card?
If your card is lost or damaged, then you have 2 weeks of time to apply for a replacement card at the immigration office by visiting in person. So if you lost your card in any way, then apply for card replacement at the immigration office as soon as possible. Don’t be late because you have only 14 days of time to apply for a new card or replacement card.
Where do you submit your application?
It depends on the city where you applied for a residence card before. For example, if you live in Warsaw, then you have to apply for a replacement of your card at Warsaw Immigration, located at Marszałkowska 3/5.
If you live in another city, e.g., Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, etc., then you have to apply in that city by visiting the office located in your city.
Author Expert Advice: You can apply for the replacement of your residence permit in another city, but it will take a little longer to get a replacement card. So it would be best practice to apply in the same office where you received your old card that you already lost by any means.
What is the application fee for a replacement for your residence card?
In general, the cost is 100 PLN for the replacement of any residence card e.g. work permit, spouse based permit, PR for spouse and EU long term residency for workers etc. However, if you are a student in Poland and you lost your card or it was damaged for some reason. You have to pay half the amount because students are exempt from paying the full fee.They have some benefits from office which is why they have to pay only 50 PLN.
What documents are required to be submitted?
These are the key documents that you have to submit when you apply for the replacement of your residence card:
1. Application form regarding the replacement of the card.
2. You need to submit two photographs, just like you submit four photographs when applying for a residence permit in general.
3. A copy of your lost residence permit.
4. A copy of your decision for that card that you received before.
5. Your travel document, which is your passport,.
6. Payment receipt for the replacement card.
7. A declaration form or the latter, where you have to mention and explain the actual reason for the card being lost, or if it was damaged, then explain.
8. You can also submit a police report for a lost or damaged card that you get from a local police station. Even though this is optional, it is still best practice to file a report with a police station regarding the damage or loss of your residency card.
KeyNote from Author: If, in any case, you do not get a report, then you have to submit the declaration, which we already explained to you in point 7.
How long does it take to get a new card or replacement card?
It depends on where you applied for a replacement card; e.g., if you submit your application for a replacement of your residence permit at the same office that issued your residence permit before, then it will take around one month to get a replacement card.
If you submit your case to a different office, it will take 60–90 days to receive your replacement card. Here, the different office means the office that received your application is not the same one that issued the card before.
Let’s understand this with an example: if you received your previous card in Krakow and you are now in Warsaw and you lost your card and you submitted your application at the Warsaw Immigration Office, then this is not the same office that issued the card before. So in this case, it will take more than 30 days to receive your new or replacement card.
What if you just change your name, address, etc.?
If you have an issue with the data on your card in Poland, i.e., your name is spelled incorrectly, you want to change your address on your residence permit, or there is some mistake in your card with printing, you can also apply for a replacement. You just have to explain to the office that there is a mistake on your card and you want to change your address.
For correction of personal data, e.g., name, surname, birthday, you need your official passport, of course, as a foreigner.
In case of changing addresses, you have to present new address documents, e.g., house contract, zzameldowanie, etc.
Disclaimer: This blog is only for informational purposes. We don’t claim the 100 percent accuracy of the information. Whatever we explain here is based on our research and knowledge, and there may be errors in our writing. Instead of relying only on this information, we highly encourage you to visit the official source for absolute information regarding this topic.
If you have any questions regarding this, you are welcome to leave a comment below this blog post. We will respond to you as soon as possible.
