A permanent residence permit is granted in the cases specified in Article 195 of the Act on Foreigners and applies to:
A minor child of a Polish citizen who is under the parent's parental authority;
A minor child of a foreign national who has been granted a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident permit and who is under the parent’s parental authority:
– born after that foreign national was granted a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident permit, or
– born during the period of validity of a temporary residence permit granted to that foreign national, or during that foreign national’s stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland on the basis of a residence permit granted on humanitarian grounds or a permit for tolerated stay, or in connection with the granting of refugee status or the granting of subsidiary protection.
The spouse of a Polish citizen who:
– is married to a Polish citizen under the laws of the Republic of Poland and has been married to that person for at least 3 years prior to the date on which he or she filed an application for a permanent residence permit, and
– immediately prior to submitting this application, he or she resided continuously in the territory of the Republic of Poland for a period of not less than 2 years on the basis of a temporary residence permit granted in connection with being married to that Polish citizen (Article 158(1)(1) of the Act on Foreigners) or in connection with having been granted refugee status, subsidiary protection, or permission to stay on humanitarian grounds.
A person of Polish descent who intends to settle permanently in the territory of the Republic of Poland, and at least one of whose parents or grandparents, or both great-grandparents, was of Polish nationality.
A holder of a valid Polish Card who intends to settle permanently in the Republic of Poland.
A permanent residence permit may also be granted:
a victim of human trafficking who:
– resided in Poland for a period of at least 1 year immediately prior to submitting an application for a permanent residence permit, based on a temporary residence permit for victims of human trafficking,
– cooperated with law enforcement authorities in criminal proceedings concerning the offense referred to in Article 189a, § 1, of the Criminal Code
– has well-founded fears of returning to their country of origin.
A foreign national who, immediately prior to submitting an application for a permanent residence permit, resided continuously in the territory of the Republic of Poland for a period of not less than 5 years on the basis of refugee status, supplementary protection, or a residence permit granted on humanitarian grounds.
A foreign national who, immediately prior to submitting an application for a permanent residence permit, resided continuously in the territory of the Republic of Poland for a period of not less than 10 years on the basis of a permit for tolerated stay granted pursuant to Article 351(1) or (3) of the Act on Foreigners.
A foreign national who has been granted asylum in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
Important!
In the case of a foreign national who is a minor, the application for a permanent residence permit must be filed by the parents or the guardians appointed by the court, or by one of the parents or one of the guardians appointed by the court.
When submitting an application for a permanent residence permit for a foreign national who is a minor and who has reached the age of 6 as of the date of application, the minor’s presence is required. The requirement to provide fingerprints does not apply to foreign nationals who have not reached the age of 6 on the date the application is filed,
This permit is granted for an indefinite period. Based on this permit, a residence card valid for 10 years is issued. This document must be picked up in person. If a residence card is issued to a foreign national who has not yet reached the age of 13 by the date of pickup, the card is collected by the foreign national’s legal representative or guardian. During its period of validity, the residence card confirms the foreign national’s identity while he or she is staying in the territory of the Republic of Poland and, together with a valid travel document, entitles him or her to cross the border multiple times without the need to obtain a visa.
A foreign national who holds a permanent residence permit is entitled to work in Poland without needing a work permit. The residence card issued in connection with the granting of a permanent residence permit to a foreign national includes the notation ”access to the labor market.”.
