Poland Work Permit / Study Visa Processing Times

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How much time it took for you to get a Work Permit for Poland?

Hi Everyone,

I have been waiting since 4 months but haven't received it yet. Getting very anxious and annoyed. Need a quick reply from all of you who have been through this to get a general idea. Please understand my anxiety and reply.

PS: For non-EU citizens.

Hi All,

I am also trying for work visa and have received my work permit few days back. It'd be really helpful if you could answer below queries :

1 - How much time it took for you to get the work permit? (mine came after 5.5 months)
2 - There is nothing as such stated in my work permit to travel before any specific date. Only validity is there.
3 - I have just received the soft copy, how much time does it take to get the hard copy? and how it comes?

Strange but your WP took hell long time.

It is valid for 3 months from the date of issue i.e whenever is your start date.

It depends how your employer sent it..!

For Nation VISA D, I recently submitty documents at Mumbai Consulate for Poland. But they didn't take my Biometrics? Is this normal process?

Hi Harsh,

Yes true. How long did it take for you? and how did you manage to book appointment for visa? i am trying since 2 months without any luck.

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Work Permit Processing time

I recently got a job from an employer based out of Warsaw. They are submitting the work permit application next week. I'm aware that the processing time is longer than usual (4 - 6 months) and even 6-9 months some times based on the nationality. It would be great if you all could share your experience on the processing time taken, if your work permit has been processed recently ?

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Work Permit Processing Time

Hello Everyone!

I was hoping someone could tell me how long it takes to process work permits in Krakow based on recent experience. I've seen varying answers all over the internet ranging from 2 weeks up to 6 months.

Thanks!

As I heard can take up to 9 months in Cracow.

Hello MoOli is it 9 months for just a work permit or work permit + temporary residence card?

I recently completed temporary residency application with attorneys in Krakow. Your application time will depend on how prepared you are and how complete your application is. I was also told it will depend on what country you are from. I was told a decision in 30 days, and from there it may take as long as 6 months to get actual documents.

This said, I did get my PESEL and have been paying ZUS for months, and those two items will go a long way in easing the process. While I can not comment directly in the work permit experience, I have looked into it because of bringing my employees over from US to work for our Polish company. The process in Krakow, according to very reputable attorneys is taking roughly six months.

You've been lied to. Waiting times are about a year right now, with another month to two months to get documents after a positive decision.

The attorney told you 6 months, because they wanted your money.

The presence of a PESEL and paying tax changes nothing during the application process. A complete application also changes nothing, as they won't accept incomplete applications.

@delphiandomine what about the waiting times for just a work permit then. Is it also in the range of 6 months?

Funny, that is not what my attorney told me, it is what they told me when they stamped my passport. I can pick up the decision in person in 30 days. Considering my company was set up legally and every other action completed by my attorneys has been exactly as promised, I will go with what I have seen and has been proven. Considering another colleague just went through same process with same attorney and received his TRP in less than 6 months in Krakow, I will trust that they know what they are doing.

I look forward to your inevitable disappointment when you get told to go away and that the decision will be sent by post. Decisions are taking up to a year, if not longer.

Let me guess. You believe Trump is good for Poland too? I trust professionals with experience, not what's said here.

You won't go far in Poland if you think professionals are professional.

Many foreigners in Poland have been burnt badly because of so-called professionals giving terrible advice or flat-out lying.

As for Trump, he's a disaster for Poland.

Indeed. People who blindly trust and do not do a thorough research of the professionals are usually deserving of getting screwed anyway. I have been here almost a year now and no problems. Anyone who blindly trusts anyone, anywhere in the world, in business is likely going to get screwed. Poland is not special in that regard.

Proof is in results I guess. Having seen a colleagues results in a reasonable time frame I will trust in that process and preparedness. This said. If you think getting some cheap hack attorney to help you is going to get things moving, that's the first mistake. Real work costs real money. Plan on spending a minimum of 100 Euro per hour for legitimate professionals in these matters.

@PolAmKrakow,I agree with you 100 euros or more an hour attorneys are not what English teachers in Poland can afford thus don't know the results.Money and contacts still does talk silently in Poland.Also most foreigners in Poland cannot even afford an attorney forget professionals.I have been coming to Poland over 18 years now every other month for at least a month and no problems:)

Quite frankly, those 100 Euro/hour lawyers can't do any more than someone who knows administrative law can do.

All they will do is wait until the 2 month deadline expires for issuing a decision, then they proceed to issue a letter stating that the Foreigners Office is infringing on administrative law by failing to provide the decision on time. After they fail to get a response to that letter within 7 days, they direct the case to the Administrative Courts. At this point, the decision tends to be issued before the case gets heard in court.

Anything else is incompetence on the part of the lawyer, no matter how much they charge.

As for Mooli, the closest he's ever been to a 100 Euro/hour lawyer was when he was thrown out of that business mixer for harassing guests.

Of course. You must be right, and my colleague's experience was just a fluke. I am sure I will get denied as you say and have wasted my money. It is completely unreasonable to think that Poland, its legal offices and officials could be influenced by money being brought into the country. My apologies. I do not know what I was thinking when I believed that business investment and experts with these matters could influence the project. I should probably not wait for my decision and just pack my things and go back to the States because it is after all the land of milk and honey according to many here. I cant believe they let me graduate from college being this stupid. Miracle I have survived this long in life. Many thanks for the wisdom.

You won't get denied, you've just wasted your money paying lawyers to do something that you can do by yourself. It's easy to see how one can be seduced by a nice office and good coffee, but in reality, the work will be done by the office junior who hasn't done the application process yet.


It doesn't matter in the slightest to those that decide on residence permits. As long as you meet the laughably low requirements, you'll be accepted.

Laughably low requirements? Residency permits are not mere formalities any longer. Proving you can actually afford to live in Poland is critical. Making 50K a year in the USA isn't going to cut it. Having a 4K pln per month job lined up in Poland isn't going to get it done either. Poland wants real investment. Real people with money. Not pretenders.

Proving you actually have ties to Poland other than a visit one summer also makes a difference. One of the reasons they want photocopies of every page in your passport and complete travel documentation for the last five years.

Of course you can do the paperwork yourself. You can ask for appointments, or you can stand in line for hours. Spending the money on real experts is always the best way to get things done. Spending money on these experts alone shows the processing people that you take the process and application seriously enough to hire them. It also shows you have the financial ability to pay them.

You may very well be intelligent, and capable of doing the work yourself. But to believe everyone is treated the same is naïve at best. Money talks and B#11$### walks is still an accurate statement in Poland.

Actually, it isn't. It's a non-issue, as witnessed by the huge amount of residence permits handed out to non-EU citizens. It's not something I agree with, but Poland is quite happy to issue a work permit and residence permit to someone that wants to work in Amazon or similar warehouse. Even if you own your own company, the requirement is a mere 2 employees on a full time contract or that the company revenues total at least 12 x the average monthly wage in the last quarter. As it stands, it's what, around 60k PLN a year? That's nothing for a serious business, and furthermore, the first residence permit is usually granted on the basis of a business plan showing that the business will attain that in the first year.

Proving that you have ties to Poland is also meaningless. They want photocopies so that they can make sure that the documents are genuine and in case you have some interesting travel history, but that's about it. For the average Arab or Indian, they have zero ties to Poland, but they can still easily obtain work permits and residence permits. Poland frankly doesn't care about 'ties', they only care about workers paying into ZUS.

Spending money on experts doesn't change a thing. For a start, basic knowledge of Polish law - an application submitted by post has the same effect as applying in person. The most efficient way to apply is by making notarised copies of all your documents, then submitting those documents by post along with the application form and photographs. The notarised copies have the same weight as presenting the documents in person, yet saves considerable time and effort by the person making the application. Provided the application is in order, and you receive the "confirmation of postage", then you have a legally accepted method of staying in Poland until they call you to get the stamp in the passport to extend your stay.


Perhaps from your foreign point of view. In reality, you'll be processed the same way as anyone else. If money indeed talked, you'd get the decision within weeks, not months. 6 months is pitiful for someone that retained an expensive lawyer, especially as you can get the hearing in the Administrative Courts quite quickly.

Don't be seduced by coffee and comfortable chairs. Many people in Poland will tell you that image does not guarantee quality.

We will have to disagree. I have had many frustrations with Polish red tape in business. Banking laws, among other things change quite frequently without notice.

Anyone seduced by coffee and comfortable chairs isn't a business person, they are a sucker. Anyone can rent an office and hang advertising for services. What they cant easily do is be members of the BAR in the United States and Poland, have translators in the office, and have won awards for their practice.

While I will admit money doesn't buy everything, money and appearances do matter. You are right about ZUS though. This is critical now. And for foreigners it is no longer as inexpensive it was even a year ago.

Oh, this is a completely different story, and I agree with you on the need for a decent lawyer in this case. Likewise with taxes - while you don't need someone from the Big 4 to do the accounts, should there be any problems, then you need the best.

Be careful with awards in Poland. Many of them are simply bought by people sponsoring the event, and it's a common practice here.

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How long is the work permit processing time now?

I'm a Chinese, my agent apply my work permit in Feb. Now four months pass, I still haven't got this

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How long does work permit (local hire) takes

Hi All,
My future employer has applied local hire work permit for me on 18th of June. How long will it take?
Also, how long does visa processing take after work permit?

Can I take an appointment for a tourist visa but submit the national D visa form? Has anyone here tried that? Appointments for the National visa are nearly impossible to get. Enquiring for the Mumbai consulate.

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How long does work permit takes in Gdansk

My future employer has filled work permit at Gdansk location. It has been more than 2 months and I did not see any progress.
Anyone has idea how long it takes generally? Is there any way to track the application?

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Work permit

Hi As of now how much time is work permit taking in krakow, Poland, I already have a Karta Pobytu or Blue card, Can I simple get the work permit and change my org, or do I have to do something else also(like inform URZAD office and wait for transfer to happen)?

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What is the real time for getting a WP in Krakow?

An year back I got the same WP in just a month but now I have been waiting for 3.5 months for a reputed Bank in Krakow.