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Right of permanent residence

The Union citizen shall obtain the right of permanent residence after five years of continuous residence within the territory of the Republic of Poland.

The family member who is not a Union citizen shall obtain the right of permanent residence after five years of continuous residence within the territory of the Republic of Poland with a Union citizen.

The residence within the territory of the Republic of Poland is considered to be continuous if the intervals in the residence do not exceed the total of 6 months in a year. The residence within the territory of the Republic of Poland is not interrupted by intervals longer than mentioned above for the purpose of compulsory military service or crucial individual situation, especially pregnancy, childbirth, illness, periods of studies, vocational training, delegations that require the residence outside the territory of the Republic of Poland if the interval does not exceed the period of 12 consecutive months.

The residence within the territory of the Republic of Poland is interrupted by execution of the decision to expel the Union citizen or family member who is not a Union citizen.

The Act on the entry into, residence in and exit from the Republic of Poland of nationals of the European Union Member States and their family members defines in detail the possibility of granting the right of permanent residence before the lapse of the period of 5 years of residence in the territory of the Republic of Poland, in exceptional cases of professional or family nature.

The Union citizen who obtained the right of permanent residence is given a document certifying the permanent residence right based on the application of Union citizen. The application shall be submitted in person to the voivode competent for the place of residence of the Union citizen.

A family member who is not a Union citizen, and who obtained the right of permanent residence, shall be provided, on his/her request, with a permanent residence card of a family member of a Union citizen. The application shall be submitted in person to the voivode competent for the place of residence of the Union citizen before the term of validity of the permanent residence card of a family member of a Union citizen expires.

The application for the issuance of a document certifying the right of permanent residence or permanent residence card of a Union citizen family member shall be accompanied by photographs and a valid travel document shall be presented. The Union citizen may present another document certifying his/her identity and citizenship.

While collecting document certifying the right of permanent residence or permanent residence card of the Union citizen family member you shall present a valid travel document or another document certifying your identity and citizenship together with the documents certifying payment of the fee of PLN 30.

The Union citizen of his/her family member shall apply to the voivode competent for the place of residence for the replacement of the document certifying the right of permanent residence or permanent residence card of the Union citizen family member in case of amendments of data included, damage or other circumstances that make establishment of a holder identity difficult or the validity period of the document expires.

When submitting application for the replacement of a document certifying the right of permanent residence, the document certifying the right of permanent residence in possession and photographs shall be attached, and in case of its loss, a valid travel document or another document certifying his/her identity and citizenship shall be presented.

When submitting the application for the replacement of the permanent residence card of the Union citizen family member, a permanent residence card of the Union citizen family member in possession and photographs shall be attached, and in case of its loss, a valid travel document shall be presented.

In case of annulment of the document certifying the right for permanent residence or permanent residence card of the Union citizen’s family member or death of the family member the said documents shall be returned immediately to the authority that issued the card.

Persons who:

fail to fulfil the obligation to register their stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland,
evade the obligation to hold or replace the residence card of a Union citizen’s family member or a permanent residence card of a Union citizen’s family member,
contrary to the obligation, fail to return the residence card of a Union citizen’s family member, the document certifying the right for permanent residence or the permanent residence card of the Union citizen’s family member

- shall be punishable by a fine.

Source: http://www.udsc.gov.pl/index.php?documentName=main