EXPAT ESSENTIALSPOLAND
Karta pobytu waiting times by voivodeship.
How long will your karta pobytu take? It depends mostly on your voivodeship office. On 7 October 2026 we asked all 16 offices, in writing, for their own processing times. This page tracks every reply, office by office, next to the Office for Foreigners (UdSC) figures for all 16 offices. Where an office has not answered yet, we say so. We do not fill gaps with guesses. For real cases reported by other applicants, see the community wait-times board, where you can add your own case.
- Official replies from 10 offices
- UdSC data for all 16
- No estimates in empty cells
November 2026 data report (FOI figures + open dataset) →
Residence permits · Data tracker · Last updated: 4 November 2026 · By the Expat Essentials Poland editorial team
Waiting times in all 16 voivodeships
Short answer
For temporary residence decisions issued from 1 January to 30 September 2026, the offices that replied reported averages from 250 days (Małopolskie, Kraków) to 539 days (Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Bydgoszcz). Warsaw (Mazowieckie) reported 429 days, up from 271 in 2025. In UdSC data the slowest office is Śląskie (Katowice), 680 days. All figures are averages of finished cases, not medians, and not a forecast for your case.
Temporary residence (karta pobytu), all purposes. “Office reply” = the office’s own figure in its official reply to us. “UdSC” = Office for Foreigners data for decisions issued 1 Jan–28 Sep 2026, as published by Krakspire Barometer (updated 30 Sep 2026). Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
| Voivodeship (office) | Office reply: avg days to decision, 1 Jan–30 Sep 2026 | UdSC: avg days, 1 Jan–28 Sep 2026 | Temporary residence cases pending (office reply) | Our request: status and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DolnośląskieWrocław | No data yetrequest pending | 329 daysMSWiA, data to 6 Jul 2026: 303 | no data yet | PendingNo reply yet. Reminder sent 22 Oct 2026. |
| Kujawsko-PomorskieBydgoszcz | 539 days (~18 mo)2025: 545 · change: -6 | 547 days | 14,753 (all three permit types, “currently”, letter of 21 Oct 2026) | Official replyBW.II.1331.268.2026, 21 Oct 2026 |
| LubelskieLublin | No data yetrequest pending | 389 days | no data yet | PendingOffice asked for formal details and a public-interest justification; we replied 22 Oct 2026. Office’s new reply date: 6 Dec 2026. |
| LubuskieGorzów Wielkopolski | 518 days (~17 mo)2025: 494 · change: +24 | 519 days | 23,035 (on 22 Oct 2026) | Official replySO-IV.1331.23.2026.ESzo, 22 Oct 2026 |
| ŁódzkieŁódź | 384 days (~13 mo)2025: 324 · change: +60 | 383 days | 48,626 (on 30 Sep 2026) | Official replySOC-IV.1331.14.2026, 16 Oct 2026 |
| MałopolskieKraków | 250 days (~8 mo)2025: 183 · change: +67 | 249 daysMSWiA, data to 6 Jul 2026: 242 | 39,227 (on 19 Oct 2026) | Official replySC-I.1331.28.2026, 19 Oct 2026 |
| MazowieckieWarsaw | 429 days (~14 mo)2025: 271 · change: +158 | 425 daysMSWiA, data to 6 Jul 2026: 394 | not stated in the part of the letter we hold | Official replyWSC-IV.1331.30.2026, 16 Oct 2026 |
| OpolskieOpole | 498 days (~16 mo)2025: 604 · change: -106 | 498 days | about 20,720 (all permit types, on 30 Sep 2026) | Official replySO.II.1331.24.2026, 21 Oct 2026 |
| PodkarpackieRzeszów | 314 days (~10 mo)2025: 246 · change: +68 | 313 days | 7,854 (all three permit types, on 8 Oct 2026) | Official replyO-II.1331.27.2026, 8 Oct 2026 |
| PodlaskieBiałystok | No data yetrequest pending | 470 daysMSWiA, data to 6 Jul 2026: 447 | no data yet | PendingOffice asked for a postal address; request pending. |
| PomorskieGdańsk | No data yetrequest pending | 622 daysMSWiA, data to 6 Jul 2026: 598 | no data yet | PendingOffice asked us to complete the request; we replied 22 Oct 2026. Reply due by 30 Nov 2026. |
| ŚląskieKatowice | No data yetrequest pending | 680 daysMSWiA, data to 6 Jul 2026: 658 | no data yet | PendingOffice asked us to show a particular public interest; we replied 15 Oct 2026. Request pending. |
| ŚwiętokrzyskieKielce | No data yetrequest pending | 328 days | no data yet | PendingOffice extended its reply deadline; request pending. |
| Warmińsko-MazurskieOlsztyn | 279 days (~9 mo)2025: 211 · change: +68 | 278 days | 5,003 (on 30 Sep 2026) | Official replye-mail reply (no ref.), 21 Oct 2026 |
| WielkopolskiePoznań | ≈340 days (~11 mo)2025: ≈340 · change: ≈ same | 343 days | about 54,000 (on the date of the letter) | Official replySC-XI.1331.28.2026, 20 Oct 2026 |
| ZachodniopomorskieSzczecin | 462 days (~15 mo)2025: 466 · change: -4 | 461 days | 45,402 (on 30 Sep 2026) | Official replyWSC-1.1331.24.2026, 21 Oct 2026 |
≈ = the office gave approximate values. “Change” = our own calculation from the office’s 2025 and 2026 figures. Months are rounded (days ÷ 30.44). MSWiA figures: Ministry of the Interior reply to parliamentary question no. 18089 (27 Jul 2026), as quoted in our waiting-times guide.
Want a number for your own situation? Pick your office and permit type in the karta pobytu wait time calculator. Not filed yet? Check the last day you can apply in MOS.
By purpose: work, studies, family
Only five offices split temporary residence by purpose. Average days to decision, 2025 → 1 Jan–30 Sep 2026:
| Office | Work | Studies | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Małopolskie (Kraków) | 164 → 229 | 178 → 238 | not recorded by the office |
| Warmińsko-Mazurskie (Olsztyn) | 186 → 261 | 166 → 209 | not recorded by the office |
| Mazowieckie (Warsaw) | 241 → 420 (art. 114, temporary residence and work) | not given | not given |
| Zachodniopomorskie (Szczecin) | 385 → 439 (art. 114 ust. 1) | 377 → 430 (art. 144 ust. 1) | 409 → 488 (family member of a Polish citizen, art. 158 ust. 1 pkt 1–2) |
| Opolskie (Opole) | 573 → 473 | 630 → 586 | 643 → 572 (art. 158 ust. 1) |
Permanent residence and EU long-term resident
Average days to decision, 2025 → 1 Jan–30 Sep 2026, from the ten office replies:
| Office | Permanent residence | EU long-term resident |
|---|---|---|
| Małopolskie (Kraków) | 136 → 171 | 108 → 123 |
| Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Bydgoszcz) | 214 → 194 | 394 → 357 |
| Wielkopolskie (Poznań) | ≈260 → ≈230 | ≈360 → ≈340 |
| Mazowieckie (Warsaw) | 183 → 251 | 288 → 447 |
| Warmińsko-Mazurskie (Olsztyn) | 174 → 268 | 188 → 238 |
| Łódzkie (Łódź) | 315 → 329 | 246 → 278 |
| Podkarpackie (Rzeszów) | 263 → 355 | 283 → 375 |
| Lubuskie (Gorzów Wlkp.) | 182 → 172 | 354 → 423 |
| Zachodniopomorskie (Szczecin) | 340 → 414 | 436 → 468 |
| Opolskie (Opole) | 644 → 606 | 701 → 787 |
Waiting is long enough. Don’t add a wezwanie to it.
A missing document means a letter from the office with a deadline, and more waiting. Before you file in MOS, check your documents against the free list.
Independent guide, not a law firm or government office. The pack covers temporary residence and work only and cannot make the office decide faster. Not legal advice.
What to do while you wait
1. Keep your UPO and download the MOS certificate
After the office checks your application, MOS lets you print a certificate of filing. It replaced the passport stamp and confirms your stay is legal until the decision is final, if you filed on time and without formal gaps (UdSC MOS Q&A).
2. Watch MOS and your post for a wezwanie
A request for documents has a deadline. Missing it can get your application left unexamined or hurt your case. Check your MOS account every week.
3. Go to the fingerprint appointment on the date given
With your original passport.
4. Report changes in writing
A new employer, new address or new passport must be reported to the voivode handling your case. Keep proof of sending.
5. Don’t treat the certificate as a travel document
To come back to Poland after a trip you need a separate basis, such as a valid visa or visa-free days (Border Guard FAQ).
6. Check your status
Online or by phone: how to check it in all 16 offices. If your case has been pending far longer than your office’s average, ask a lawyer whether a ponaglenie or a court complaint makes sense.
7. Plan with your office’s average, not with 60 days
Use the table above and add a margin.
For employers and HR (planned): we are preparing an employer view of this tracker: expected decision windows for each of your foreign employees by office and permit type, with dated alerts when an office sends new figures. It is not live yet. If you manage foreign staff and want early access, see our employer resources and tell us what you need.
Request tracker and method.
What each office told us
- 7 Oct 2026: the same request for public information sent to all 16 voivodeship offices (average processing times for 2025 and 1 Jan–30 Sep 2026, applications received, cases pending).
- 8–22 Oct 2026: ten offices replied with figures (references in the table).
- Still waiting (status on 4 November 2026): Pomorskie (reply due by 30 Nov 2026), Lubelskie (6 Dec 2026), Śląskie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Dolnośląskie. We will add each office as soon as its letter arrives and note the date here.
Changelog
- 4 November 2026: tracker page created from the ten official replies and UdSC data. No new office letters since 22 Oct 2026.
How to read these numbers
- Averages, not medians. No office could give a median. A batch of very old cases closed at once pushes an average up.
- Time to the decision, not to the card. After a positive decision the plastic card still has to be produced and collected.
- Offices count slightly differently. Podkarpackie includes discontinued and unexamined cases. Wielkopolskie gave rounded values and did not specify the 2026 period exactly. Pending counts have different dates and scopes; we quote each as written.
- Your office depends on where you live, not on your choice.
- Why it takes so long: voivodes received 508,109 temporary residence applications in 2025 (Ministry of the Interior, letter to the Ombudsman of 30 June 2026), and deadlines are suspended under art. 100d of the special act until 4 March 2027 (same letter). More in our full waiting-times guide and in what the ten offices told us.
Already waiting? Here is how to check your case status in all 16 offices and when a ponaglenie makes sense.
Good questions. Straight answers.
How long does a karta pobytu take in each voivodeship in 2026?
In the ten voivodeship offices that answered our request for public information, the average time to a temporary residence decision (decisions issued 1 January to 30 September 2026) ranged from 250 days in Małopolskie (Kraków) to 539 days in Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Bydgoszcz). Office for Foreigners (UdSC) figures for all 16 offices, decisions issued 1 January to 28 September 2026, range from 249 days (Małopolskie) to 680 days (Śląskie). These are averages of finished cases, not a forecast for yours.
Which voivodeship office is the fastest and which is the slowest?
Małopolskie (Kraków) is the fastest in both sources: 250 days in its own reply and 249 days in UdSC data. In UdSC data the slowest is Śląskie (Katowice) with 680 days, followed by Pomorskie (Gdańsk) with 622. Among offices that replied to us, the slowest is Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Bydgoszcz) with 539 days. You cannot choose your office: it depends on where you live.
Why do the office replies and the UdSC figures differ slightly?
They cover slightly different periods (to 30 September vs to 28 September 2026) and offices count in slightly different ways. For example, Podkarpackie includes discontinued cases, and Wielkopolskie gave rounded values. The differences between the two sources are small, usually a few days, and the ranking of offices is almost the same.
How many residence cases are waiting?
Offices that gave pending numbers reported, for temporary residence: about 54,000 in Wielkopolskie, 48,626 in Łódzkie, 45,402 in Zachodniopomorskie, 39,227 in Małopolskie, 23,035 in Lubuskie and 5,003 in Warmińsko-Mazurskie. Dates differ by office (30 September to 22 October 2026) and are listed in the table.
Why is there no office data for six voivodeships?
Dolnośląskie, Lubelskie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Śląskie and Świętokrzyskie had not sent figures by 4 November 2026. Some asked for formal details or extended their deadline. The table shows the status of each request, and the UdSC figure is shown for all 16 offices in the meantime.
Does the 60-day legal deadline apply right now?
The Act on Foreigners sets 60 days for a temporary residence decision, counted from a complete application. Under art. 100d of the special act, deadlines in residence cases handled by voivodes do not run until 4 March 2027, as the Ministry of the Interior confirmed in its letter of 30 June 2026. Some administrative court rulings have refused to apply the suspension, so ask a lawyer about your own case.
Can I use or quote this data?
Yes. Please cite Expat Essentials Poland and link to this page. For the UdSC column, also credit the Office for Foreigners and Krakspire Barometer, which published those figures. You can download the table as a CSV file on this page.
Where the numbers come from.
- Official replies of 10 voivodeship offices to Expat Essentials Poland’s request for public information of 7 Oct 2026 (letters dated 8–22 Oct 2026; references in the table).
- Office for Foreigners (UdSC), Department of Analysis and Statistics, decisions issued 1 Jan–28 Sep 2026, published by Krakspire Barometer, updated 30 Sep 2026.
- Ministry of the Interior (MSWiA), letter to the Polish Ombudsman, 30 Jun 2026 (art. 100d, application numbers).
- MSWiA reply to parliamentary question no. 18089, 27 Jul 2026 (data to 6 Jul 2026).
- Office for Foreigners statistics: migracje.gov.pl.
General information, not legal advice. Averages describe completed cases and do not predict the length or outcome of any individual application.
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<p style="max-width:720px;margin:6px auto 0;font:13px/1.4 system-ui,sans-serif">Data: <a href="https://expatessentials.pl/karta-pobytu-waiting-times-tracker/">Karta pobytu waiting times tracker, Expat Essentials Poland</a> (CC BY 4.0)</p>
<script>(function(){window.addEventListener("message",function(e){var d=e.data;if(!d||typeof d.eepWidgetHeight!=="number")return;var f=document.querySelectorAll("iframe[data-eep-wait-times]");for(var i=0;i<f.length;i++){if(f[i].contentWindow===e.source){f[i].style.height=Math.min(Math.max(Math.round(d.eepWidgetHeight),300),2000)+"px";}}});})();</script>Download the data
All 16 offices: office averages for 2026 and 2025, letter references and dates, UdSC averages, pending cases and request status. UTF-8 CSV, updated when new replies arrive.
For the UdSC column, also credit the Office for Foreigners and Krakspire Barometer, which published those figures.