Before you start

A Polish employment contract, and usually a work permit obtained by the employer
A trusted profile or e-dowód to authenticate into MOS
Health insurance and a stable source of income
A confirmed address — and clarity about which voivodeship it is in

Step-by-step

1
Employer obtains the work permit
The voivode issues the work permit to the employer, often after a labour-market test. Some occupations and nationalities are exempt, and the EU Blue Card substitutes a salary threshold for the permit route.
Via employerWho: Your employerBefore you file
2
Create a trusted profile
MOS authenticates through login.gov.pl. A profil zaufany takes minutes inside a Polish bank app and is now upstream of the entire immigration procedure.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1
3
Check which voivodeship your flat is in before you sign the lease
The Silesian conurbation is all one labour market and one transport network, but it is not all one voivodeship — commuter towns to the south-west and east sit in Opolskie and Małopolskie. Your case is decided by the office covering where you live, not where you work.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing
4
File through MOS
Applications for temporary residence, permanent residence and EU long-term resident status go through mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl only. Paper applications that did not reach the office before 27 April 2026 are not processed at all, regardless of postmark.
OnlineWho: YouBefore your current legal stay expires
5
Attend the appointment at the Śląski Urząd Wojewódzki
Fingerprints, signature and original documents are handled in person by the foreigners department in Katowice. Appointments are booked through the office's queue system; confirm the current channel on the office's own site, because it has changed more than once.
In personWho: You
6
Use the Centrum Integracji Cudzoziemców for questions, not the switchboard
Since January 2026 the voivodeship's information point for third-country nationals sits at the foreigner integration centre on ul. Jordana 18. It is a better first stop than the main office reception for anything procedural.
In personWho: You
7
Get PESEL and meldunek from your own city hall, separately
PESEL and address registration are municipal, not voivodeship business — and in this metropolis that means the city hall of the municipality you actually live in, which is often not Katowice.
In personWho: YouFree

Documents you’ll need

Passport with the national visa where applicable
Employment contract and work permit, or Blue Card documentation
Proof of health insurance
Evidence of your address, with the municipality clearly identifiable
Biometric photographs to Polish specification
The MOS-generated application form and its attachments

Things most newcomers don’t know

In a 41-municipality metropolis, the office that decides your case is chosen by where you sleep.

Jurisdiction follows your registered place of residence, not your employer. Living in Sosnowiec, Gliwice or Tychy still means Śląskie — but the conurbation's edges bleed into Opolskie and Małopolskie, and a cheap flat two stops further out can move your file to a different office with a different queue and a different booking system. Nobody flags this for you; it surfaces at the appointment.

Source: Office for Foreigners — territorial jurisdiction

The lodging stamp legalises your stay and does not legalise your travel.

Once the application is accepted, a stamp keeps your presence in Poland lawful throughout the procedure even after the visa expires. It is not a visa. Leaving the Schengen area on a stamp with an expired visa risks not getting back in — and with Śląskie's historic processing times, this is a wait long enough that people plan a trip home in the middle of it.

Source: Office for Foreigners procedure

Paper is dead, and it died on a date rather than gradually.

From 27 April 2026 residence applications may only be filed electronically through MOS. Applications posted before that date but arriving after it were not processed — the postmark carried no weight. Guides, employers and HR departments written before spring 2026 still describe the paper route, and following them costs you the whole application.

Source: UdSC — MOS launch notice

Changing employer usually restarts the clock — unless you have a Blue Card.

The standard permit names your employer, position and salary; altering any of them generally requires a new application. In a metropolis where the automation, automotive and services employers all recruit from the same pool and sit 20 minutes apart on the tram, job changes are frequent. Above the Blue Card salary threshold a change of employer becomes a notification to the voivode rather than a fresh procedure, which is worth many months here.

Source: Office for Foreigners — permit conditions

Common mistakes to avoid

Posting a paper application after 27 April 2026, which is not processed at all.
Renting on the edge of the conurbation and landing in a different voivodeship's queue by accident.
Assuming Katowice city hall handles PESEL for a flat in Chorzów or Sosnowiec.
Leaving the Schengen area on a lodging stamp with an expired visa.
Accepting a standard work permit when your salary clears the Blue Card threshold.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.