Residence registration duty of foreigners

Residence registration – what is it about

By residence registration, we determine the act of entering into the register of the commune a person who changes his or her permanent or temporary residence place. A permanent residence registration is the foreigner’s duty when he or she intends to stay permanently in a given locality. However, temporary residence registration is possible when a foreigner changes his address in a period up to three months. Please note that you can have only one residence place at the same time. The period of registration must not exceed the date specified in a Visa or a residence permit. This procedure is carried out in the district administrative office of the city, appropriate for the place of the foreigner’s residence. Performance of the duty can be checked while applying for a residence card. Failure to comply with the registration obligation may result in a restriction of liberty or a fine.

Registration for a temporary stay – why you should do this

The residence registration duty for foreigners who are citizens of the European Union member countries and the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) countries is required from the moment of arrival to Poland up to the 30th day. The obligation does not apply to persons whose planned period of stay will not exceed 3 months. If a foreigner does not belong to any of the above-mentioned countries, he should register the place of temporary stay until the end of the fourth day of their arrival in the country. The registration duty for these persons does not have to be fulfilled when the stay does not exceed 30 days.

Residence registration within the next 24 hours is required when a foreigner:

  • extends the temporary stay in the same place over the duration of contract,
  • changes the temporary residence to permanent,
  • changes the address,
  • is staying in an accommodation provided due to work, study or treatment.

 

Registration for permanent residence – various forms

How can you register for permanent residence:

  1. Cancel the registration from your previous place of residence immediately – this is the most useful way, because canceling of the registration from the previous place takes place automatically, i.e. without the need to appear in the commune office.
  2. Without canceling the registration from your previous location immediately- in this case, before you register again, remember to do the cancellation procedure at the municipality.