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› MAIN PAGE › LEGALISATION OF FOREIGNER’S STAY IN THE TERRITORY OF POLAND › General Issues

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Applications and petitions regarding legalisation of foreigner's stay in the territory of Poland must be prepared in Polish language. Visa application submitted to Polish consul may be filled out in a foreign language, indicated by the consul.
Documents prepared in foreign language, constituting evidence in proceedings carried out upon the Law of 13th June 2003 on foreigners (Journal of Laws No 128, item 1175 with amendments), should be submitted together with their sworn translation into Polish language.

Handling of a case that requires explanatory proceedings should be completed not later than within a month from the date proceedings were initiated, and in appeal proceedings - within a month from the date appeal was received.
Handling of a case regarding issuance of settlement permit or permanent residence permit for a long-term EC resident should be completed within three months from initiation of proceedings, and in appeal proceedings - within 2 months from appeal's reception date.
Authority of first or second instance is obliged to advise you about each case that is not handled within the aforementioned period stating cause of delay and indicating new deadline for handling the case.

All letters (notifications, calls, decisions, provisions etc.) are serviced by post with acknowledgement of receipt, or by officers of first or second instance's authority.
Letters are serviced to you, however if you have appointed a plenipotentiary - to such plenipotentiary.

In case servicing a letter to you, or a grown up household member, is impossible the letter shall be deposited at the post office for 7 days and you will find a notification of such deposit in your mail box or, should this be impossible, on addressee's door. Letter is considered delivered as at the last day of this period.

You must acknowledge receipt of the letter with your signature indicating date of delivery. Should you evade acknowledgement of delivery the messenger, who will also indicate person that has received the letter and the cause for missing his/her signature, will confirm date of delivery.
If you refuse to accept a letter mailed to you via Post or serviced in any other form, the letter shall be returned to sender with a note that its acceptance was refused and date of such refusal. In such case it shall be acknowledged that letter has been serviced as at the date of refusal by addressee.

You should advise authority, which conducts proceedings, about every change of your residential address. During proceedings letters are always serviced to address that you have most recently indicated to a given authority.
In case your address has changed and you failed to notify about this authority conducting your case, the letter would be serviced to the last address indicated by you for deliveries. According to code of administrative proceedings a letter sent in such manner is deemed as effectively serviced also in case when you do not live at indicated address any more and because of that have not acknowledged contents of the letter.
 
Negligence to advise the change of address may have serious consequences to you, for instance:
- your application shall be left unprocessed
- decision of an appropriate authority may become irrevocable if, due to lack of notification on address change, you will be unable to meet deadlines for submitting an appeal from authority's of first instance decision or submitting a complaint to Administrative Court regarding decision of second instance authority.

General duty is charged on applications and enclosures (PLN 5,00 per application, PLN 0,50 per each enclosure). Aforementioned duty should be paid in general duty stamps glued to the application.
If you will not pay the fee with submission of application authority processing your case shall determine a deadline for payment of this fee. This deadline cannot be shorter than 7 days and longer than 14 days. If you fail to pay within the deadline your application shall be returned.

Prior to issuance of a decision, authority of first and second instance may call you for personal appearance in order to explain essential circumstances that are necessary to make decision.

You should always pay particular attention to information that is attached to each decision and concerning appealing procedures, including deadlines provided therein. Only within these deadlines you can lodge an appeal from decision of first instance authority, or complaint to Administrative Court regarding decision of second instance authority.