Poland's residence-permit filing process changed for good on April 27, 2026, when the government's MOS 2.0 portal went fully live. From that date, every temporary residence card (Karta pobytu / TRC) application has to be filed exclusively online through mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl. Postal or in-person paper submission is no longer accepted, except in narrow exceptions.
- Implementation
- Live since April 27, 2026
- Country
- Poland
- Applies to
- Temporary residence card applicants
- Status
- Mandatory — paper filing discontinued
Filing online doesn't remove the in-person step
Submitting through MOS 2.0 does not replace the in-person biometric appointment at the regional Voivodeship Office (Urząd Wojewódzki) — that requirement stays exactly as it was. What changes is everything upstream of it: the application itself, the document uploads, and the confirmation of filing all happen through the portal.
Available in seven languages, but the signature can't be delegated
The portal is available in seven languages — Polish, English, Ukrainian, Russian, French, Arabic, and Vietnamese — which lowers the language barrier for most applicants. But there's a catch worth understanding before relying on an advisor to handle everything: filing through MOS 2.0 requires a Trusted Profile (profil zaufany), a personal, biometric-bound digital signature that cannot be delegated to a lawyer or agent. An advisor can prepare the file in full, but the applicant must personally sign and submit it.
A new proof of legal stay
After submission, applicants receive a PDF confirmation that serves as proof of legal stay while the case is processed — the same legal function the old paper "yellow card" served before MOS 2.0.
| Before MOS 2.0 | From April 27, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Filing method | Paper or in-person → Online only via MOS 2.0 |
| Biometric appointment | Required → Still required |
| Proof of legal stay | Yellow paper card → PDF confirmation from portal |
| Who can submit | Applicant or authorized agent → Applicant only, via personal Trusted Profile |
This is a universal change hitting every foreign applicant, not just one nationality. Candidates should be ready to personally handle the Trusted Profile signup and submission step even when Globaris prepares the underlying documentation — this can't be outsourced. Anyone still assuming paper filing is an option needs to know it no longer is.
