Family Reunification in Poland: Residence Permit for a Foreigner’s Spouse and Children

In short. Family reunification in Poland is a residence permit for spouses and minor children of foreigners with permanent residence, EU long-term resident status or at least two years on temporary permits, the latest issued for a year or more. Income, insurance and housing are required. Apply through MOS. Fees: 340 zł stamp duty, 100 zł card.

What people search for as a “Poland dependent visa”, a “Poland spouse visa” or a “family reunification visa” is in fact a temporary residence permit for family reunification (połączenie z rodziną), and the residence card (karta pobytu) is the card issued on its basis. The main question here is timing. With your first permit based on business or work you do not yet have the right to family reunification. If the application is filed too early, the voivode (wojewoda), the government’s representative in the region who makes the decision, will as a rule refuse it, and the stamp duty is not refunded. There are two exceptions. Holders of the Blue Card and a few other permit types bring their family right away. And for a spouse and children with UKR status the two-year condition does not apply for as long as they hold that status.

Income must be above 823 zł a month for each person in the family, and for this ground the law does not require housing costs to be deducted from it. The amounts and rules were checked on 2 October 2026 against the current texts of the laws and the MOS portal (Moduł Obsługi Spraw). Residence permit applications have been filed through it since 27 April 2026.

Who counts as a family member

The law treats the spouse and minor children as family members. The marriage must be recognised by Polish law. The children can be joint children, adopted children, or the child of one spouse if that spouse supports the child and actually brings the child up. Parents, adult children and unmarried partners do not get a temporary residence permit for family reunification (połączenie z rodziną). Exceptions exist only for the families of refugees.

Polish law recognises a legally registered marriage between two people of different sexes. A polygamous marriage and a marriage concluded only in a religious ceremony do not qualify. The voivode checks whether the marriage was entered into only to obtain a residence permit. The voivode finds out whether the spouses live together, run a shared household, met before the wedding and speak a language both understand. We explain how that conversation goes in our article on the residence card interview.

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Stanislav Tsys

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A child’s age is taken on the day the application is filed. If the child was under 18 on that day, the child counts as a minor even when the decision comes later.

The families of Polish citizens and EU citizens get their documents under different rules, which this article does not cover.

Your status: can you already reunite your family

The right to reunification depends on the document your own stay in Poland is based on. Holders of a permanent residence permit (an indefinite permit to stay permanently) and of an EU long-term resident permit bring their family right away. Holders of temporary residence permits wait two years. Temporary protection and a national visa do not give this right.

The table shows the main cases. The law also names one type of permit due to other circumstances and the right of residence of British nationals under the EU withdrawal agreement.

The Blue Card is the EU Blue Card for highly qualified workers, and ICT is the permit for an employee transferred to Poland within a company. The family of people holding these permits, and of researchers, can apply without waiting for a decision in the main applicant’s case. If the family applies within 3 days of the main applicant’s application, the same voivode decides the family’s case right after deciding the main one.

The family of a refugee or a person with subsidiary protection does not have to prove income, insurance and housing if the application is filed within 6 months of protection being granted.

If your permit is based on business or work: the two-year rule

The holder of a permit based on their own company (JDG, Sp. z o.o.) or on work gains the right to reunite the family when two conditions are met at the same time. They have lived in Poland for at least two years on temporary residence permits that follow one another. And the permit they live on at the day the family’s application is filed was issued for at least a year.

Only time spent on temporary residence permits counts. The law does not include time on a visa or under temporary protection.

• First permit for 1 year and 3 months, second for 2 years. The first permit is valid from 10 January 2025, and the second was issued straight after it. You reach two years on permits on 10 January 2027. The second permit was issued for more than a year, so from that day the family can apply.
• First permit for 3 years straight away. The permit is valid from 1 March 2025. The right arises on 1 March 2027, and no new permit is needed for it.
• First permit for 2 years, second for 8 months. You have the two years, but the latest permit was issued for less than a year. There is no right until you get a permit for at least a year.

Take the dates from your own permit decisions. Gaps are the hardest part: the months between permits when a person lives on the confirmation that an application has been filed. The law speaks of living “on the basis of permits” and says nothing about those months, and we found no official clarification. It is safer to count only the days when a permit was valid, and to clear up a disputed case with your voivodeship office (urząd wojewódzki) before you apply.

Important. The two years are counted on temporary residence permits. The latest of them must be issued for at least a year, otherwise there is no right to family reunification even after five years of living in Poland.

What to do while you do not have the right yet

The law leaves the family four routes.

• The spouse’s own permit. The spouse gets a permit on their own ground (work, studies or their own company), on the same conditions as any applicant. The requirements for a company are described in our guide to a residence card based on business.
• A child born in Poland. There is a separate ground for such a child, if the child was born while the parent held a valid national visa or temporary residence permit. The parent must meet the income, insurance and housing conditions. The child’s permit is granted until the parent’s visa or permit expires, and only once. On the day of the decision the parent must be living on the same document as on the day the child was born, so the application is filed right after the child’s passport is obtained.
• A permit due to other circumstances. The voivode can grant it but is not obliged to. It gives no right to work, which the Mazovian voivodeship office points out separately.
• A national visa for visiting family. It is obtained at a Polish consulate abroad.

If the application is filed before the right arises, the voivode will as a rule refuse it, and the 340 zł stamp duty for each family member is not refunded. If you have had several permits with gaps between them, a legalization lawyer will help you count the period from your decisions and choose a ground for your family.

Ukrainian citizens: UKR status and the CUKR card

For a family with UKR status the two-year rule does not apply. If your spouse or child holds valid UKR status and you live in Poland on any temporary residence permit, they can apply for family reunification right away. The length of your permit, the number of earlier permits and the time you have lived in Poland do not matter. The income, insurance and housing conditions remain.

This exception was introduced by the act phasing out the special solutions for Ukrainian citizens, in force since 5 March 2026. Holders of UKR status can apply for a temporary residence permit on five grounds, and family reunification is one of them. The status must be valid on the day of filing. The voivodeship office takes fingerprints from the register kept for holders of UKR status. If they are not there, fingerprints are taken after the permit has been granted.

• You hold UKR status yourself. Temporary protection is not on the list of statuses, so you cannot reunite your family with you on this ground. You first need your own permit: based on work, on business, or the CUKR card.
• You hold a CUKR card. It is a temporary permit for 3 years. In its answers about the CUKR card, the Office for Foreigners (Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców, UdSC) says a parent with this card can apply for family reunification for a child with UKR status. For a family without UKR status there is no special rule, and under the text of the law the general two-year rule applies.
• After the permit is granted. A person with a temporary residence permit can no longer use temporary protection, as MOS explains.
• Stamp duty. UKR status does not exempt you from stamp duty. For a family member you pay 340 zł and the card fee. UdSC has explained that the exemption in the law concerns a permit issued for the sake of temporary protection itself, and no such permit exists.

Temporary protection and UKR status have been extended until 4 March 2028, and CUKR card applications are accepted until 4 March 2027. Details are in our articles on UKR status and on the CUKR card.

The special act has changed several times, so check the version in force on your filing date.

Three conditions: income, insurance, housing

The family member must have a stable and regular income, health insurance and housing in Poland. The income can be yours: the condition is met if you cover the costs of your spouse and children. The threshold is above 823 zł a month for each person in the family, and these amounts have applied since 1 January 2025.

Income

Everyone who lives on this income is counted, including you. The Lublin voivodeship office specifies that the amounts are net.

The word “above” is literal here: exactly 3,292 zł for four people is not enough. For a person with no dependants the threshold is different, above 1,010 zł.

A spouse’s costs can be covered by the other spouse, if they have joint property, or by another person who is obliged to support them and lives in Poland. A child’s costs are covered by a parent living in Poland.

Income is proven with an employment contract or a contract of mandate, or a ZUS certificate showing the contribution base. Company owners use documents showing the company’s income. A management board member of an Sp. z o.o. shows the contract under which they perform that function. The Lublin voivodeship office also lists the annual PIT return.

The threshold is set by law, while the voivode assesses whether the income is stable and regular, looking at all the circumstances of the case. The criteria are reviewed every three years, so check the amounts on the MOS portal before you apply.

Insurance

Public health insurance qualifies, and so does an insurer’s confirmation that it will pay for treatment in Poland. If you are insured with ZUS as an employee or a JDG owner, your spouse and children can be registered as family members. An employee tells the employer about the family within 7 days, and an entrepreneur files the ZUS ZCNA form on their own. As proof, the Lublin voivodeship office accepts the ZUS ZCNA and ZUS RCA forms for the last month or a ZUS certificate confirming that the family members are insured.

Housing

You need a document showing the right to live in a specific flat. This can be a confirmation of registered residence (zameldowanie), a lease, another contract for the use of the dwelling, or a statement from the person entitled to dispose of the flat.

Documents

Besides a passport and a photograph, the family proves the family relationship, the main applicant’s right to reunification and that the income, insurance and housing conditions are met. The general requirements for any applicant are covered in our guide to the residence permit process. Below is only what relates to family reunification.

• Marriage certificate. MOS and the Lublin voivodeship office ask for a recent copy of the record, issued no earlier than 3 months before filing.
• Children’s birth certificates. For an adopted child, the court’s adoption ruling.
• A copy of your decision granting the temporary permit, permanent residence, EU long-term resident status or protection.
• Proof that the marriage is genuine. MOS lists joint photographs from different periods, witness statements, and documents about shared housing and contact before the marriage.
• If the child is brought by one parent, a stepfather or a stepmother. You need documents showing that this person supports the child and cares for the child every day. A right of contact alone is not enough. MOS does not list a separate consent from the other parent.

Documents in a foreign language are filed with a translation into Polish by a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły). The register of sworn translators is kept by the Polish Ministry of Justice. You file originals or copies certified by a notary or by a lawyer who represents you. A clerk at the voivodeship office’s filing desk will also certify a copy if you show the original.

On the apostille, the answer depends on the country. The Mazovian and Lower Silesian voivodeship offices say that foreign civil status records are filed with an apostille or with a confirmation by a Polish consul. Poland has a legal assistance treaty with Ukraine (1993), under which Ukrainian official documents are accepted without legalization. There is a treaty with Belarus too (1994), but in practice Polish authorities may ask for an apostille, so for Belarusian records it is safer to get one in advance. If the apostille is already on the document, attach the document with it. If your marriage certificate is an old one that your country issues only once, ask the voivodeship office before you order the translation.

How to apply

A person who is already in Poland applies on their own through MOS, while their stay is legal. For a person who is abroad, the application is filed by the family member living in Poland, on paper and outside MOS. An application cannot be sent to MOS from abroad.

The family is already in Poland

1. Signature and account. Every adult sets up their own MOS account and signs the application personally, with a profil zaufany (the free state electronic signature) or a qualified signature. A representative or a spouse cannot do it for them, so check in advance whether your spouse has such a signature.
2. Child. A parent fills in and signs the child’s application, and adds the child’s account in their own MOS profile.
3. Application. It is filled in in Polish, with a photograph and a scan of every passport page attached. Proof of payment and the other documents can be attached straight away.
4. Submitting. After signing you receive the UPO, the official confirmation of receipt. Without it the application does not count as filed.
5. Confirmation of filing. If the application was filed on time and without formal defects, the confirmation appears in MOS, and the stay remains legal until the final decision.
6. Visit to the voivodeship office. The voivode sets the visit no earlier than 7 days after the summons is delivered. You show the original passport and give fingerprints and a specimen signature. A child under 6 does not have to be brought to the voivodeship office: a parent with the child’s passport is enough. Fingerprints are taken from the age of 6, a specimen signature from 13.
7. Documents requested in a summons. The voivode gives at least 14 days for them.

The last day to apply is the last day of legal stay. If a person does not come to the visit, the case is discontinued and the stamp duty is not refunded.

Important. The confirmation of filing does not give the right to travel around the Schengen area. With it you can leave for your country of citizenship, and come back on a visa or visa-free, if that regime applies to you.

The family is still abroad

1. Consent. The spouse abroad fills in the consent form in Polish and signs it. It works as a power of attorney authorising you to act for them.
2. Application. You fill in and sign the paper form. Both forms are on the MOS portal in the “Pozostałe wnioski” section.
3. Set of documents. The application is filed with the consent, 4 photographs 35 × 45 mm, a copy of every passport page, proof of payment of the stamp duty and the documents on the marriage, income, insurance and housing.
4. Filing. The set is sent by post or handed in at the filing desk of the voivode for the place where you live. No confirmation of filing is issued in this case.
5. Visa. Once the permit is granted, the consul can issue the family member a visa to make use of it.
6. Card. After arriving, the family member applies to the voivode for the card in person, shows the passport, and gives fingerprints and a specimen signature.

The law allows another route as well. The family member enters on their own visa or visa-free and applies through MOS while already in Poland, before the legal stay ends.

Fees

For each family member you pay stamp duty of 340 zł and 100 zł for the card. For children who are under 16 on the day of filing, the card costs 50 zł. For a family of a spouse and two children under 16 the total is 1,220 zł.

Stamp duty is paid at filing to the account of the city where the voivodeship office is located, and the card fee is transferred to the account of the voivodeship office itself. These are two separate payments, and they cannot be made inside MOS. When the family is abroad, the card is paid for later, when the application for it is filed.

A power of attorney for a representative costs 17 zł. No duty is charged if the representative is a spouse, parent, child, brother or sister. A sworn translation is paid for separately, and the translator sets the price.

Important. Stamp duty is not refunded after a refusal or when the case is discontinued. The rule applies to applications filed on or after 5 March 2026.

What the card gives you and how long the decision takes

A residence card for family reunification gives the right to live in Poland and to work without a work permit. It carries the annotation “dostęp do rynku pracy” (access to the labour market). With the card and a passport you can enter Poland without a visa and stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

If you hold a temporary residence permit, the family is given a permit until yours expires. If you hold permanent residence, EU long-term resident status or protection, it is given for up to 3 years. The permit is not extended automatically. A new application is filed before the period ends, and by that day you must have your own valid permit.

The law also provides for the following.

• Divorce, separation ordered by a court or the death of a spouse. The family member can be given a permit once, for up to 3 years, if an important interest of theirs justifies it. The same rule applies to a child after the death of a parent.
• Five years on family reunification permits. A spouse and a child who has reached adulthood gain the right to an independent permit if they meet the income, insurance and housing conditions.
• The basis for the stay no longer exists. If the purpose of the stay is no longer being fulfilled, the voivode is notified in writing within 15 working days. The law requires the permit to be withdrawn in that case, and the voivode takes into account the child’s interests and family ties in Poland.

The conditions for moving on to permanent residence and EU long-term resident status are described in our article on permanent residence.

By law the voivode has 60 days to decide a temporary permit case, counted from the moment a defect-free application is filed and the documents requested in the summons are handed in. Until 4 March 2027 this time limit does not run: the special act suspended it for the voivode’s cases on granting a temporary permit. How long a case takes depends on the voivodeship and its workload, and no timeframe can be given in advance. For what to do once the decision arrives, see our article on the karta pobytu decision.

Common mistakes and reasons for refusal

Below are seven situations in which a case ends in a refusal, a discontinuation or extra correspondence with the voivodeship office.

• Applying before the right has arisen. You have not yet completed two years on permits, or the latest permit was issued for less than a year.
• Income below the threshold or irregular. MOS explains that the income must be relatively constant and uninterrupted.
• A certificate without a sworn translation, or a copy of the record issued earlier than 3 months before filing.
• The marriage raises doubts. The spouses give different answers to questions about their life together, or do not live together.
• The application was filed after the legal stay ended. This is a reason for refusal in its own right.
• Not coming to the visit for fingerprints and the signature. The case is discontinued.
• The insurance does not cover treatment in Poland.

Frequently asked questions

Need help?

Uniconsulting Group has been operating since 2015 and supports legalization based on business, work and family. The company’s founder Stanislav Tsys has himself obtained a residence card on the basis of his own business three times. The company’s clients have obtained more than 1000 residence cards (data as of October 2026). Ask for legalization support: we review whether you already have the right to family reunification and prepare the documents for your spouse and children together with you.

This material is for information only and does not replace advice from an immigration lawyer. It covers immigration law, foreigners’ right to work, health insurance and fees. The data is current as of 2 October 2026. Income thresholds, fees and the rules for Ukrainian citizens change, so before you file, check the MOS portal and your voivodeship office’s website. The decision is made by the voivode.