EU Blue Card
Updated: 6 days ago
APPLICATION
Some of the information is still valid for the EU Blue Card as well:
• What category corresponds to the EU Blue Card in the MOS application?
• When applying from a different city for Remote or Hybrid, should this be indicated in Annexure 1, the contract agreement, or both, or is Annexure 1 sufficient?
• What initial documents are required solely for MOS registration or submission?
2026:
About the TRC/Bluecard application appointment date under the new system: Once we submit the application through the new system, how soon can we expect an appointment date for the in-person visit/fingerprints?
In Krakow Experience: In the MOS portal on 28 May and got an email on 3 August confirming the date for my personal appearance, which was set for 17 August.
On that day, they checked my original documents and took my fingerprints. I was then told an inspector would be assigned to my case next. They also told me to reach out again after a month to check on the status of my application.
If your Visa or EU Blue Card expired before receiving the new EU Blue Card, you are not permitted to cross the border into Poland. That is, you cannot travel to India or any other EU country without a valid Visa or Residence permit.
In the event of an emergency, if you travel to Poland to enter, a visa is required.
Every document should be in Polish.
1. Educational certificates along with Consolidated Marks Sheet – Translation required from a Sworn Translator.
2. Experience Letters
3. Marriage Certificate – Apostille and Translation
4. Birth Certificate - – Apostille and Translation
Sometimes the Urzad office will ask for:
1. ZUS latest certificate
2. Wet and Digital Employment contract.
After our biometrics, 3 months later, usually the case officer will ask for the following documents one more time.
ZUS's last 3 months (latest)
Last decision letter
Employment Contract Annexure.
http://okp.muw.pl/ , this is the link to collect the decision.
EU Blue Card Work permit requirement: when it is required, when it is not required.
EU Blue Card decision letter before June 2025:
- Before completing two years with a blue card, every employee is required to have a work permit. Once two years are completed with an EU Blue card in Poland, no work permit is required.
- Blue card holder's “spouse with dependent TRC” does not require a work permit.
- Students who have completed bachelor's, master's, or PhD degrees in Poland do not require a work permit.
There is a specific situation:
- If you have completed three years with your first blue card, applied for a second (renewal) blue card, and your first blue card has expired, but you have not yet received the decision for the renewal:
- During this period, if you are searching for a job and receive an offer letter, you need a work permit.
- Your blue card must be valid, and you should have completed two years with it. The two-year period is calculated based on the decision letter date.
Example:
- If your first blue card expires on January 31st, 2026, and you give biometrics for renewal on December 1st, it may take six months to get the decision letter (possibly in May or June).
- From January 31st until the decision letter date (let's say June 1st), if you receive an offer letter and want to change employment, you need a work permit.
- Even if you have completed two years with your first blue card, if you do not have a valid blue card (only a red stamp in your passport for legal stay), you need a work permit to change employment during this period.
If the decision is made before June 2025, 2 years condition applies as it is.
After June 2025, no two-year condition.
info.opt@muw.pl -- Urzad Krakow (Govt)
punkt@open.krakow.pl --Information Point for Foreigners in Krakow (NGO)
Decision earlier than 2025 June, and if 2 years are completed, no work permit needed
If the decision is after June 2025, no 2-year limit
If the decision is in progress and your blue card has already expired, a work permit is needed.
If changing jobs within the blue card validity and after 2 years No wp needed.
Decision Date | Work Permit Needed |
Before June 2025 | No, if 2 years are completed |
After June 2025 | No, no 2-year limit |
Decision in progress, blue card expired | Yes |
Changing jobs within the blue card validity, after 2 years | No |
Changing jobs or employers based on the Blue card
You always need to submit the change-of-employer form within 15 working days of your last working day. Form: Termination of Employment.
Once joined the new company: Submit "Change of employment".
Work Permit Requirement conditions:
If your Blue Card was issued before June 2025, the 2-year rule applies. You need a work permit to switch employers within 2 years. After 2 years, no sponsorship is needed.
If the decision was issued after June 2025, it's not linked to the employer, so you can freely change employers without sponsorship.
If someone's EU Blue Card has expired. Not Graduated from Poland. Lost their Job or want to change job. To get a new job, they will require a work permit.
Those with a blue card who have lost their job; they must secure a new job within 6 months without a work permit.
After 6 months, a work permit is required. Also, for blue cards issued before June 2025 that have been completed for 2 years, the stay is 6 months.
For TRC holders, no change. Still, the 30-day rule.
Before changing employer
Valid bluecard: apply before the expiry of the decision comes before expiry, no problem
Use Case-1: Your current Blue Card expired, and you have applied for Blue Card renewal. If the decision didn't come and the Blue Card expired.
After June 2025, a lot of positive and negative changes happened, so be careful when you switch jobs
When the decision is pending & the card expires.
After the last working day, you can file one more application to add the new employer details within 15 working days with the Work contract & Annex-1.
A few other conditions to be met.
Conditions
Contract period should be @ least 6 months.
After probation, the employer should be ready to extend your contract (an indefinite working contract or for a minimum of 24 months)
Salary should be according to your Blue Card threshold limit.
Only the work contract is needed if the Blue Card holder has spent more than 3 years with the same company. A job shift needs a valid work contract, not a work permit.
Example (if your blue card expired and you have applied for renewal. You are eligible to work with the same company under the existing work contract. Likewise, if you have a valid work contract and Annex 1 from the new company will reflect the same conditions)
Option 1
Cancel the renewal process with the old company details & start a new application
Option 2
Amend the renewal application with the new work contract & Annex 1 to inform the case inspector regarding the job change. Share the UPO document with the new company whose decision is pending so they can add it to the HR compliance.
Use Case-2: You have a valid blue card, and you’ve already completed 3 years with your previous blue card. Your current blue card is renewed and valid for the next 1, 2, or 3 years. In that case, you don’t need any work permit. Also, according to Polish labor law, the probation period should be only three months. So in this scenario, you might ask your new employer for Annex 1. In Annex 1, the employer should mention that after the probation period, they will provide an un-interpreted contract.
Anyone with a Blue Card in Poland who has completed 2 years with it can start a B2B company or take on a B2B role. There are no special privileges for students. If anyone wants to start a B2B company, they must have held the Blue Card for 2 years.
1. When does an EU Blue Card holder become eligible to change employer in Poland without requiring a new work permit or additional employer-specific authorization?
Answer: A Blue Card holder is exempt from the requirement to change their residence permit due to a change of employment after 2 years of residence based on the issued residence decision.
2. For the spouse of an EU Blue Card holder who holds a dependent TRC, when does the spouse become eligible to work in Poland without requiring a separate work permit?
Answer: The spouse of a Blue Card holder gains access to the labor market after obtaining a residence decision for the purpose of family reunification.
3. Is the spouse’s work-permit-free eligibility dependent on the EU Blue Card holder completing two years on the Blue Card in Poland? If yes, could you please confirm the exact legal basis and since when this rule has been applicable?
Answer: As mentioned above, the spouse gains access to the labor market upon receiving a residence permit for the purpose of residing with a foreign national.
4. For applications submitted through the current MOS 2.0 portal for an EU Blue Card or dependent TRC, is the applicant’s Indian passport still physically stamped with a red stamp confirming submission of the residence permit application, or has this process changed?
Answer: During a visit to provide fingerprints, a stamp is no longer placed in the passport; instead, a certificate confirming the submission of the application is issued.
1. Am I eligible to change my employer without applying for a new work permit, considering that I have already held an EU Blue Card for more than three years in Poland?
Answer: A foreign national who has been residing in the country for 2 years under an EU Blue Card residence permit does not need to amend the permit in the event of a change of employer; however, they must notify the Office within 15 business days of the termination of employment and must notify the Office again once they have found a new employer.
2. Do I need to notify the Foreigners Office in Krakow about the employer change, or do I need to submit a new/amended residence application?
Answer: As mentioned earlier, you must notify the Office of the termination of employment within 15 business days without submitting a new application.
3. What documents should I request from my new employer, especially since the initial contract is for a three-month probationary period?
Answer: A copy of the new contract is sufficient.
4. What documents do I need to submit to the Foreigners Office in Krakow for this employer change?
Answer: A statement regarding the termination of the employment relationship must be submitted to the case file. I am attaching a template for your reference.
5. Are there any specific requirements regarding the employment contract duration, salary level, job position, or qualifications for maintaining my EU Blue Card status?
Answer: The new job must meet the conditions of the EU Blue Card, including a gross salary of at least 13,355.34 PLN.
6. Is there any deadline within which I must notify the office after changing my employer or signing the new employment contract?
Answer: You must report the change in employment within 15 business days.
Example: An Indian secured a job in Krakow, Poland. It might have been a deputation or a direct offer letter from Poland. His Poland Visa started in February 2024 and will expire in February 2025.
Visa Status, stay in Poland and Travel to EU Countries:
With a Schengen visa, we can travel to all EU Schengen Countries. With a type D visa and 365 days of validity, we can stay and travel.
When can I apply for a TRC/ EU Blue Card?
Best Practice would be the ASAP of your landing in Poland.
The reason is that to apply for a TRC/ EU Blue Card, you need some documents like PESEL, work permit, ZUS, education certificates, and so on.
Securing all these documents will take some time.
At the same time, getting a TRC/ EU Blue Card appointment also takes time. Sometimes it will be 3 to 4 months for an appointment.
For example, the next day of your landing in Poland, you applied for a TRC appointment. i.e February 20th, 2024, and you got the appointment on May 20th 2024. In the meantime, you can secure all required documents. Most of the time, companies will apply TRC/ EU Blue Card for their employees. So, we have to wait for the company timeline. However, it is better to ask your management about your TRC/ EU Blue Card initiative as soon as possible.
If my company will apply for my TRC/ EU Blue Card after six months, can I apply for my dependent's TRC?
As per my understanding, No. You can apply for your TRC/ EU Blue Card and your dependent's TRC at any time, but you can’t apply for your dependent's TRC first because the dependents’ TRC is based on your TRC/ EU Blue Card. It is better to check with any immigration lawyer for more clarity on this topic.
My Visa will expire after my TRC/ EU Blue Card application submission. In this event, what are the consequences?
Your Visa started in February 2024 and will expire in February 2025.
Your company initiated your TRC/ EU Blue Card application through some vendor/Own team 6 months after your joining in Poland. i.e July 2024. (Usually, this is the same for all companies due to their probation period.) You might get a TRC/ EU Blue Card appointment after 3 months. i.e October 2024. From there to 4 months, you will receive your Physical TRC/ EU Blue Card. i.e February 2025. So, you will receive a TRC/ EU Blue Card before your Visa expires. If you are late with the above process, you will receive a TRC/ EU Blue Card after your visa expires.
In this event, you can’t travel outside of Poland. i.e. you can’t cross Poland's borders. That is, you can’t travel to India. Also, you can’t travel within Europe. Only you can travel within Poland. If you want to travel to India while returning, you should apply for a Poland Visa.
On the TRC/ EU Blue Card application day, after verifying the documents, the officer will stamp your Passport. This stamp will give you a legal stay until your physical card is received.
TRC/ EU Blue Card Timelines vary among cities. In some cities, like Krakow, it takes four months, and in some cities, it takes one year.
Below 6 years, child's TRC Card:
CLARIFICATION on the Child's TRC without his presence below 6 years and without the Child's passport. Some time back, someone asked me if the father could collect TRC Without the Child's Passport as many times TRC is in process and the minor Travels to India and Passport can’t be sent by courier as most of the service providers deny sending a passport by courier. So, here is the answer from https://infoopt.pl/ on this Topic :
Answer:
I kindly inform you that you can pick up your child's residence card. Please have your passport with you. In addition, I would like to inform you that you can pick up the card if your child is outside of Poland.
Detailed video on https://youtu.be/xQzY3WBaQ1k?si=gErIPdDXY4okpbU3
Question: How long does it take to renew or get the first Blue Card (both have the same timeline and process) in Kraków these days - 2026, including card printing?
Answer: 8 to 12 months
MOS 2.0 Portal application submission.
Biometrics date will come in 3 months.
Once Biometrics submission is completed, a decision letter will be received in 3 to 6 months.
Once the decision letter comes, a Physical card appointment will get in a month.
Query:
One of my friends received his EU Blue Card decision letter and is waiting for the physical card. Now, he has a family emergency and must go to India, and he will travel next week. The query is: While returning to Poland, he needs a Visa. On the VFS site, “ National Visa -> TRC Collection,” can he apply? Is this visa only for Dependents, or can the primary applicant also apply?
Answer:
Yes, he can do that, but alternatively, on weekdays between 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 PM, if there is emergency travel, even without an appointment, with all necessary flight tickets and filled forms, they issue TRC cards in Kraków.
It’s better to visit Krakow Urzad Office; he can get a card and travel to India. It's better to see in advance and get the token or show them that he/she has an emergency because they are strict with time. After this one hour, they don’t accept any requests
If the person got a decision a few days ago, and the time for a card is way too long, If you have a decision and it has been at least 25 days, you are waiting for a card, and you have an emergency, then talk to Urzad if they have a card and then follow this 2-3 slot.
Timelines for an employment work permit with an employment visa from India to Poland
1. Clear the interviews OR an on-site deputation offer from the existing company.
2. Get the work permit from Poland. It will take 8 to 10 months now.
3. Getting the employment visa lottery: it doesn't have an SLA. Usually, it takes more than 6 months and more (7 to 8 months).
If an Indian gets an interview from any Polish company to get a work permit and visa, it will take more than 1 year's time.
Who doesn't require a work-permit to get a job or change a job within Poland?
1. Graduate or above certificate from Polish universities (They certificate it itself a work-permit )
2. A student card holder who is already studying here (graduation and above studies)- Here there is a clarification required. Can the students work only 20 hours per week or 40 hours per week ?
3. Who completed 2 years with their blue card. Before June 2025, Blue Card decision holders were required to complete 2 years. After June 2025 this 2-year clause is not required.
4. A Blue Card holder's spouse with the TRC.
EU Blue Card category in MOS
Which MOS application category corresponds to the EU Blue Card?
Answer: A stay based on highly qualified employment (EU Blue Card) is a type of temporary residence; therefore, this category should be selected when submitting the application. The specific purpose of the stay is indicated at a later stage, within the application form itself.
Remote / Hybrid work and Annexure 1
When applying from a different city for Remote or Hybrid work, should this be indicated in Annexure 1, in the employment contract agreement, in both documents, or is marking it in Annexure 1 sufficient?
Answer: The employer must complete the required attachment in accordance with the actual circumstances. This means that if a foreign national works in a hybrid model, all work locations must be listed, with a note indicating that a portion of the work is performed remotely. The foreign national should also possess confirmation from their employer authorizing remote work (e.g., as stated in the employment contract, an annex, or another internal company document).
Initial documents required solely for MOS registration/submission
Please list the initial documents required specifically for MOS registration (documents that are strictly necessary at the MOS submission stage and any that can be provided later).
Answer: The documents classified as formal requirements are:
- a completed application form;
- a photograph;
- a copy of the entire passport;
- proof of payment of the 440 PLN fee;
- "Annex 1" (provided by the employer);
- "Annex 2" (required for EU Blue Card applications).
All other documents are considered supplementary; while not strictly mandatory, they may help expedite the case verification process (e.g., proof of health insurance, information regarding the place of residence, or the employment contract).
Information regarding amendments to a residence decision can be found on our website: https://infoopt.pl/pobyt-z-tytulu-pracy-wymagajacej-posiadania-wysokich-kwalifikacji-zmiana-zezwolenia/ .
Whether an amendment is necessary depends on the foreign national's previous decision.
Please note that you are required to notify the office within 15 days if the employment relationship is terminated (using the appropriate form/attachment).
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