A residence card is a document which a foreigner receives after obtaining in Poland:
• Temporary residence permits;
• Permanent residence permits;
• Long-term resident’s EU residence permit;
• Consent to stay for humanitarian reasons
• International protection (in Poland refugee status was granted or subsidiary protection was granted).
The foreigner’s residence card, during the period indicated on it, confirms the identity of the foreigner and entitles him to repeatedly crossing the border without the need to obtain a visa. To cross the border, you must also have a valid travel document (passport).
In addition, the foreigner’s residence card allows a foreigner to travel around the Schengen area. A foreigner may stay in the Schengen area outside Poland for a period of 90 days in any 180-day period.
The foreigner’s residence card is valid for the period for which it was issued.
After obtaining a temporary residence permit, the foreigner’s residence card is issued for the period for which the permit was granted.
In the case of a permanent residence permit, the residence card is issued for 10 years. After this period, the foreigner should apply for another residence card. It is worth remembering that in the case of a permanent residence permit, after 10 years the foreigner only exchanges the residence card document, and there is no obligation to carry out the procedure for the permanent residence permit again.
In the case of a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit, the residence card is issued for 5 years. After this period, the foreigner should apply for another residence card. It is worth remembering that in the case of a long-term resident’s European Union residence permit, after 5 years the foreigner only exchanges the residence card document, and there is no obligation to re-proceed with the procedure for the long-term resident’s European Union residence permit.
In the case of consent to stay for humanitarian reasons, the residence card for a foreigner is issued for 2 years. After this period, the foreigner should apply for another residence card. It is worth remembering that in the case of consent to stay for humanitarian reasons, after 2 years, the foreigner only exchanges the residence card document, and there is no obligation to re-apply for permission to stay for humanitarian reasons.
In the case of international protection, a residence card for a foreigner is issued for 3 years for a foreigner who has obtained refugee status and 2 years for a foreigner who has been granted subsidiary protection. After the expiry of these periods, the foreigner should apply for another residence card. It is worth remembering that in these cases the foreigner exchanges only the document and there is no need to re-conduct the procedure for granting him international protection.
