Stuck in Poland Waiting for Your Temporary Residency Card (TRC)? Here’s How to Cope and Thrive

400 days—my application for a temporary residency card (TRC) in Poland took 400 days from the time my application was mailed until the day I held my karta pobytu (residency card) in hand.

During those 13 months, I spent my first Christmas alone and never left the borders of Poland.

Sounds a bit like a nightmare, right?

While it was not an easy year, honestly, I have no regrets. It was 400 days full of finding a life and community in Poland. I moved cities, visited the Baltic Sea several times, explored Gdańsk and Lublin, found off-the-beaten-track places in my new home of Warsaw, joined a book club, had my first traditional Polish Christmas feast, started making progress in my Polish language learning journey, and even saw Taylor Swift in concert.

Waiting for your temporary residency card (TRC) in Poland to be approved is an uncomfortable time of limbo, but I believe it is also an opportunity to embrace your newly adopted home and immerse yourself in Polish life.

How long does a TRC take in Poland? There’s no right answer to this question, unfortunately. It varies widely based on the city you apply in and whether you apply in person or by mail—from a couple of months to years in the worst cases.

Additionally, the Poland residence permit process as a non-EU resident is a mixed bag of helpful innovations and frustrating regulations. Unlike in many countries, immigration to Poland is possible to navigate alone—even without much knowledge of the local language. But becoming a legal resident is (whether as a teacher, digital nomad, or even partner of a Polish citizen) a lengthy project that can be stressful and involve several trips to the Wydział Spraw Cudzoziemców (Department of Foreigner’s Affairs). As a result, many, myself included, hire a lawyer for assistance and reassurance.

To put it simply, as an immigrant from outside of the EU, you are allowed to apply for a temporary residency card (TRC) at any time during your legal stay in Poland. While your application is in process, you may stay in the country even after your prior legalization of stay (visa-free travel days, visas, residency permit, etc.) expires.

This permission is convenient and allows some stability for expats in Poland. However, it does not extend to the rest of the Schengen Zone (the border-free area that includes Poland and its neighbors Germany, Czechia, and Slovakia). So any European road trips will have to wait until your residency is approved and you are holding your karta pobytu.

Leaving the Schengen Zone completely—this could be anything from flying to the US to taking a day trip to Lviv—while you are waiting for your karta pobytu is a more complicated issue that depends on multiple factors, including the passport you hold. Learn more about this possibility and legal status while waiting for a temporary residence card (TRC) by checking out this post: “8 Common Myths About Residence Permits in Poland—Debunked!”

Because of these restrictions, many applicants don’t leave Poland at all while waiting on their TRC, and this can naturally lead to feeling stuck and perhaps homesick, depending on how long it takes. But there are many practical things you can do to make the experience better—without breaking the bank.

1. Do your research (and be realistic about TRC waiting times)!

Ignorance is not always bliss. I learned this lesson the hard way by choosing to live in Wrocław and later Warsaw without researching the application process in these locations. I unknowingly chose two of the slowest cities to apply for a TRC from. While the major requirements and steps of applying are similar throughout Poland, the timeline and specific details can be drastically different depending on which city you live in and what urząd (office) you have to apply at.

If possible, I recommend looking for specific, up-to-date information on the residency process in the city you want to live in before you even move to Poland or as soon as you find out what city is your new home. You can start on this website, but make sure to find the specific website for your city or region’s Office for Foreigners as well.

Once I realized my mistake, I gathered information from English Wizards, an immigration lawyer, my coworkers, and some expat Facebook groups to understand what exactly I should expect to experience. I learned that since I had submitted my application by mail to the Warsaw office, the most likely outcome was that I wouldn’t receive a decision for about 12 months and that because my original 1-year visa was expiring, I should anticipate staying in Poland for that entire time. Having this information allowed me to be realistic and start making plans for the year, including how to handle my first Christmas away from friends and family.

2. Be an off-season tourist in Poland

I knew I would spend Christmas sitting in my apartment feeling sorry for myself, so I planned a mini-vacation over the holiday. Almost everyone in Poland is visiting family from the 23rd to the 26th of December; as a result, hotels in tourist hotspots can be very, very cheap. I enjoyed three days of wandering the historic old town of Gdansk and walking the beaches of the Baltic for barely any money and with almost none of the characteristic hordes of travelers taking selfies.

This doesn’t just apply to Christmastime. If you are spending the whole year in Poland, you can find a lot of different “off-season” times to visit the most popular destinations like Zakopane and Krakow—without the expense and crowds that the summer holidays and Christmas markets bring.

3. Find ways to continue your favorite hobbies while waiting on your karta pobytu

Don’t give up doing activities you love just because you’re in a new, unfamiliar place! Your hobbies can be some of the easiest and best coping strategies you have access to in a new country.

The first thing I did after moving into my apartment in Warsaw was to start mapping different running routes, making it as simple as possible to keep up with my favorite hobby. And as the TRC process continued without any significant progress for months, I decided to channel my extra time and energy into training for and running the Warsaw half-marathon. This kept me motivated to leave my apartment in the gray days of February and March and gave me a sense of accomplishment in the midst of a season of waiting.

While I highly recommend running races in Poland (the Warsaw events are world-class), if you are not a runner, Poland’s major cities have many other activities available for English speakers:

• If you love reading, join a book club.
• If you’re learning a language (even if it’s not Polish), join a language exchange.
• If you love hiking, start exploring the Polish mountains.
• If you love live music, many top global artists perform in Warsaw and Krakow, and there are smaller concerts happening every weekend.

Google, Facebook groups, co-workers, and even billboards can help you find these opportunities and communities.

4. Learn about local events and Polish culture

Ask your students about how each holiday and season is observed, and you most likely will discover many local traditions and events you can watch or even take part in, filling in many of the gaps that have been left in your calendar by moving abroad. Two of my favorite days to celebrate now are Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday) with donuts and Mikołajki (Santa Claus Day) with gingerbread.

Additionally, each Polish city offers a variety of cultural events—in many cases, free to the public. For example, in Warsaw in 2024, there were museum nights, free Chopin concerts in the park, multimedia fountain shows (inspired by ABBA), and an amazing drone show commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.

These are some of the different resources that helped me. Make sure to take advantage of this support on your own immigration journey in Poland.

1. English Wizards

English Wizards is a company that offers support for expat English teachers, digital nomads, and other entrepreneurs (including visa assistance and job placement). They’re a huge part of how I ended up in Poland, how I made my first expat friends, and how I’ve found the majority of my work. Check out their visa support services and blog posts for more information, and contact them with any questions you might have.

2. Social Media Groups

Social media foreigner groups can be a great option for getting answers to city-specific questions, connecting to other expats, and discovering local organizations and meet-ups.

However, I feel like I need to give one caveat about social media expat groups here. While these groups have been an incredible source of relevant information for the TRC process in Warsaw and connected me to some amazing people and activities, these groups can easily give the impression that everyone is struggling with their TRC applications and living in Poland as an expat. The truth is that you are much more likely to ask for help in a Facebook group if something has gone wrong than if everything is going well—so take everything you read with a grain of salt and don’t assume it’s the average experience.

3. Your Students

Since they haven’t experienced it firsthand, my Polish students are usually not very knowledgeable about the immigration system and obtaining a karta pobytu, but they are experts on life in their own country and have given me many invaluable tips about adjusting to life as a foreigner in Poland. People also naturally love talking about their city and country, so if you show any interest in seeing the best parts of Poland, your students will give you so many sightseeing recommendations that you’ll never be able to visit them all.

4. Your Colleagues

Similar to your students, your Polish coworkers are a great source of advice on both what to see in Poland and how to live. I have asked my coworkers so many questions, ranging from simple to complicated: How do I pay this tax? Where can I buy groceries on this holiday? How do I find my package?

Your non-Polish colleagues, on the other hand, can be amazing resources related to immigration paperwork, potential roadblocks in getting your residency card approved, and cultural differences to watch out for. Just make sure to forward any knowledge and experience you acquire. And if you don’t have any local co-workers, jump on social media and see if you can find any remote worker meet-ups or group chats for your city or region.

5. Government websites

I’m not a lawyer or an immigration expert, but I highly recommend checking government websites early and often. Search “TRC application + your city name” to find the relevant government website, and check out this website (migrant.info.pl) for some expat FAQs and the Office for Foreigners website for basic information to start your research.

6. Immigration Lawyers

If you have questions or are uncertain about the legal parts of the TRC process or your legal status while waiting for a residence card, don’t be afraid to seek legal advice. Many Polish lawyers offer free consultations, and some law offices offer affordable packages for assistance in getting your residency card.

Relax!

In summary:

• Don’t despair at the possibility of a long wait time for a TRC in Poland.
• Do your research.
• Use the time to explore Poland as a resident and as a tourist.
• Find ways to connect with local culture and continue your favorite activities.
• Take advantage of the different resources available to you.

Waiting for your Temporary Residence Card (TRC) in Poland can be a long and uncertain process, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. English Wizards’ Visa Support Services provide expert guidance to help you stay compliant and stress-free.

•  Professional visa & immigration assistance
•  Help with document preparation & legal status
•  Guidance on accommodation & banking in Poland

Click Here to Get TRC Support Now!

Looking to Work as a Freelancer While Waiting?

If you’re moving to Poland on a freelancer or digital nomad visa, English Wizards’ Freelance Program can help you legally register, invoice clients, and stay compliant while earning an income.

•  Work legally as a freelancer in Poland
•  Tax optimization & business registration
•  Full legal status & support

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