University graduates looking for a job

An application should be submitted if you intend to stay in Poland for more than 3 months and if you are a graduate of a Polish university, and the purpose of your stay is to look for a job or to start a business in Poland. The permit can be applied for only directly after completing studies.

1. 1.    Go to mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl and create an account.
   2.    Read the information and the list of the most common mistakes while filling in an application.
   3.    Fill in the application for a temporary residence permit.
   4.    Provide your current phone number and email address in the application. 
   5.    Print out the application form and sign it.
   6.    Send the printed form along with the required attachments via postal service to the Office of the Opolskie Province, Department of Citizenship and Foreigners (pl. Opolski Urząd Wojewódzki Wydział Spraw Obywatelskich i Cudzoziemców),
   7.    or submit it to the
   Correspondence Registry Office of the Opole Provincial Office  (pl. Biuro Podawcze Opolskiego Urzędu Wojewódzkiego), located in the main hall of the Office, 
   open Monday to Friday during the Office's working hours,
   i.e. from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
    
   Submit your application no later than the last day of your legal stay in Poland. If you send the application via Poczta Polska (Polish Postal Service), the date of posting the correspondence is taken into account.

The next step is to appear in person/provide your fingerprints. During your visit, you also have to complete other documents that are required to obtain a stamp in your passport.

Documents required to obtain a stamp in your passport (i.e. formal requirements)

• Application form - fill in the on-line application or fill in the application in accordance with the instructions in 1 copy 
• 2 photographs, 
• A photocopy of a valid travel document (the original for inspection), in a particularly justified case, when you do not have a valid travel document and you are not able to obtain one, you may present another document confirming your identity.
• To start the proceedings will also be needed confirmation that you have paid the stamp duty.

Documents required to be granted the residence permit:

•    a document confirming completion of higher education, i.e. a diploma;
•    documents confirming active job search, e.g. CVs sent to potential employers; confirmations of scheduled job interviews, etc.;
•    a document confirming health insurance;
•    a document confirming sufficient financial resources to cover the costs of living in Poland for a period of 9 months and the costs of return travel to the country of origin;
•    a document confirming secured accommodation in Poland.

A temporary residence permit is granted only once, immediately after graduation, for a period of 9 months.
This permit does not entitle the holder to work in Poland. If you are a graduate of full-time higher education at a Polish university, you are allowed to work without a work permit.
You are obliged to inform the Voivode, who issued your permit, within 15 days if the reason for granting the permit no longer applies. If you do not submit a new application indicating new circumstances of your stay in Poland, the procedure to revoke your permit is initiated, as the purpose of stay, which you declared when applying for a temporary residence permit, has ceased to exist. If you fail to do so, you may be refused another temporary residence permit.
•    Your application shall not be considered if you have a temporary residence permit for the purpose of performing work as part of an intra-company transfer as an intern or a temporary residence permit for the purpose of performing work in a profession requiring high qualifications.
•    Graduates of full-time higher education courses at Polish universities are exempt from the obligation to obtain a work permit.

A residence card is issued after a positive decision on granting a permit has been made. Read ‘how to obtain a residence card?’ — Issuing a residence card