Poland’s Ministry of the Interior has fired the starting gun on the last—and most painful—phase of its immigration-system overhaul. A regulation published late on 18 December 2025 confirms that, from 1 January 2026, every temporary-stay (residence) permit must be lodged exclusively via the Moduł Obsługi Spraw (MOS) e-portal. Local offices will no longer accept paper dossiers; files handed in over the counter will be rejected outright.
The reform completes a year-long digitisation drive that already forced employers to file work-permit requests through the praca.gov.pl platform. What catches the eye this time is the cost. The standard residence-permit fee leaps from PLN 100 to PLN 400, while posted-worker permits soar to PLN 800. Consular charges also rise sharply: national (D-type) visas jump from €135 to €200 and Schengen (C-type) visas edge up to €90. Warsaw argues that the income will pay for extra case officers and cybersecurity, trimming processing times by 30 per cent; HR directors counter that 2026 relocation budgets have been blown overnight.
![Poland Orders All Residence-Permit Applications to Move Online and Quadruples Government Fees]()
With just two weeks to prepare, corporate mobility teams must act fast. Every foreign assignee now needs (1) a Polish Trusted-Profile login or EU eID, (2) a qualified e-signature and (3) training on MOS navigation. Visa advisers recommend screenshotting each step because the portal still crashes under load; a screenshot may become the only proof of timely submission if a session times out. Employers are therefore rushing to pre-pay 2025-level fees and front-load any remaining paper filings before New Year’s Eve.
Looking further ahead, MOS will be linked to the tax and social-security databases, enabling automatic red flags if the salary declared in the permit does not match payroll filings. Non-compliance could trigger fines of up to PLN 50,000 per assignee under amendments to the Foreigners Employment Act that took effect in June. Multinationals are already revising posted-worker policies, budgeting extra onboarding time and ring-fencing funds for electronic signatures.
For global mobility managers the message is clear: Poland’s immigration landscape is entering a “digital by default, expensive by design” era. Companies that automate document collection, build cost increases into 2026 forecasts and train staff early on MOS quirks will gain a decisive head-start once the gate slams shut on paper applications.
The reform completes a year-long digitisation drive that already forced employers to file work-permit requests through the praca.gov.pl platform. What catches the eye this time is the cost. The standard residence-permit fee leaps from PLN 100 to PLN 400, while posted-worker permits soar to PLN 800. Consular charges also rise sharply: national (D-type) visas jump from €135 to €200 and Schengen (C-type) visas edge up to €90. Warsaw argues that the income will pay for extra case officers and cybersecurity, trimming processing times by 30 per cent; HR directors counter that 2026 relocation budgets have been blown overnight.
With just two weeks to prepare, corporate mobility teams must act fast. Every foreign assignee now needs (1) a Polish Trusted-Profile login or EU eID, (2) a qualified e-signature and (3) training on MOS navigation. Visa advisers recommend screenshotting each step because the portal still crashes under load; a screenshot may become the only proof of timely submission if a session times out. Employers are therefore rushing to pre-pay 2025-level fees and front-load any remaining paper filings before New Year’s Eve.
Looking further ahead, MOS will be linked to the tax and social-security databases, enabling automatic red flags if the salary declared in the permit does not match payroll filings. Non-compliance could trigger fines of up to PLN 50,000 per assignee under amendments to the Foreigners Employment Act that took effect in June. Multinationals are already revising posted-worker policies, budgeting extra onboarding time and ring-fencing funds for electronic signatures.
For global mobility managers the message is clear: Poland’s immigration landscape is entering a “digital by default, expensive by design” era. Companies that automate document collection, build cost increases into 2026 forecasts and train staff early on MOS quirks will gain a decisive head-start once the gate slams shut on paper applications.
Source: VisaHQ Global Mobility News
