EU Blue Card — highly qualified employment

Temporary residence permit for the purpose of performing work in a high-qualification profession is intended for foreigners who intend to work in a profession for which specialised knowledge, skills and competences are necessary, acquired during higher education or on the basis of professional experience.

third-country nationals and stateless persons who have high professional qualifications - confirmed by higher education or relevant professional experience.

IT sector employees most often apply for it, but experts, specialists and senior employees from various industries and economic sectors may also obtain it.

You submit the application together with an additional tocument (Annex 1) – this annex, however, is filled in by the employer and toes not form part of the electronic form you will be filling in.

The conditions for entrusting work specified in Annex 1 must be current on the date of issuing the permit. They must also be consistent with the conditions resulting from other tocuments, such as an employment contract.

Present the contract under which you perform work, provide services or have a business relationship, concluded for a period ofat least 6 months, in writing, in a profession requiring higher qualifications: employment contract / contract for outwork (also referred to as cottage industry) / civil law contract, e.g. contract of mandate, contract for specific work.

the foreigner will work in an occupation in which there is no surplus of employment;

the foreigner has concluded an employment contract meeting the specified conditions; the agreement governs the performance by the foreigner of work, provision of services or remaining in an employment relationship in a profession requiring high qualifications - it may be an employment contract, a home work contract or a civil law contract (e.g. mandate, for specific work); umowa jest zawarta na at least 6 months;

the foreigner will receive remuneration at an appropriate level; The annual gross remuneration resulting from the monthly or annual remuneration indicated in the agreement may not be lower than the equivbutnt of 150% of the average remuneration in the national economy in the year preceding the application for this permit. In the case of applications submitted in 2026. skumulowane remuneration brutto must not be less than 160,264.08 PLN, which means receiving a monthly gross amount above 13,355.34 PLN.

the foreigner has higher professional qualifications necessary to perform work in the given profession; Higher professional qualifications are knowledge and skills acquired: thanks to higher education; ⇒ It concerns at least a 3-year cycle of higher education studies successfully completed at a university recognised in the country in which it is based. Completion of studies is confirmed by the award of a diploma, certificate or other document issued for that purpose. thanks to 5 years of professional experience; ⇒ Professional experience is the sum of skills, knowledge and practice acquired during employment, conducting business activity, or providing services. ⇒ Qualifications obtained in this way should correspond to those obtained during higher education. ⇒ In the case of certain professions 3 years suffice professional experience acquired in the last 7 years prior to submitting the application - click and go to the announcement containing the list of those professions.

Limited access to the Polish labour market ⇒ You may perform work in Poland, in a highly qualified occupation, for a remuneration not lower than that required for the granting of this permit. ⇒ If you change your employer, you are obliged to communicate this change to the governor. ⇒ If you lose your job, you are entitled to: 3 months of unemployment, provided that 2 years have not passed since the authorisation was granted; 6 months of unemployment if you have lost employment after 2 years of Blue Card residency. The permit will not be revoked as long as you comply with the notification obligation.

Right to family reunification ⇒ certain members of your family are entitled to obtain a temporary residence permit for the purpose of family reunification, also if you benefit from long-term mobility in Poland -.click for more information.

a period 3 months longer than the period of performing work - from more than 6 months to 3 years.

Permit is not renewed automatically. The foreigner who wishes to continue staying in Poland should, before its expiry, apply for a residence permit, if they meet the necessary requirements.

This permit is part of the EU Blue Card system (Blue Card), which guarantees its holders additional rights – including, among others, the possibility of easier movement within the EU and faster acquisition of EU long-term resident status.

Moreover, in the case of using intra-EU mobility you have the right to sum up stays in other EU countries on the basis of the Blue Card, with the proviso that within the 5 years of required stay in the EU as a highly qualified worker, the last 2 years immediately before submitting the application must be spent on this basis in Poland.