FAQ#35
What Is the Blue Card and for What Period of Time Is It Issued?
The Blue Card (Niebieska Karta) is a common name of the temporary residence permit to perform work in a highly-qualified profession. It is a type of temporary residence and work permit used under the European Union’s Blue Card programme. The aim of the initiative is to attract the best specialists from outside the region to Europe. Foreigners can apply for this permit if:
- their purpose of staying in the territory of the Republic of Poland is to perform work in a profession that requires having a higher education degree or having at least 5 years of professional experience at a level comparable to the level of qualifications obtained as a result of higher education studies, which are necessary to perform this work,
- they have concluded an employment contract or a civil law contract on the basis of which they perform the contracted work for a period of at least 1 year,
- they have health insurance,
- their gross annual remuneration is not less than an equivalent of 150% of the average remuneration in the national economy in the year preceding the conclusion of the agreement, as announced by the President of the Central Statistical Office,
- if there are circumstances justifying the foreigner’s stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland for more than 3 months.
What distinguishes a temporary residence permit for highly skilled employment is its term of validity. It is granted for a period 3 months longer than the period of performing work, but not longer than 3 years, with the possibility to apply for further permits.
A foreigner who has obtained a temporary residence permit to work in a highly-skilled profession in the territory of Poland is issued with a residence card in the form of the EU Blue Card. After obtaining this permit, the foreigner may perform work in Poland under the conditions specified in this permit, without the need to have an additional work permit.
More questions about how to legalise your stay in Poland?
Issues related to the legalisation of employment and stay of foreigners in Poland still raise many doubts – both among employers and their foreign employees. In order to make it easier to navigate among statutory regulations, the Invest in Pomerania team in cooperation with specialists from the Pomeranian Voivodeship Office have created a publication containing a list of the most frequently asked questions regarding the procedure of applying for a residence and work permit in Poland. We sincerely hope that the publication will make the process of legalising the stay and employment of foreigners in our region more efficient. We invite you to read the entire guide. If you want to learn more about the full range of support provided by Invest in Pomerania visit the website: investinpomerania.pl .
