If the office is delaying the consideration of the residence card case and is not responding to inquiries, there are several free ways to try to speed up the process
While the case is being considered, the stay in Poland remains legal. The stamp in the passport along with the ongoing procedure means legal residence until the final decision according to art. 108 of the Act on Foreigners, even if the passport has expired during this time.
“Official deadlines are no longer in effect, so we can consider cases for a longer time, and this is legal,” one can hear in the office. They often refer to art. 100d of the special act, which has frozen the deadlines for considering cases until March 4, 2027. However, the Supreme Court of Poland has repeatedly stated that endless extensions of the freeze cannot completely deprive a person of the right to defense, and the applicant still has the right to go to court.
What can be done?
Check if anything has been missed
Before complaining, it is worth checking the MOS system for any wezwanie regarding the completion of documents, as well as the physical mailbox at the zameldowania address, where paper letters arrive without warning. A missed wezwanie gives the office a legitimate reason not to consider the case. At the same time, it makes sense to send updated documents, which the office tends to consider expired every three months: acts, extracts, contracts, income statements.
Step 1. Reminder
If the deadline for consideration has expired, the first formal step is a ponaglenie, a letter to the office demanding that the case be reviewed. Without this step, one cannot proceed to filing a lawsuit. It should be sent via e-Doręczenia or as a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt (ZPO), keeping proof of sending.
Step 2. Letter
If the ponaglenie has been ignored for more than a month, the next step is an official letter to the urząd wojewódzki demanding a decision within 30 days and indicating that otherwise a skarga will be filed in court. The letter should list the facts (submission date, expired deadline, ignored ponaglenie). It is best to send it through several channels at once: by registered mail with ZPO, via e-Doręczenia, and personally to the office's registry with a receipt confirmation.
Step 3. Parallel Pressure
Jednocześnie z drugim krokiem możesz użyć darmowych narzędzi do pomiaru ciśnienia:
- Ombudsman — form at formularze.brpo.gov.pl, free hotline 800 676 676. It is advisable to request that the matter be treated as urgent if the passport is expiring or there is another strict deadline
- Children's Rights Ombudsman (brpd.gov.pl/kontakt) — if the delay affects the interests of a child, especially a child who is a citizen of Poland
- Parlamentarna interwencja — każdy członek Sejmu lub senator może złożyć oficjalne zapytanie do biura, które jest zobowiązane odpowiedzieć w ciągu 14 dni (art. 20 ustawy o wykonywaniu mandatu posła i senatora). Posłów z Twojego okręgu znajdziesz na sejm.gov.pl.
- Certificate — if your passport is expiring, you can request a certificate from the voivode stating that your case is being processed and your stay is legal (art. 217 k.p.a.). The issuance period is 7 days, which is also not frozen
- Access to files (art. 73 k.p.a.) — a personal visit requesting to see the case materials. Cases that the applicant looks into themselves often receive additional attention
Step 4. Complaint to the court
If the deadline from the letter has passed and there is still no decision, the next tool is a skarga na bezczynność or przewlekłość to the wojewódzki sąd administracyjny (WSA). It is submitted not directly to the court, but through the voivode. A fee of 100 zlotys is required only after a request from the court, and a lawyer is not mandatory. In the complaint, it is advisable to request that the urząd be obliged to issue a decision within a specific short period, recognize a gross violation of rights, and consider the case in a simplified procedure (trybie uproszczonym) — without a hearing in court (bez rozprawy), which is significantly faster. It is also appropriate to once again cite the positive decisions of the Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny regarding art. 100d.
Wojewoda ma 30 dni na złożenie skargi do sądu — często decyzja pojawia się w tym czasie, co sprawia, że skarga staje się bezprzedmiotowa.
Krok 5. Jeśli skarga nie została złożona do sądu
If 30 days have passed since the complaint was submitted and the voivode has not forwarded it, one can directly submit a motion to the WSA for the imposition of a fine on the office for non-submission (art. 55 § 1 p.p.s.a.). Courts are eager to impose such fines, and the prospect of a fine is one of the reasons why decisions often appear precisely within this 30-day window
Where to get a free consultation
Przed złożeniem skargi warto pokazać ją prawnikowi. Sporządziliśmy listę organizacji oferujących bezpłatną pomoc:
Fundacja Ocalenie
Helps migrants and refugees, including with legal issues, documents, and adaptation. Website
Polskie Forum Migracyjne
Provides consultations for foreigners, including issues of legalization and legal assistance. Website
Centrum Pomocy Prawnej im. Haliny Nieć
Provides legal support for foreigners and individuals in need of protection. Website
State portal for free assistance
You can find the nearest point and sign up for a consultation. Website
Center of Belarusian Solidarity
The CBS provides free legal assistance (you can register via email: pomoc.prawna@belaruscenter.eu). Facebook
PARTYZANКA
Legal, legalization, crisis, and organizational assistance. They even work with complex cases: extraditions, the Dublin procedure, minors, families, vulnerable groups, as well as support for international protection cases. Telegram, website, Helpline for assistance +48600384500
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