How To Transfer a Residence Card Case to Another Voivodeship in Poland?

Picture this: you filed for a residence card in Wrocław, you’re waiting for the decision — and then a job offer comes in from Warsaw. Or you simply decide to move. Your case is already in progress, but the voivodeship has changed. What happens next?

Many foreigners in this situation either do nothing — hoping it’ll sort itself out — or start panicking, assuming they’ll have to file everything from scratch. Both reactions are wrong. There’s a clear transfer procedure, and it’s considerably simpler than it looks.

When a Case Transfer Becomes Necessary?

A transfer is triggered by a change in the circumstances that determined which Urząd Wojewódzki was handling your application. The most common reasons:

• Moving to a different voivodeship — by far the most frequent situation the VisaV.pl team encounters
• Changing employers and relocating to another region when the residence card is based on employment
• A change in where work duties are actually performed — even without switching employers

It’s worth understanding why this matters: residence card applications are filed either based on where you live or where your grounds are located (for example, your employer). Most voivodeship offices take the position that the case should be handled by the office covering the applicant’s place of residence. A move therefore triggers the need to transfer the case.

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The responsibility for reporting any changes rests with the foreign national personally — even if the documents were handled by an employer, intermediary, or lawyer. Even if someone else knows about the move, it’s legally your obligation to notify the office. That’s an important distinction to be clear on.

Deadlines: When To Notify the Office

The law requires notifying the office “immediately” about changes — but sets no specific deadline for general relocation notices. There are, however, deadlines that are strictly defined:

• Termination of employment — notify within 15 days
• New employment — within 30 days of the termination date
• Change of address — new registration (meldowanie) within 30 days of moving

In our experience, the smartest approach is to file the transfer application at the same time as the employment or address change notification. It’s not required, but it saves time and reduces the risk of missing something.

How To Write and Submit the Transfer Application?

There’s no standardized form for this application — each office may have its own version. The best approach is to download a template directly from the relevant voivodeship office’s website or collect one in person.

What the application must include:

1. Your personal details — full name, date of birth, passport number
2. Case number or the date you originally filed for the residence card
3. Your old residential address and your new address in the new voivodeship
4. The reason for the transfer — relocation, job change, etc.
5. A request to forward the case to the Urząd Wojewódzki covering your new address
6. A list of attachments, if other notifications are being submitted at the same time

One point that often causes confusion: the application goes to the office already handling your case — the old voivodeship, not the new one.

What Documents To Attach?

The application alone may not be enough. Depending on your situation, attach:

• Proof of your new address — a lease agreement, meldowanie registration, or a declaration of accommodation provided free of charge
• A new employment contract — if the transfer is triggered by a change of employer
• Work permit for the new location — if your type of residence card requires one

If the address change notification and the transfer application are submitted as separate packages, proof of the new address must be included in each of them.

Can You Send the Documents by Post?

Yes, sending the application by post is legally valid. But it comes with risks: longer processing time, the chance of the letter getting lost, and the office may still ask for original documents instead of copies.

Where possible, submitting in person — or through a representative with a notarized power of attorney — is the more reliable option. It confirms that the documents were received and registered.

How Long the Transfer Takes?

There are no legally defined deadlines for how quickly an office must respond to a transfer request. In practice, the process takes around 3 to 4 months — plus delivery time if documents were sent by post.

How to find out the transfer has happened:

1. The office is theoretically supposed to notify you — but in practice this doesn’t always happen
2. Some voivodeships have online status tracking systems — check whether your new region has one
3. If there’s no information after 3 to 4 months — contact the new office directly: first by phone or online inquiry, then in person if needed

Can the Office Transfer the Case Without Your Application?

Technically yes. If a foreigner notifies the office of an address change and the new address falls in a different voivodeship, the office sometimes initiates the transfer on its own. But this happens inconsistently and isn’t the norm.

Relying on officials to act proactively isn’t a sound strategy. The rule is simple: if you’ve moved to a different voivodeship, file the transfer application yourself. It’s the only way to be confident the case is moving in the right direction.