A ponaglenie is a free formal letter (Art. 37 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure) you file when the voivode has not decided within the deadline — 60 days for temporary residence, 6 months for permanent residence and EU long-term resident — or is dragging the case out. You address it to the Head of the Office for Foreigners, but file it at the voivodeship office handling your case — not through MOS.
When
When the statutory deadline has passed or the case has stood still for months with no action by the office. For applications filed before 1 July 2024, take 1 July 2024 as the start of the deadline (or the later date on which you filled the gaps).
How to file
- In person at the office's registry (kancelaria) — ask for an entry stamp on your copy.
- By registered post with acknowledgement of receipt.
- Electronically to the office's e-Doręczenia address — signed with a trusted profile, personal or qualified signature. Ordinary e-mail or MOS are not enough.
The letter is filed in Polish. Keep a copy with proof of filing — without it you cannot show the court that the ponaglenie was filed.
Cost
A ponaglenie is free. If an attorney acts for you, they attach the power of attorney and proof of paying 17 zł stamp duty (not payable by a spouse, parent, child or sibling).
What happens next
The voivode has 7 days to forward the ponaglenie with the files to the Head of UdSC, who has another 7 days to consider it (Art. 37 § 4 and 5). You do not have to wait: at any time after filing the ponaglenie you can file a complaint to the WSA.
Art. 100d — suspended deadlines
Formally, until 4 March 2027, Art. 100d of the Act on assistance to Ukrainian citizens suspends deadlines in residence cases handled by voivodes — for all foreigners. In practice offices often leave a ponaglenie unexamined, but since 2025 the administrative courts disregard Art. 100d for delays after 30 June 2024 (e.g. Supreme Administrative Court judgment of 19 May 2025, II OSK 2921/24), and the court confirmed that a complaint is admissible even when the ponaglenie was left unexamined (judgment of 28 October 2025, II OSK 3106/24). So treat the ponaglenie as a mandatory first step.
Temporary residence and work: Directive 2024/1233
For a single permit for residence and work, Art. 5(2) of Directive (EU) 2024/1233 requires a decision within 90 days of a complete application at the latest; the deadline for transposing this rule expired on 21 May 2026.
In the PL360• app
PL360• clients can prepare a draft ponaglenie from their case data — on the template for their voivodeship. Nothing is filed for you: you check, sign and file it (or your consultant does, with a power of attorney).
Frequently asked questions
When can I file a ponaglenie in a residence card case?
After the statutory deadline — 60 days for temporary residence, 6 months for permanent residence and EU long-term resident — or when the case stands still with no action by the office (delay).
Who is a ponaglenie addressed to?
To the Head of the Office for Foreigners via the voivode — you file it at the voivodeship office handling your case.
Can I file a ponaglenie through MOS?
No. In person at the registry, by registered post or via e-Doręczenia with a trusted profile, personal or qualified signature.
How much does a ponaglenie cost?
Nothing. An attorney pays 17 zł for the power of attorney (not for a spouse, parents, children or siblings).
What comes after the ponaglenie?
At any time after filing it you can file a complaint to the administrative court (WSA) about inaction or delay (Art. 53 § 2b of the Law on proceedings before administrative courts) without waiting for a reply.
For information only; this is not legal advice.