Your karta pobytu application has been pending for four months. Then one Monday morning, your manager calls you in and says the company is downsizing — your position is gone. Your first thought isn't about the redundancy payment. It's about your residence permit. If you lose your job during a karta pobytu (Polish residence permit) case, what actually happens? Does the whole application collapse? Do you have to leave Poland? The answer is: it depends entirely on what you do in the next 15 working days.
The 15-Day Rule: What Polish Law Actually Says
Under Article 134 of the Act on Foreigners (Ustawa o cudzoziemcach), if you hold a temporary residence and work permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy i pracę) and you lose your job, you must notify the voivode who issued your permit in writing within 15 working days of the employment ending. This is not optional — it is a legal obligation.
If you notify within 15 working days, your permit is protected from revocation for 30 calendar days from the date your employment ended. That window gives you time to find a new employer and file an updated or new application without your current permit being cancelled under your feet.
If you do not notify the voivode within 15 working days AND do not file a new application within 30 days of the job loss — your permit is revoked. A revoked permit means your stay becomes illegal, which can lead to a fine, deportation order, and a ban on re-entering Poland for several years. That is the worst-case scenario, and it is completely avoidable.
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What If Your Application Is Still Pending — No Decision Yet?
This is where people get really confused, and understandably so. There are two very different situations:
Situation A: You already HAVE a residence and work permit (the decision was issued, you have the plastic card or at least the decyzja). In this case, Article 134 applies directly — notify within 15 working days, find a new employer within 30 days, or the permit gets revoked.
Situation B: You submitted your application but the voivode hasn't issued a decision yet. Your case is actively being processed. In this scenario, the rules are different — and often misunderstood.
When an application is still pending, the legal basis for your stay is the pending application itself (confirmed by the digital certificate from MOS or the old red stamp). Losing the job doesn't automatically end your case — but the voivode will check during the review whether the employment conditions that justified the application still exist. If you've already lost your job and there's no new employer in the picture, the voivode is very likely to refuse the permit when they finally issue the decision.
What this means practically: your stay remains technically legal while the case is pending (you won't be told to leave tomorrow), but you need to act fast to either secure a new employer or switch to a different legal basis before the decision lands.
Your Three Real Options When You Lose the Job
You're not out of options. Here's what you can actually do:
- Find a new employer quickly and file a change of circumstances. If your case is pending and you find a new employer within 30 days, you can notify the voivode of the new employment and submit supporting documents — a new work contract, a new employer's statement (oświadczenie). This gives the voivode a valid employment basis to approve the permit.
- Withdraw the current application and file a completely new one via MOS with the new employer's details. Since April 27, 2026, all new applications must be submitted electronically through the MOS portal. The new employer will need to sign the application digitally — the system sends them a unique link. Factor that into your timeline.
- Explore an alternative legal basis. If you can't find employment quickly, consider whether you qualify for a different type of permit — business activity, family reunification, or another route. This isn't available to everyone, but it's worth reviewing with a lawyer before your window closes.
Whatever route you take, the notification obligation to the voivode is separate from the application strategy. Even if you're planning to file a new application, still send the written notification of job loss within 15 working days. Keep proof of delivery — a registered letter (list polecony) or a courier confirmation works.
Practical tip: Send your job-loss notification to the voivode by registered mail (list polecony) the same day you receive the termination — don't wait for your last working day. The 15-working-day clock starts from the date employment ended, not from the date you feel ready to deal with it.
Changing Your Employer Mid-Case: The MOS Process in 2026
Since April 27, 2026, all residence and work permit applications in Poland are submitted exclusively through MOS (mos.cudzoziemcy.gov.pl). The paper route no longer exists for new filings. If your job has ended and you have a new employer lined up, here's how the change works through the system:
- Log into your MOS account and go to your active case.
- Submit information about the change of employer — this is a formal procedural notification, not a new full application.
- Your new employer receives a unique link to their email inbox and must sign the declaration electronically. Follow up with them — delays on their side stall your case.
- Attach the new employment contract or a binding job offer with the salary and position details.
- The minimum gross monthly salary in Poland from January 2026 is PLN 4,806 (31.40 PLN/hour). Your new contract must meet or exceed this floor, or the application will have a problem.
For the contract specifics that voivodes actually look for, see our guide: What Your Employment Contract Must Contain. Getting the contract wrong is the most common reason these employer-change filings bounce back.
Does Losing Your Job Affect Your Legal Stay While Waiting?
Short answer: your stay stays legal while the case is pending — but your work rights narrow sharply.
The digital certificate from MOS (which replaced the old red passport stamp in 2026) proves that your stay in Poland is legal while your application is being processed. Losing your job does not cancel that certificate or make your presence in Poland illegal overnight.
However — and this is critical — you cannot legally work during this waiting period without valid employment authorisation. If your permit or your previous oświadczenie (employer's declaration) has expired and you have no new work authorisation in place, working would be illegal regardless of whether your residence stay is still technically valid.
To understand exactly what rights the pending-application certificate gives you, see: Karta Pobytu Stamp in Passport: What It Actually Gives You in 2026.
Travel is another concern. If you leave Poland while the application is pending and you have no valid visa, you may not be let back in. Keep this in mind before booking any flights.
A Real Scenario: What We've Seen Happen
Priya, a finance analyst from Mumbai, had been waiting 7 months for her karta pobytu decision when her employer — a Warsaw-based fintech — was acquired and her contract was terminated. She called us the same day. We filed the job-loss notification to Mazowieckie voivode the next morning by registered letter, then spent 11 days helping her secure a new contract with a different financial services firm. We submitted the updated documents through MOS before the 30-day window closed. The voivode approved her 3-year permit five weeks later. She didn't leave Poland once throughout the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I lose my job mid-case, do I automatically lose my karta pobytu application?
Not automatically — but the voivode will check whether valid employment exists when they issue the decision. If you've already found a new employer and submitted updated documents through MOS, the case continues on the new employment basis. If no employment exists at the time of the decision, the permit will be refused.
What exactly is the 15-working-day deadline and what happens if I miss it?
Under Article 134 of the Act on Foreigners, if you already hold a permit and lose your job, you must notify the voivode in writing within 15 working days. Miss it, and don't file a new application within 30 calendar days either, and the permit is revoked. If your case is only pending (no decision yet), this article doesn't apply — but the practical risk is the same: act fast, communicate changes through MOS.
Can I start working for a new employer immediately after losing my old job?
No. You need valid work authorisation for the new employer before you start. Your old employer's authorisation covers only that employer. Working without authorisation — even for a day — is a violation that can affect your permit application. The correct order is: new contract → MOS notification → wait for confirmation (or a new permit decision) → start working.
My employer went bankrupt during my application. Is this treated differently?
Legally, no — from the voivode's perspective, employment ended regardless of the reason. The gov.pl immigration portal makes no distinction between voluntary resignation, redundancy, or bankruptcy. The 15-working-day notification rule and the 30-day protection window apply in all cases. What may differ is how quickly you can get documentation from the bankrupt employer — start gathering your termination papers immediately.
Does the new employer need to do anything on their side for the MOS application?
Yes — and this is where delays usually happen. The MOS system sends your new employer a unique link to their email address. They must sign the employer's declaration electronically before your application can proceed. Make sure your new employer's HR or management knows this is coming and checks their spam folder. A slow employer response has derailed many otherwise solid applications.
Losing a job mid-permit-case is stressful, but it is manageable if you move inside the legal window. Legal Solutions — 98% approval rate. Drop us a WhatsApp — we read every message.