Documents for a Karta Pobytu in Poland: What to Translate and How

The short answer: for a karta pobytu in Poland you will need an application form, photos, a copy of your passport, and documents confirming your purpose of stay — and every document not drawn up in Polish must be submitted with a translation made by a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły). An apostille on Ukrainian documents for Poland is mostly unnecessary thanks to a bilateral legal assistance treaty. Below is the breakdown as of 2026: which package to assemble for each type of permit, what exactly to translate, when a Ukrainian notarized translation is enough, and how not to lose months over one incorrectly certified certificate.

What a karta pobytu is and when you apply for one

A karta pobytu (residence card) is a plastic card that confirms a foreignerʼs identity in Poland and their residence permit. The card itself is issued by the voivode after a positive decision in one of these procedures:

• temporary residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy) — for up to 3 years: work, study, business, family reunification;
• permanent residence permit (zezwolenie na pobyt stały) — including on the basis of a Karta Polaka or marriage to a Polish citizen;
• EU long-term resident status (rezydent długoterminowy UE) — after several years of legal residence.

The document package depends on the procedure, but the logic is the same: every fact you rely on in the application must be backed by a document, and every foreign-language document must be properly translated into Polish. For Ukrainian citizens with UKR status, separate transitional rules apply in 2026 (including the special CUKR card) — check the current conditions on the Office for Foreigners website or with your voivodeship office.

The core document package

Regardless of the purpose of stay, the application is usually accompanied by:

1. A completed application form (wniosek) — in Polish;
2. Biometric-format photos — usually 4;
3. A copy of your travel passport — all pages with stamps; the original is presented in person;
4. Proof of payment of the stamp duty;
5. Health insurance — a policy or ZUS confirmation;
6. Proof of stable income — a contract, certificates, PIT returns;
7. Proof of accommodation — a rental agreement, ownership deed, meldunek.

Then come the documents for your specific purpose of stay:

Purpose of stay	Typical additional documents
Work	Załącznik nr 1 from the employer, an employment contract or umowa zlecenie
Study	Certificate of enrollment from the university, proof of tuition payment
Family reunification	Marriage certificate, childrenʼs birth certificates
Business	CEIDG or KRS extract, financial statements
Permanent residence	Depending on the grounds: Karta Polaka, civil-registry certificates; a criminal record certificate is sometimes requested

The list is indicative: each voivodeship office publishes its own checklists, and the case officer may request additional evidence during the proceedings. As of 2026, Poland is moving applications online: from 27 April 2026, temporary residence applications are submitted through the MOS online module, with documents attached as digital copies. Producing the card itself costs 100 zloty; the stamp duty depends on the permit type — verify the exact amounts on the officeʼs website.

What exactly to translate into Polish

The Act on Foreigners is strict: documents drawn up in a foreign language that serve as evidence in the proceedings must be submitted together with a Polish translation made by a sworn translator. In practice this means:

Document	Polish translation needed?
Birth certificate (Ukraine)	Yes — sworn translation
Marriage certificate (Ukraine)	Yes — sworn translation
Criminal record certificate (Ukraine)	Yes, if requested — sworn translation
Diploma, employment record book, work references	Yes, if submitted as evidence
Bank statements in Ukrainian	Yes, if they prove your income
Travel passport	Usually not — the data is duplicated in Latin script
Polish documents (umowa, załącznik, meldunek)	No

One important detail: the document is translated in full, including seals, stamps, and the reverse side. If the document already bears an apostille (for example, one obtained for another country), the apostille stamp must be translated as well.

Sworn translation vs Ukrainian notarized translation: when each is accepted

This is the question our clients ask most often, and the answer depends on who will receive the document.

A sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły) is a translator who has passed a state examination and is entered on the list of the Polish Ministry of Justice. Their translation has the force of an official document: this is exactly what voivodeship offices require in karta pobytu proceedings, and what the civil registry (USC) requires when transcribing Ukrainian certificates, along with courts and most state authorities. The alternative provided by law is certification of the translation by a Polish consul.

A Ukrainian notarized translation is a translation done by a degreed translator in Ukraine, with a notary certifying the authenticity of the translatorʼs signature. It is faster and cheaper, but Polish authorities generally do not accept it in official proceedings. At the same time, it is often sufficient for “non-procedural” purposes: university admission, HR paperwork for an employer, banks, renting a flat.

Criterion	Sworn translation (Poland)	Notarized translation (Ukraine)
Who performs it	A translator on the Polish Ministry of Justice list	A degreed translator; a notary certifies the signature
Voivodeship office, USC, courts	Accepted	Usually not accepted
Universities, employers, banks	Accepted	Often accepted — confirm first
Turnaround	From a few days	Often same-day
Ordering from Ukraine	Remotely from scans, including through MovaPro	At any translation agency

Practical advice: if the document goes to the urząd, order a sworn translation straight away. Replacing a notarized translation with a sworn one after a request to cure deficiencies (wezwanie do uzupełnienia braków) means lost weeks — and sometimes a refusal risk over a missed deadline.

Do Ukrainian documents need an apostille

Mostly no — and that is good news. Ukraine and Poland have a treaty on legal assistance and legal relations in civil and criminal matters dated 24 May 1993 — the full text is available on the Verkhovna Rada portal. Under it, official documents drawn up or certified by a competent authority of one country, bearing an official seal and an authorized signature, are accepted in the other country without legalization — which also means without an apostille. This covers civil-registry certificates, court decisions, notarial documents, and criminal record certificates.

Nuances worth keeping in mind:

• individual institutions (most often banks or private companies) may ask for an apostille under their internal rules — that is their prerogative, and it is easier to get the stamp than to argue;
• if a document was issued by a third country (neither Ukraine nor Poland), the general rules apply: an apostille or consular legalization depending on the country;
• the apostille exemption does not cancel the sworn translation requirement — these are two different things.

Common mistakes

1. A notarized translation instead of a sworn one. The most frequent reason for a wezwanie: the office does not accept a Ukrainian notarized translation and gives you 7–14 days to replace it.
2. Translating in fragments. The entire document must be translated, including seals and stamps. A sworn translator will not certify a translation with omissions, and the office will not accept one.
3. Outdated document versions. If a surname has changed or new annotations have been added, the translation must be made from the current version. A criminal record certificate in particular has a limited “shelf life” in the eyes of institutions — obtain it close to your submission date.
4. An unnecessary apostille. Ukrainian documents mostly do not need an apostille for Poland — do not pay for a procedure nobody is asking you for.
5. Waiting for a request instead of filing a complete package. Submitting an incomplete set with the idea of “translating the rest later” drags the case out for months: processing already often takes more than half a year.
6. Ignoring your voivodeshipʼs requirements. The document checklists in Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw differ in the details. Before filing, check the list of your specific office.

How MovaPro can help

For over 12 years, MovaPro translation agency has been preparing immigration document packages, including complete sets for karta pobytu applications. We provide sworn Polish translations through translators on the Polish Ministry of Justice list, or notarized translations — depending on what your institution requires; we advise on what to translate and what not to spend money on, and if needed we obtain apostilles for documents going to third countries. Send scans of your documents by email or messenger — we will quote the cost within 15 minutes. Our office is in central Kyiv: 9 Yaroslaviv Val St., Zoloti Vorota metro, phone +38 098 607-79-67. We deliver finished documents across Ukraine by Nova Poshta or email scans to any country. More resources — in our Poland document guides.