VisaLost residence cards in Poland require a report and a separate replacement application
Current-rule guide to reporting a missing card, preparing replacement documents and resolving conflicting official photograph and fee instructions.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Replace the document without confusing it with a new stay application
A lost Polish residence card creates a document-replacement task even where the underlying residence permission remains valid. This current-rule guide concerns cards issued under the ordinary foreign-national residence framework. The national MOS guidance separately identifies temporary residence, permanent residence, EU long-term residence and humanitarian stay. Cards for EU citizens' family members and international-protection cases have their own instructions.
MOS distinguishes replacing a missing or damaged document from obtaining another temporary residence permission when the authorised stay ends. Replacing the plastic card does not extend the permission behind it. Identify the card category and the expiry of the underlying stay before choosing a form. For residence-permit cards, replacement generally goes to the provincial governor responsible for the holder's place of residence; humanitarian documents involve the competent Border Guard authority.
Report the loss within three days and apply within fourteen
Lower Silesia's replacement guide separates two deadlines: notify the issuing authority within three days of loss or damage, then apply for replacement within fourteen days of the event requiring replacement. Reporting alone does not complete the replacement procedure.
Use the notification form and retain evidence of both actions. The guide also asks for a police loss certificate. Check the receiving province's instructions rather than assume Lower Silesia's filing arrangements apply nationally.
Prepare the file and attend any required fingerprint appointment
The Lodz provincial checklist calls for a completed application, two colour photographs, a valid travel document, payment evidence, address-registration evidence where applicable and documents supporting the circumstances stated in the application. Its loss checklist includes a police certificate and loss-notification form. Originals must be available when copies are supplied, and foreign-language documents require Polish sworn translation.
Lodz also explains that fingerprints are collected for the card. Filing through the post or a representative may therefore still require a later personal attendance; failing to provide fingerprints can prevent the procedure from being opened, subject to the stated physical-impossibility exception. Collection is personal. These are the province's published instructions, not a promise that an appointment is currently available or that a representative can complete every stage.
Compare the official charges before making a transfer
The Office for Foreigners' fee announcement states that the basic card issue or replacement charge became PLN 100 on 29 July 2022. Replacement following loss or destruction attributable to the holder is PLN 200, rising to PLN 300 for another attributable loss or destruction. The reason for replacement and the authority's assessment of responsibility therefore matter when identifying the fee.
The Lodz page still displays the earlier PLN 50 basic rate and PLN 100/150 attributable-loss rates. Do not treat that older provincial table as an equally current alternative to the later national change. Ask the receiving office to identify the applicable category and current payment account before transferring funds. The national announcement says payment goes to the issuing authority's cash desk or account; it does not establish one universal account for every province.
Resolve the photograph discrepancy before the appointment
The Lower Silesian English guide says photographs should have been made within six days before application. Lodz's Polish instructions instead say six months. Both specify two photographs measuring 35 by 45 millimetres. Ask the receiving office which age it accepts before attending.
Public evidence does not establish whether the English wording is a translation error. The PDF's printed generation date proves no new statutory rule. This question should not delay reporting the loss.
Keep the acknowledgement and report any recovered card
Poznan's official card guidance explains that the loss acknowledgement is free and lasts until replacement, for no more than two months. That is the acknowledgement's validity period, not a guaranteed deadline for receiving the replacement. It should not be presented as a fresh grant of residence or as proof that a missing physical card can still be used.
If the card is recovered, Poznan instructs the holder to notify the issuing governor within three days. If a replacement has already been received, return the recovered card promptly. This final step matters because recovering the old plastic does not undo the administrative replacement process. Keep the issuing authority informed instead of retaining two cards for alternate use.
