In short
- An appeal goes to the Head of the Office for Foreigners.
- You have 14 days from the day the decision reaches you.
- If the appeal fails, the administrative courts come next.
A refusal is not the end of the road. You can appeal, but the deadline is short.
The deadline
An appeal against a voivode's residence decision goes to the Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef Urzędu do Spraw Cudzoziemców). You have 14 days from the day the decision reaches you. A late appeal is usually rejected, so act as soon as the letter arrives.
Is this your situation? Two minutes will tell.
What a strong appeal does
It answers the decision point by point: what the office found missing or wrong, and why that finding doesn't hold. Often it adds documents or evidence the office didn't have.
If the appeal fails
The next step is a complaint (skarga) to the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw and, in some cases, a cassation appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA). We handle these stages with our partner attorneys.
Not the same as a formal notice
If the office asks you to complete missing documents, you usually have at least 7 days to respond. Missing that deadline means the application is left without examination, which can be worse than a refusal. Treat those letters with the same urgency.
Related serviceAppeal →Written by Legacy Advisory team
General information, not advice on your case. Rules change; check the date above.