In short
- The 2026 threshold is 150% of Poland's 2025 average wage: 13,355.34 zł gross a month.
- Since 1 June 2025, a contract of at least six months is enough, and a civil-law contract can count.
- Listed IT specialists can qualify with three years' experience in the last seven, without a degree.
The EU Blue Card (Niebieska Karta UE) is a residence permit for highly qualified work. In Poland its formal name is the temporary residence permit for work in a profession requiring high qualifications. It became easier to get in June 2025, and its salary threshold rose in 2026.
The salary threshold in 2026
The salary in your contract must be at least 150% of the average wage in Poland's national economy in the previous year. Statistics Poland (GUS) put the 2025 average at 8,903.56 zł, so for applications filed in 2026 the threshold is:
13,355.34 zł gross a month.
Applications filed in 2025 keep the threshold in force on the day they were filed. Check the amount again before you sign: it changes every year.
Who qualifies
- A job offer or contract for at least six months, at or above the threshold. Since June 2025 this can be an employment contract or a civil-law contract.
- Higher professional qualifications: usually a higher-education degree. For a regulated profession, you also need the qualifications Polish law requires for it.
- Or, for listed IT roles, experience instead of a degree: at least three years of relevant experience gained in the last seven years. The Interior Ministry published the list of IT occupations in June 2025; it covers ICT managers and specialists.
- Health insurance, or an insurer's confirmation that your treatment costs are covered.
- A job that isn't on the local list of occupations closed to foreigners in your district.
Is this your situation? Two minutes will tell.
What changed in June 2025
The reform that came into force on 1 June 2025 brought Polish law in line with the revised EU Blue Card directive:
- Six months instead of twelve: the minimum contract length was halved.
- Experience for IT roles: three years in the last seven can replace a degree.
- Easier job changes: you can move to another employer without a new permit, as long as the salary isn't lower than in your decision. You report the change to the voivode within 15 working days; missing that can cost you the permit.
- Time to find new work: if you lose your job, you have up to three months in your first two years on the Blue Card, and up to six months after that.
Documents to prepare
- Your passport, every page scanned.
- The contract or binding job offer, showing the gross salary and a term of at least six months.
- Your diploma, with an apostille or legalisation where required and a sworn translation into Polish.
- For the IT route instead of a degree: proof of three years of relevant work in the last seven, such as references from employers describing your role and dates.
- Proof of health insurance.
- The employer's attachment, signed electronically by the employer.
Sworn translations take time, so order them as soon as the offer is signed.
How long the permit lasts
If your contract is shorter than three years, the permit is granted for the length of the contract plus three months. A contract of three years or more gives a three-year permit.
How to apply
You file in MOS, like other temporary residence permits, before your current visa or permit expires. Your employer fills in and signs its attachment electronically. The stamp duty is 440 zł, plus 100 zł for the residence card. Read how to apply in MOS, step by step.
Blue Card or ordinary residence and work permit
If your salary is below the threshold, or the job doesn't require high qualifications, the usual route is a temporary residence and work permit. Read what changed for work permits. If you are close to the threshold, it's worth checking both before you file: the Blue Card gives more freedom to change jobs.
We check which permit fits, review the contract against the threshold and prepare the application with your employer: see work permits.
Questions
The one in force on the day you filed. The 2026 amount applies to applications filed in 2026.
Yes, as long as the new salary isn't lower than the amount in your permit decision. You must tell the voivode within 15 working days.
You have a period to find new work: up to three months during your first two years on the Blue Card, and up to six months after that. Report the change to the voivode.
Sources
Written by Legacy Advisory team
General information, not advice on your case. Rules change; check the date above.