About uninterrupted stay

Your stay on Polish territory is considered uninterrupted if none of the breaks in the stay:

• Were longer than 6 months and all the breaks in total do not exceed 10 months in a 5-year period - in the case of an alien's stay in Poland
• Were longer than 12 months and the breaks in total did not exceed 18 months in the period referred to in Article 212 Section 1.1 of the Act on Aliens - in the case of residence in the territory of another Member State of the European Union of a foreigner holding a temporary residence permit for highly qualified employees,

Unless the break was caused by:

• Performance of professional duties or performance of work outside Poland, under an agreement with the employer, whose office is located in Poland;
• Accompanying an alien performing professional duties or performing work outside Poland under a contract with an employer whose office is located in Poland, by his spouse or minor child
• A special personal situation requiring the presence of an alien outside the territory of Poland and which lasted no longer than 6 months
• Leaving Polish territory in order to pursue practices or participate in studies provided for in the course of study at Polish universities

About lawful residence

Your stay is not counted towards the five-year period of residence:

• If you are an employee seconded by a service provider for the cross-border provision of services or by a service provider who provides cross-border services
• If you are on Polish territory on the basis of a Schengen visa authorising only the entry on Polish territory and stay on this territory issued for humanitarian reasons, national interest or international obligations
• During the period of study in Poland
• When you have been obligated to return and the period for voluntary return specified in the decision on this matter has not yet expired, also in the case of an extension of that period
• When you are obligated to leave the territory of Poland within 30 days from the date on which the decision to refuse the extension of the Schengen visa, national visa, temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit or long-term EU residence permit, or the decision to withdraw the temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit or long-term EU residence permit, or to refuse refugee status or subsidiary protection, or the decision to cancel the procedure for granting refugee status, or the decision to strip of refugee status or subsidiary protection, or to withdraw consent for residence due to humanitarian reasons - has become final, and in the case of a decision by a higher body, from the date on which the final decision was delivered to the alien
• If you are a member of a diplomatic mission or consular post of a foreign country or another person aligned with them on the basis of the laws and international agreements or generally recognised international customs
• When you are staying in Poland on the basis of a temporary residence permit issued because of circumstances requiring a short-term stay
• During the procedure for granting refugee status, in the case when the procedure is concluded with a refusal to grant refugee status or subsidiary protection
• On the basis of authorisation to cross the border under the local border traffic.

Stays, which count towards your five-year period of residence, include:

• The total period of lawful residence in the territory of the European Union, if you stayed legally and continuously within its territory for at least five years on the basis of a residence permit issued by a European Union Member State, referred to in Article 1 Section 2a of the Regulation No 1030/2002, with the annotation "EU Blue Card", including on Polish territory - for at least two years immediately before the application for a long-term EU residence permit on the basis of a temporary residence permit for highly qualified employees
• The entire period of stay on Polish territory in the course of the procedure to grant refugee status, if it exceeded 18 months
• Half of the period of stay on the territory of Poland - when you are on the territory of Poland:

On the basis of a visa issued for undergraduate and graduate studies, or uniform Master's studies or postgraduate studies or vocational training

On the basis of a temporary residence permit issued for the purpose of undergraduate studies, graduate studies, uniform Master's studies, postgraduate studies or vocational training

During the procedure on granting refugee status.