You have 14 days. Act now.
A negative decision on your Temporary Residence Card or another residence permit can be appealed within 14 days of the date you receive it (not the date printed on the decision). This is the single most important deadline in Polish immigration law — miss it and the refusal becomes final.
Bring us the decision the day you receive it. Even a partial file gives us enough to start drafting the appeal and buy the office time to reconsider.
Common grounds for appeal
- The office misapplied the law to your facts (wrong legal basis assumed).
- Documents were treated as missing when they were on file.
- Discretion was exercised unreasonably (e.g. ignoring family ties in Poland).
- The interview or your explanations were misinterpreted.
- New evidence became available after the original decision.
- Procedural violations — deadlines, notifications, translations.
How the appeal (odwołanie) works
- Emergency review. Within 48 hours we read the decision and your file and give a straight answer: appeal, reapply, or both.
- Drafting. We prepare the appeal in Polish, addressed to the Head of the Office for Foreigners (Szef Urzędu do Spraw Cudzoziemców), citing the specific legal grounds and attaching new evidence.
- Filing. The appeal is filed through the same Voivodeship Office within the 14-day window.
- Decision. The higher authority can uphold, modify or return the case for re-examination. Your right of stay is preserved during the appeal.
Related remedies for stuck cases
Ponaglenie — formal urging
A ponaglenie is a formal complaint to the higher authority about the office's inaction. It forces a written response and often unfreezes a stalled file within weeks. It's usually the first tool when your case has been "under review" for many months without contact.
Skarga na bezczynność — court complaint for inaction
If the ponaglenie is ignored, we can file a skarga na bezczynność to the Voivodeship Administrative Court. The court can order the office to decide within a set deadline and, in serious cases, fine it and award you compensation.
Why use a lawyer for the appeal?
Appeals are decided on legal argument, not sympathy. A well-drafted appeal cites the specific provision of the Foreigners Act, the case law of the administrative courts, and the exact document in your file that supports each point. That is what turns a refusal into an approval.
If your TRC application has just been refused, or if it has been silent for months, please contact us today. See also our related article on what to do if your TRC is rejected.