Over the last few years, the population in Poland has increased significantly. Due to this, Poland has even entered the top countries in terms of the growth of residents in the country. This was not because of the high birth rate in the country, but because of the mass migration of foreigners. Over the past two years, more than 4 million people from neighboring countries have entered Poland.
Sometimes the life of foreigners in Poland is not going as smoothly as they would like and difficult situations may occur. Among such situations is the loss of a passport, identity documents or documents allowing legal residence in Poland. What to do? There are several documents that prove the identity of a foreigner, even if you do not have a passport. In this article, we will compare two similar documents - the travel document (Polski Dokument Podróży Dla Cudzoziemca) and the gray passport (Tymczasowe Zaświadczenie Tożsamości Cudzoziemca).
What should you know about obtaining a travel document in Poland?
Let's start our comparison with the first document, which is called Polski Dokument Podróży Dla Cudzoziemca. If we translate it literally, it turns out that it is a Polish travel document for a foreigner. It is not difficult to guess that it is intended for foreigners and people who do not have citizenship. Generally, foreigners apply to the state authorities to issue a Polish travel document due to loss, damage or inability to issue a new one.
However, a Polish travel document cannot be issued to every foreigner. There are certain criteria which include:
The foreigner has a residence permit in Poland.
The foreigner has a residence permit in Europe.
The foreigner has a humanitarian visa.
Such a document has a validity period of one year with the possibility of extension or registration of another type of residence permit document.
Real-life examples with a travel document
The best way to understand any topic, especially one related to documents, is to look at a real-life case study. We propose to consider an example of a foreigner using a travel document in Poland.
A citizen from Belarus came to Poland several years ago to work and live here. Relations between Belarus and Poland have never been ideal, and recently their political relations have become unfriendly to each other. This citizen's passport has expired. Of course, he needs to go to the consulate to get a new one. However, he is afraid of this procedure because of possible deportation to his home country. In this case, he can obtain a travel document so that he can continue to reside legally in Poland or travel abroad.
What should you know about obtaining a gray passport in Poland?
The next document we will look at is literally translated as «temporary foreigner's identity card». As with the Polish travel document, the gray passport is issued to foreigners without identity documents.
In fact, this document is part of the temporary protection in Poland for foreigners. It allows you to live in the country for up to three years, work officially, receive financial benefits and much more. We told you more about what privileges this document gives and how you can get it in Poland in our article.
Real-life examples with gray passport
Let's understand in detail why a gray passport is necessary in Poland and how this document works in real life. For this purpose, let's model a situation that is quite relevant today.
A foreigner with a Ukrainian passport moved to live in Poland after February 24, 2022, fleeing from military action. During this time he managed to settle down in Poland, found an official job and drew up documents for legal residence. However, in April 2024, a new law came out in Ukraine, which affected military conscripts abroad. According to it, such persons will not be able to use consular services. The foreigner's passport expires very soon, and he has no opportunity to get a new one. What to do? It is possible and necessary to get a gray passport, which provides international protection.
