Change of Address, Voivodeship, or Family Situation During the Procedure – What Must Be Reported?

Some changes during a residence case are not “optional information for the office.” They must be reported, and some of them directly change which office has jurisdiction, or the basis on which the voivode assesses the application.

Who is this article for?

This material is intended for:

• people who have moved after submitting a residence application;
• people who have changed their correspondence address;
• people who have relocated to a different voivodeship;
• people whose stay is based on marriage or another family relationship, where that situation has changed;
• parents who have had a child during the proceedings;
• people who have changed their purpose of stay, surname, passport, or other data relevant to the case;
• people using MOS who want to know which changes must be reported outside the portal.

1. Change of address for service – it must always be reported

During the proceedings, the foreign national, their representative, and their attorney are obliged to notify the office of any change to their address for service. This is not a recommendation – it is a procedural obligation.

That’s why a change of address should be reported immediately, not only once the office asks about your current place of stay.

2. How do I report a new address after submitting an application through MOS?

Once you’ve submitted your application, you can no longer edit the original MOS form. You report your new correspondence address to the voivode outside the MOS portal:

• in paper form, or
• electronically, to the e-Doręczenia address of the competent voivode.

MOS also provides an active “Change of Address Notification” form.

3. Moving to a different voivodeship – the competent voivode changes

The authority competent to handle a residence case is the voivode with territorial jurisdiction over the foreign national’s place of stay. If you permanently move your place of stay to a different voivodeship, the authority’s territorial jurisdiction changes.

Example: the application was submitted in the Silesian Voivodeship, but the foreign national moved to Kraków. The Małopolska Voivode becomes competent, and the case should be transferred in line with territorial jurisdiction.

4. Does moving to a different voivodeship delay the case?

Yes, it can extend the proceedings for organisational reasons, because the file has to be transferred and registered at the new office. This doesn’t change the fact, however, that the case should be handled by the authority competent for your current place of stay.

The sooner you report the change, the lower the risk that correspondence and procedural steps will be handled by the wrong office or sent to your old address.

5. Your residential address and your address for service are two different things

You can live at one address and receive correspondence at another. Your letter needs to state this clearly.

• your residential / actual place-of-stay address – it affects, among other things, which voivode has jurisdiction;
• your address for service – it indicates where the office should send letters for them to be effectively delivered.

If you have an attorney, correspondence may be delivered to them, but this doesn’t exempt you from updating information about your actual place of stay, if it matters for the authority’s jurisdiction.

6. Change of purpose of stay – you must inform the voivode

Once an application has been submitted through MOS, a change in the purpose of stay is not reported by editing the form. The Office for Foreigners states directly that a change in the purpose of stay must be reported to the voivode outside MOS – in paper form or through e-Doręczenia.

You cannot leave an application based on a factual situation that no longer exists.

7. Change of family situation – when does it directly affect the application?

If a family relationship is the basis of the application, a change to it directly affects the case. The office must decide on the basis of the current facts, so this kind of change must not be left unreported.

8. Divorce or the end of a marriage

If the application was submitted on the basis of marriage, a divorce or the end of the relationship matters for your basis of stay. You need to inform the office and provide up-to-date documents.

This doesn’t automatically mean that the foreign national loses the possibility of legalising their stay that same day. It does mean, however, that the proceedings cannot continue as if the marriage were still ongoing.

In that case, you need to establish whether another basis of stay exists, for example employment, running a business, children, another family relationship, or specific provisions of law.

9. Getting married during the proceedings

If a marriage is entered into after the application has been submitted and it is meant to affect further legalisation, you need to inform the voivode and provide documents confirming the new situation.

Getting married by itself does not automatically change the purpose of an application you have already submitted. If you want to base your stay on a new ground, you need to establish the correct procedure and inform the office of the change in the purpose of your stay.

10. Birth of a child

The birth of a child is a significant change in family status. If it matters for a parent’s basis of stay, up-to-date information and documents need to be provided.

At the same time, the child’s status is assessed separately. The birth of a child does not automatically mean it is covered by the parent’s proceedings. If the child needs its own residence title, the appropriate procedure has to be carried out for the child.

11. Death of a family member or the end of shared life

If a stay is based on a specific family relationship, the death of the person whose status the case relies on, or the actual end of a shared life together, can change the grounds for stay. The office needs to be informed of this, and the further basis of stay must be reassessed.

12. Change of surname – the case data must be up to date

A change of surname after marriage, divorce, or for another reason requires updating your data in the proceedings. The office should hold data consistent with your current identity document and civil status documents.

Failing to update it can lead to discrepancies between the decision, the residence card, and correspondence.

13. A new passport – report the new document

If you receive a new passport during the proceedings, provide the office with information about the new document. In practice, you need to give its number, date of issue and expiry, and provide a copy of the required pages; the office may also request that you present the original.

Do not continue to rely solely on the data of your old, invalid passport in the further procedure.

14. Change of employer or working conditions

If you change employer or your working conditions after submitting your application, you also need to inform the voivode outside MOS. The official MOS FAQ itself lists a change of employer, working conditions, and correspondence address as information to be reported to the voivode outside the portal.

What further documents are needed, and whether the same procedure can continue, depends on the type of case involved. The obligation to provide up-to-date information itself, however, is not optional.

15. Leaving the country during the proceedings

If you leave Poland during the proceedings, make sure delivery of correspondence is properly arranged. If correspondence isn’t handled through an electronic address for service, the regulations may require you to appoint an agent for service in Poland.

Leaving does not stop procedural deadlines. The office can send a summons or a decision even while you are abroad.

16. How to report a change correctly?

1. Determine whether the change concerns your address, place of stay, the competent voivode, your purpose of stay, personal data, or your family or professional basis of stay.
2. Prepare a short letter with your case reference number and a precise description of the change.
3. Attach documents confirming the change, if needed.
4. Send the letter to the voivode in paper form or through e-Doręczenia, if the change in question isn’t handled through MOS.
5. Keep proof of sending, or the official confirmation of delivery.
6. Check whether the change also requires a new application or a change to your basis of stay.

17. A sample short letter about a change of address

18. The most common mistakes

19. Checklist – what to check after every significant change?

• ✅ Does the office know my current address for service?
• ✅ Does the office know my current place of stay?
• ✅ Has my voivodeship and the competent voivode changed?
• ✅ Has my purpose of stay changed?
• ✅ Has my employer or working conditions changed?
• ✅ Has the family relationship my application is based on changed?
• ✅ Has a child been born who needs their own legalisation?
• ✅ Has my surname changed?
• ✅ Have I received a new passport?
• ✅ Have I sent documents confirming the change?
• ✅ Do I have proof of sending my notification?
• ✅ Is the same residence procedure still applicable after the change?

20. What absolutely must be reported?

Summary

In a residence case, not all changes carry the same weight, but some of them require a clear response. Your address for service must be kept up to date. Moving to a different voivodeship changes the authority’s territorial jurisdiction. A change of purpose of stay, and a change of employer or working conditions after submitting your application, must be reported to the voivode outside MOS. If the fact underlying the application changes – for example marriage or another family relationship – the office must receive up-to-date information.

The safest rule is this: if information on which the voivode is to base the decision has changed, don’t wait to be summoned. Report the change, document it, and check whether the current procedure still matches your actual situation.

Has your address, voivodeship, or family situation changed?

Aktywator Biznesu will check what needs to be reported, which voivode the letter should be addressed to, and whether the change affects your basis of stay or requires a new application. Service in Polish, English, and Ukrainian. Remote working hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Phone +48 500 851 891, biuro@aktywatorbiznesu.com.

Previous article in the series: Can You Leave Poland While Waiting for a Residence Card?

Next article in the series: Legal Stay Does Not Always Mean Legal Work – How Do These Two Conditions Differ?

Official sources:

• Office for Foreigners, “MOS – Questions and Answers” (current as of 11 September 2026).
• Case Handling Module (MOS), “Administrative Proceedings” – the obligation to notify a change of address.
• Case Handling Module (MOS), “Service of Documents” – the consequences of not updating your address.
• Mazovian Voivodeship Office, “Are you a foreign national? Have you changed your address? Be sure to report it.”
• Case Handling Module (MOS) – the “Change of Address Notification” form.

This article is for general information only. It does not replace an individual analysis of documents, the basis of stay, the authority’s jurisdiction, or a foreign national’s specific family situation. Legal status of this article: 11 September 2026.