"A different attitude." Four stories of relocating to Poland from other European countries with the EU Blue Card

Dzik compiled stories of those who decided to relocate using an EU Blue Card for highly qualified specialists.

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«They’re refusing to extend the residence permit of someone who worked as a designer at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the 2000s»

— We moved to Vilnius in the fall of 2020, and it was like a fairy tale. Setting aside the context, relocating to a beautiful and culturally close city is fantastic for any Belarusian! The cultural and mental proximity to Lithuanians, interest in the language while still being able to communicate in Russian or English, and seeing Belarusian flags everywhere—everything promised a good new life.

We got through the COVID lockdowns fine, but price increases became noticeable. Then the war started, and suddenly rumors spread that Belarusians were gathering in forests to «reclaim Vilnius» (this refers to «Lithuanism,» we recommend reading the Lithuanian version on Wikipedia—Dzik’s note). Then came layoffs, and in Lithuania, that’s not really «safe» considering the job market. Then the residence permit revocations began. Someone who worked as a designer at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the 2000s is being denied document extensions. Not a great situation, to put it mildly.

Our documents were extended without questions, but the overall situation isn’t particularly pleasant. And my passport is expiring soon, so I need to figure out what to do next.

As Lithuanians themselves say: Lithuania is like a small dog that barks loudly wherever something happens. But Lithuania is still awesome, and Lithuanians are awesome!

We regularly traveled to Poland for shopping and leisure. We were amazed at how people could live in a country with mountains, where the Alps or Croatia are just a day’s journey away.

The beautiful Polish language was another advantage—crossing the border from Lithuania, we could turn on the radio and finally fully understand what they were saying. Plus, the attitude toward Belarusians seems different. I didn’t notice the panic that «they’re going to deport us all,» which was both strange and pleasant. I was also impressed that more Poles I spoke with understood what was happening in Belarus.

[The large] job market.

And then Lithuania announced that cars with Belarusian license plates would no longer be allowed to enter (as of February 14, 2025, owners of passenger vehicles with Belarusian plates who have a valid Lithuanian visa or temporary/permanent residence permit in Lithuania can enter Lithuania for personal use—Dzik’s note). That was the last straw for us.

We relocated from Lithuania to Poland with a Blue Card in February this year. We considered Krakow and Warsaw and chose the Lesser Poland Voivodeship because we have friends there and for the mountains.

We moved to Poland with the same employer, which made the relocation process much less stressful.

The employer requested a work permit in Poland and scheduled our appointment at the immigration office. But we moved at our own risk much earlier.

Remember that with a Lithuanian residence permit, you can stay in other EU countries for no more than 90 days in a 180-day period. When the application deadline approached, we went to the immigration office to register and get a PESEL number.

But we didn’t get the meldunek (registration) because our rental contract had been signed more than 3 months earlier, and the office employee asked for an entry stamp as proof that we had legally entered Poland. Our last exit from the EU was in 2022. She didn’t care that we lived in Lithuania and had valid documents. Oh well.

We submitted our application [for a residence permit], but they didn’t stamp our passports because the employee didn’t know if our Blue Card was valid or what to do with it, and also asked for an entry stamp to Poland.

But at least we could start working!

A third-party company helped with the documentation, so our only «pain point» was waiting.

We wrote to Lithuanian immigration that we were moving and asked them to keep our documents valid for another 6 months. They didn’t respond to me, but a day later they wrote to my wife: «goodbye, just return your documents.» Not a big deal since after submitting documents to the Polish immigration office we were already legal, but it still hurt. As I recently discovered, they actually extended my document for 6 months (Lithuanian immigration notified me that my documents would soon expire).

We definitely don’t regret our decision. We miss Vilnius and our friends, but there are plenty of compensations here. And friends regularly visit us… just as we used to visit Poland from Lithuania. Lithuania’s electronic document management system deserves praise—I hope Poland can implement something similar someday.

In any case, we’re happy we moved. Another plus is that thanks to the Blue Card, we can apply for an EU resident card after 2 years. The time spent in Lithuania on an EU Blue Card also counts toward this.

👉 Reminder: The 5-year period of residence in Poland required for obtaining an EU resident card includes:

• The total period of legal (and continuous) residence in the EU for at least 5 years based on an «EU Blue Card,» including at least 2 years in Poland immediately before applying (based on a temporary residence permit for highly-qualified work or a temporary residence permit for long-term mobility for EU Blue Card holders). As relocation specialist Katerina Chekhovskaya previously stated, if you move from Lithuania to Poland before spending 18 months in Lithuania, that period won’t count toward your resident card in Poland.

«Over time, we started feeling like we were sitting on a ticking time bomb»

— In September 2024, my wife and I moved to Poland. Before that, we lived in Lithuania since May 2022 and were generally satisfied, but over time, we started feeling like we were sitting on a «ticking time bomb.»

For example, the Seimas discussed a law that could revoke residence permits for crossing the border more than once every three months (ultimately, the Seimas rejected the proposal to make restrictions for Belarusians the same as those for Russians—Dzik’s note). We wanted to be able to visit our parents, who weren’t getting any younger.

Poland turned out to be an excellent option for us. The country is almost in the center of Europe, making travel convenient: from Lithuania, we often had to connect through Poland anyway when flying.

We like that the country is decentralized: there are many large cities, each with its own character. There are plenty of attractions within the country, so you can travel without crossing borders.

Food was also an important factor. If we moved further west, we’d have to adapt to a completely different cuisine. Here, everything is familiar: if you want sauerkraut, dumplings, or kvass—no problem.

The Polish language is another advantage compared to Lithuanian. We tried learning Lithuanian, but it was very difficult, and we couldn’t find good textbooks. Plus, there wasn’t much motivation: almost everything could be handled in English or Russian. We like Polish, though. We’ve been learning it for just over six months, and we can already communicate somewhat at the immigration office and understand what is required from us.

We chose Krakow: the waiting times for residence cards are optimal here, and we liked the city during our visits before moving. In the end, the decision took 5 months, and the card itself took 6 months.

The move itself went smoothly—my employer and «helpers» handled all the paperwork. We just needed to collect documents and wait. They sent the work permit while we were still in Lithuania. I quit my job on Friday and started working in Poland on Monday.

Opening a bank account turned out to be the most difficult part. I went to all the banks—they refused me either because of my passport or because I didn’t have a residence permit. I needed to receive my salary in Poland, and Revolut wasn’t suitable. It was stressful, but eventually Credit Agricole opened an account for me—without unnecessary questions.

Lithuanian immigration closely tracks when someone loses their job. Even though our residence permit was valid for almost a year, six months after I quit, they sent us a cancellation notice. I had already written to them in advance that we were leaving Lithuania.

We don’t regret moving at all. We like everything here. We understand that we’re guests, and we try to treat people with respect. I hope we receive the same in return. We’ve already found many friends—both locals and other immigrants.

We’ll apply for residency if we can meet all the requirements. Ideally, I’d like to get a B1 Polish certificate next year.

«You don’t feel like an outsider among Poles if you make even a little effort»

— I had a Lithuanian Blue Card, moved to Poland with it, and opened a Blue Card here! The reason was simple—I didn’t like living in Lithuania, and I felt much better in Poland during visits.

Also, I wanted to change jobs and fulfill my teenage dream of making AAA games (though I admit, «The Witcher» is overrated in my view and salaries there are lower, so I chose Techland).

I found my new employer simply through LinkedIn when a position opened at one of the three Polish gaming companies I was interested in, where they worked in English.

In Lithuania, my former employer notified the immigration authorities (this needs to be done when you quit, after which you have 6 months to find a new job—Dzik’s note). In Poland, my new employer helped with the paperwork, and I only needed to provide translations, apostilles, and show up in person. Since they were hiring me with an umowa o pracę (employment contract), there were no problems because they provided all the necessary documents and contributions.

I moved at the end of 2022, when legalization was considerably easier than now (which is surprising). I’m comparing the process because I plan to get my next «Blue Card» soon. It’s nearly impossible to get an appointment now, even with professional assistance.

Moving to Poland is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Poland is a comfortable immigrant bubble, but one you’re not afraid to step out of and integrate into.

When you move here, you can be sure you won’t be alone. Personally, many of my friends moved here—either directly or after living in a couple of other countries. It’s not painful but enjoyable to engage with the culture, history, and mentality. You don’t feel like an outsider among Poles if you make even a little effort.

My wife (whom I met here!) and I decided to put down roots here, and we’ve even taken out a mortgage. Everything in this country is enjoyable—growing, discovering new things, building a career, building a family!

Yes, definitely, I’ll be counting my previous Blue Card stay. I spent 1 year and 8 months in Lithuania. This will significantly accelerate getting permanent residency, and it would be a shame not to use this advantage. I’ve always followed the «Blue Card» path precisely because of this possibility.

A bit of context—I was a young person who moved abroad in 2021 when I was 21. If someone asks why I needed a university degree, I answer—thanks to it, I could relocate and immediately get a «Blue Card» (it’s hard to accumulate 5 years of work experience at 21).

+1 story—about moving from Latvia

— I moved with a Blue Card from Latvia to Poland in 2019. Mainly because the job offer was in Poland.

We weren’t specifically looking for relocation opportunities at that time (perhaps we should have), but we took advantage of an opportunity that suited us on multiple parameters.

An important (but not the only) factor was the time to citizenship—considering the cumulative residence periods with a «Blue Card,» moving to Poland barely extended the process (compared to staying in Latvia), while other countries had worse conditions. Now, of course, the rules have changed in Germany (and they might change in Poland too, in either direction), but under the rules at that time, this was the case.

In Latvia, I needed one more year to obtain resident status, then five more years as a resident, plus the process of renouncing Russian citizenship. In Poland, my last two years in Latvia counted toward resident status (I lived in Latvia longer, but only had a Blue Card for the last two years). So I applied for resident status after three years and received it almost a year later.

Actually, in Mazowieckie Voivodeship in 2022-2023 it should have been faster, but Deloitte, to whom my employer outsources all migration processes, poorly prepared the documents for my Latvian period, and I had to go through an appeal.

In total, in Latvia I had six years left plus an indefinitely long exit process, while in Poland—seven years without an exit process (under current rules).

Regarding documents: in Latvia, I had to inform immigration about terminating my contract with the employer, and after three months my Latvian card was canceled.

Latvia, by the way, tried to cancel my card earlier, claiming that the three-month period only applied to those who registered at the labor exchange. I wrote them an angry letter, which they didn’t respond to, but they only sent the cancellation decision after three months had passed.

Theoretically, I could have submitted documents for a residence permit in Poland during this time and waited for a decision na stemplu (meaning «with a stamp»—temporary legal stay after application submission), but then I wouldn’t have been able to leave Poland (and we didn’t know an epidemic was coming). So they made me a regular D visa.

Generally, the process in Poland was no different from the standard one—work permit, D visa, relocation, application for a Blue Card in Poland—we just indicated in the residence permit application that I already had a «Blue Card» in Latvia.