Large Family Card (KDR) in Poland: can foreigners get it?
Short answer: The Large Family Card is for families with 3+ children, regardless of income. Foreigners qualify with certain residence permits; apply online via Empatia or at your gmina.
The Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny, KDR) is a national card for families with at least three children. It gives discounts on rail tickets and passport fees, free entry to national parks and offers from thousands of partner businesses. The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy runs the programme, and the rules below come from its gov.pl pages. Foreigners can qualify, but only with certain residence documents, so check your own status first. This guide is general information and not legal advice.
Who can get the card
The right to the card belongs to parents and to the spouses of parents who have, or have had, at least three children in their care. A "parent" also includes a foster parent and a person running a family children's home. Children can hold the card too:
- until they turn 18,
- until they turn 25 if they are studying at a school or a university,
- with no age limit if they have a moderate or severe disability certificate.
There is one condition. At the moment you apply, the family must include at least three children who meet these conditions. Family income does not matter, because the ministry states that income is not a criterion for the card.
Children of a spouse count. It makes no difference whether the three children come from the marriage or from other relationships. A couple with one shared child and one child each from earlier relationships qualifies. So does a couple with no shared children where one spouse has three children. A working student who still depends on his or her parents also keeps the right to the card, whatever type of study it is, from bachelor's to doctoral and from full-time to evening or part-time.
A court decision can take the right away. A parent whose parental authority was removed or limited by placing a child in foster care does not qualify, with some exceptions set out in the law.
Can foreigners get the card?
Yes, if you live in Poland and meet one of the residence conditions that the ministry lists. A member of a large family can have the card if he or she is:
- a Polish citizen living in Poland,
- a foreigner living in Poland on a permanent residence permit, an EU long-term resident permit, or a temporary residence permit granted on one of the grounds named in the Act on Foreigners (the ministry's page refers to article 186, paragraph 1, point 3), or in connection with refugee status or subsidiary protection, if the person lives in Poland with family members,
- a citizen of another EU state, an EFTA state that is party to the EEA agreement, or Switzerland who lives in Poland, and the members of that person's family as defined in the Polish act on entry and residence of EU citizens.
This means that a typical temporary permit for work does not automatically appear on the list. If you are not sure that your permit type qualifies, ask your municipal office (gmina) before you spend time on the paperwork. The ministry's helpline for citizens is +48 22 250 01 08, open on working days between 8:15 and 16:15.
How long the card is valid
The card is issued for different periods depending on who holds it:
- Parents can use it for life.
- A child gets it until the age of 18. A child between 18 and 25 who studies gets it until 30 September after the end of the school or academic year in which he or she plans to finish, based on a statement the family gives about the planned end of studies.
- A child with a moderate or severe disability certificate gets it for as long as the certificate is valid.
- A child in foster care gets it for the time of the placement.
For foreigners the ministry's department recommends the following. A person with a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident permit, both granted for an unlimited time, is treated like a parent, a spouse of a parent or a child. A person on a temporary permit is treated as a foreigner, and gets the card for the period set in the law but no longer than the document that proves the right to live in Poland. In practice, that means you will have to renew the card when your permit is renewed.
What the card gives you
According to the ministry, the national benefits include:
- 37% off single rail tickets and 49% off monthly rail tickets for parents and their spouses,
- 50% off the passport fee for parents and their spouses, and 75% off for children,
- free entry to national parks.
The ministry says that the card is honoured by about 5,000 partners at about 22,000 points. These are shops, restaurants, cultural venues, sports and leisure places and services. Each partner sets its own offer, so look at the partner search on the official site before you plan a purchase around a discount. Local governments can also run their own programmes for large families, and a municipality can use the national card as the document that proves the right to its own programme. That is why the offer in Warsaw may differ from the one in a small town.
How to apply
The card is issued on request. One adult member of the family can submit one application for the whole family. In the form, the applicant enters the data of the parents, the spouse of a parent if there is one, and the children. Any adult member of the family can apply. When the parents' children are already adults, the children can apply for the parents.
You can apply in two ways:
- online through the Empatia portal (empatia.mpips.gov.pl),
- at the municipal office (gmina) where you live.
The card can be a plastic card, an electronic card in the mKDR app, or both. The ministry advises applying for both forms. People from the same family who live in different municipalities each apply in the gmina where they live, and give the data of the other family members.
Documents you may need
The ministry's page lists the documents that go with an application in some cases:
- For a parent, a certificate that he or she has or had at least three children in his or her care and was not deprived of parental authority, as described above.
- For a child over 18 who studies, a statement about the planned end date of studies.
- For a child placed in foster care or a family children's home, the placement document.
The gmina verifies or obtains many of the required data from its own systems, so you may not have to bring papers that prove those data. The forms and templates are on the ministry's website. If the rules for your situation are unclear, call the gmina before you submit the application, because they decide on your case. Allow time for the whole procedure, and check that your residence document will still be valid when the card is issued.
Practical tips for expats
- Make a list of all your children and their dates of birth, school or university, and certificate numbers if any, before you start the form.
- Check the end date of your residence permit. A card for a foreigner on a temporary permit cannot be valid longer than the permit.
- Use the card for the rail discount only after you read the current rules of the rail operator and the ministry, because the discount applies to tickets for parents and spouses on the terms of the programme.
- Save the card in the mKDR app, so that you have it on your phone when a partner asks for it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a certain income to get the Large Family Card?
No. The ministry says that family income is not a criterion for the card.
Do I need three children living with me?
You need to have, or to have had, at least three children in your care, and at the time of the application the family must include three children who meet the age and study conditions. Children of a spouse from another relationship count.
Can I get the card on a temporary residence permit?
Only if the permit was granted on one of the grounds named in the act, or in connection with refugee status or subsidiary protection. Check with your gmina. If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in Poland, you and your family members can qualify.
How long is the card valid for parents?
For life. Children's cards are valid until 18, or until 25 for students, and a card for a foreigner on a temporary permit lasts no longer than the permit.
Where do I apply?
Online on the Empatia portal or at the gmina where you live.
