Work permit processing times: official figures only
These are the times governments publish for their decisions, route by route. Real waiting times, including the wait for an appointment, are often longer and are not published. Where a government publishes no figure, the cell says so.
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Poland processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Work permit (type A) plus national D visa for work | Work permit: not confirmed under the 2025 Act (the pre-2025 rule was 1 month, 2 months in complex cases). National visa: decided within 15 days of application, up to 30 days in justified cases. |
| Temporary residence and work permit (single permit) | Statutory 60 days for a first-instance decision (Act on Foreigners art. 112a), counted from the latest of in-person appearance, a complete application and submission of requested documents; appeal stage 90 days. Actual waiting times: not confirmed. |
| EU Blue Card (temporary residence for highly qualified work) | Not confirmed (the 60-day rule for temporary residence permits is the general statutory deadline). |
Latvia processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Temporary residence permit with the right to employment | Set by the fee paid: within 30 days, 10 working days or 5 working days (processing starts when PMLP in Riga receives the file). |
| Long-stay (D) visa with the right to employment (short-term work) | Not confirmed . |
| EU Blue Card (Latvia) | 10 or 5 working days depending on the fee (older PMLP fee table). |
Romania processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| D/AM1 long-stay work visa (highly qualified and special categories) | Not confirmed for the single application and the visa. Employer registration on the platform: up to 30 working days (OUG 32/2026 art. 5(6), as reproduced by Rubinian, secondary). |
| D/AM2 long-stay work visa (shortage occupations: permanent, seasonal, cross-border) | Not confirmed for the single application and visa. ANOFM decides an employer's authorisation within at most 15 working days of upload (OUG 32/2026, per WorkinRomania). |
| EU Blue Card (Romania) | Not confirmed . |
Croatia processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Stay and work permit (single permit) | Not confirmed: no processing time for the stay and work permit is stated on the MUP or HZZ pages. |
| EU Blue Card | Not confirmed . |
| Seasonal stay and work permit | Not confirmed for first permits; 3 days for seasonal renewals. |
Slovakia processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Temporary residence for employment (single permit) with Labour Office confirmation | 60 days from a complete application for a single permit; 30 days for shortage occupations (IOM, Aug 2026). |
| EU Blue Card | 30 days from a complete application. |
Czechia processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Employee Card through the Qualified Worker Programme | 60 days; 90 days in especially complicated cases or when the Labour Office gives a binding opinion. |
| Employee Card through the Highly Qualified Worker Programme | 60 days; 90 days in especially complicated cases. |
| EU Blue Card | 90 days for a new application; 30 days (60 if complex) for someone already holding an EU Blue Card; 60 days for an extension. |
Bulgaria processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Single Permit for Residence and Work | Not stated on the EU Immigration Portal. Secondary guides: statutory overall limit 2 months, extendable by 2 months; D visa decision up to 35 working days. Official confirmation: not confirmed. |
| EU Blue Card (Bulgaria) | Not stated on the EU Immigration Portal. Secondary: overall limit 3 months; D visa decision up to 15 calendar days (Innovires). |
| Seasonal work (up to 90 days, or 90 days to 9 months) | Not confirmed (registration for up to 90 days: 3 working days from July 2026 rules, secondary). |
Estonia processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Temporary residence permit for employment | Up to 90 days from acceptance, plus up to 30 days to issue the card (plus diplomatic post time if filed abroad). |
| Registered short-term employment with a long-stay (D) visa | Short-term employment registration: within 15 working days (PBGB). D visa: not stated on the Ministry page; Work in Estonia says 2 weeks to a month. |
| EU Blue Card (Estonia) | Not stated on the Blue Card page; PBGB general rule up to 90 days. |
Lithuania processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| EU Blue Card (Lithuania) | Within 2 months, or 1 month with an extra fee; if salary is at least 3x the average or the profession is on the shortage list, within 1 month, or half a month with an extra fee. |
| Temporary residence permit for work (quota route) | 45-90 days (Work in Lithuania). The EU Immigration Portal (April 2025) says up to 4 months, or 2 months with an extra fee. |
| National (D) visa for work (up to 1 year) | Issued within 15 days (EU Immigration Portal, April 2025). |
Hungary processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| EU Blue Card | 21 days administrative time; decision within 70 days of submission (30 days, extendable once, for someone already holding a Blue Card from another EU state). |
| Hungarian Card (for listed graduate professions) | 21 days administrative time; decision within 70 days. |
| Residence permit for work on a priority investment project | 21 days administrative time; decision within 70 days. |
| Guest-worker residence permit (currently no eligible countries) | 21 days administrative; decision within 60 days. |
| Employment-purpose residence permit (not open to Indians for non-graduate jobs) | 21 days administrative; decision within 70 days. |
Japan processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Specified Skilled Worker (i) (SSW (i)) | COE: '1 month to 3 months' (ISA standard processing period). Visa at the Embassy of Japan in India: at least 4 working days after submission; the Embassy says times 'can vary significantly'. |
| Specified Skilled Worker (ii) (SSW (ii)) | Not confirmed for change of status to SSW (ii). COE route: 1–3 months (ISA). |
| Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services | COE: 1–3 months (ISA). Visa: minimum 4 working days (Embassy of Japan in India). |
| Highly Skilled Professional (points-based) and J-Skip | COE: 1–3 months standard (ISA); HSP applications get 'priority entry and residence processing' (JETRO); exact time not confirmed. |
| Employment for Skill Development (ESD), from 1 April 2027 (replaces Technical Intern Training) | Not confirmed (system starts 1 Apr 2027). |
Russia processing time
| Route | Official decision time |
|---|---|
| Work permit and work visa for visa-required nationals (within the annual quota) | РПИРС: 30 days (extendable by up to 30) (ppt.ru). Invitation, work permit and visa: not confirmed. |
| Highly Qualified Specialist (HQS) work permit | Not confirmed . |