Where and How Are the Residence Permit Card Fee and Duty Paid?

Published: 16 September 2026 · Reading time approximately 7 minutes

There is no single payment in a residence permit application. Two separate and independent items of charge arise, and the application is not concluded until both are paid in full. The problem our clients run into most often is taking these two items for one payment and paying only one of them.

The card fee and the duty are not the same thing

The residence permit document fee — commonly known as the card fee — is the cost of the physical residence card that will be issued to you. It does not depend on the duration; it is the same item for a one-year permit as for a three-year permit.

The duty on the other hand is calculated according to the duration and the type of the permit. The duty paid for six months is not the same as the duty paid for two years. For some types of residence permit and for citizens of some countries an exemption from the duty may apply on the basis of reciprocity; this exemption is visible through the system during the application.

Where is the fine paid?

The payment of the residence permit document fee is made through the channel to which the Presidency of Migration Management directs you during the application. In practice there are three routes: the tax office cash desk, the branch or online branch of the contracted banks, and, for some types of application, the payment step within the application system itself.

Which channel is open varies according to the type of application and the practice in the province. For this reason, rather than making the payment through a random channel before the application appointment, you should wait for the direction the system gives.

The foreign identity number is essential for the payment

The payment is made against the applicant's foreign identity number or application number. If the number is entered incorrectly the money is collected but is not recorded against the file — because the payment does not appear in the system, the application remains incomplete. Correcting this error requires a correction request to the tax office and can take weeks.

Where will you hand in the receipt?

The receipt obtained after payment is added to the application file and presented at the appointment. You should keep the original of the receipt and also hold a digital copy on your telephone; until the permit card is in your hands it is the only document proving the payment.

The penalty for a visa breach is separate from these payments

If a visa or residence period has been breached in the past, the administrative fine assessed for the breach is an item entirely separate from the card fee and the duty and is paid through a separate channel. The fact that the fine has been paid does not mean the breach has been removed from the record; if a restriction code has been entered, that is a separate process.

Why do we not state the amounts here?

The card fee and duty tariffs are updated every year, and the duty also varies according to the type and duration of the permit. Clients who paid according to last year's figure found on the internet were turned away from the appointment for underpayment. Giving a figure on a page serves no purpose other than producing that mistake.

What do we do at this step?

At the preliminary meeting we work out the current total together for your type of permit and the duration to be requested; we check the possibility of an exemption and give you in writing the channel through which to pay and how to enter the number. We also check the place of the receipt in the appointment file.