A founder applied to renew a startup visa. Two authorities handled the file at once: UGE decides on the residence permit, and ENISA assesses the project afresh. It took 88 days from filing to approval, and more than two months of that went on ENISA's assessment. There was one document request — a certificate of no tax debts.
- 88 days
- from filing to decision
- filed 8 June, approved 4 September 2026
- 1 document request
- in the whole file
- a certificate of no tax debts, answered within nine days
- 2 authorities
- handling the file in parallel
- ENISA assesses the project, UGE decides on the residence permit
- 2 days
- between the two decisions
- ENISA report on 2 September, residence permit decision on 4 September
What they came with
A startup visa renewal is neither a formality nor automatic. The project is assessed afresh: is the business really operating, is the stated plan being carried out, is the model still innovative.
At the time of filing the project had its first clients and was starting to scale. There were no outside investors, and an application to register rights in the software was pending. A separate procedure was running in parallel — certification as an innovative company — and the certificate arrived three days after the renewal was filed.
How the timeline ran
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01
Checks before filing
The key question in a renewal is proving that the company is alive: there is activity, there are clients, and the plan is being carried out or has been changed for good reason. The package is built around that question rather than repeating the first application.
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02
Filing with both authorities, 8 June
The documents go both to UGE and to ENISA. One date, two independent procedures.
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03
Review starts and a document request, 29 June
Two things arrived on the same day: notice that the review had started, with UGE's request to ENISA, and a document request for a certificate of no tax debts.
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04
Answering the request, 8 July
The certificate was obtained and uploaded within nine days. A document request is a normal part of the procedure, not a sign of refusal, but the authority sets the deadline, and if it is missed the application may be treated as withdrawn.
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05
Waiting for the ENISA report
The longest stage: from late June to early September. Nothing at this stage depends on the applicant.
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06
Two decisions in a row, 2 and 4 September
First the ENISA report, then the UGE decision. The gap between them was two days.
What did not go to plan
What actually delayed or complicated the process, and what we did about it.
The time goes on assessing the project, not on UGE
Of the 88 days, more than two months went on the ENISA report. Plan a renewal around that timeframe, not around the timeframe of the immigration procedure.
The document request came at the very start
It arrived on the day the review started, together with the notice. Certificates you can obtain in advance are best in hand before filing.
A parallel certificate does not speed up the renewal
The innovative company certificate arrived three days after the renewal was filed, yet the renewal report still took two months. These are different procedures with different assessors within the same organisation.
What the costs were made of
| Item | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| State fee for the renewal | at the current rate | paid to the state; the same whoever you work with |
| Certificates and statements | free | the certificate of no tax debts is issued online |
Fees are revised, so we quote them as at the filing date rather than printing them in the case. Third-party services cost the same whoever you work with.
What we did
- Checked that the activity was evidenced by documents, not intentions
- Built the package around the renewal question rather than repeating the first application
- Filed with both authorities on the same day
- Answered the document request within nine days
- Saw the file through to a favourable residence permit decision
What the service did not cover
Certification as an innovative company was not part of this file: it is a separate procedure and a separate case, even though it concerned the same project and ran almost at the same time.
We do not promise the timings of public authorities, and we do not promise the decision. This took 88 days, two months of them on assessing the project, and there was nothing that could influence that. What we answer for is a package that addresses the renewal question and a document request answered on time: if the deadline is missed, the authority may treat the application as withdrawn, and that is the only part of the procedure where delay costs you the result.
Sources
The laws and official documents we relied on. Links go to the primary sources, so you can check them yourself.