How to get a visa to Poland

DISCLAIMER: The following post is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered an authoritative guide on how to get a visa to Poland. Its intent is to give the reader a general overview of the process and what kinds of documents are expected. Consult your the appropriate Polish embassy or consulate for the most current and accurate information. I invite all constructive input you may have on how to make this article more accurate and useful.

Who should get a visa before coming to Poland?

If you are coming to Poland just to visit as a tourist for a period of up to 3 months, there is no need to get a visa. This does not apply to citizens of all countries, however, to check if you may travel in Poland without a visa.

Citizens of other countries need either transit, short or long stay visas. Contact the Polish embassy in your home country to learn more about the requirements for obtaining such a document.

Types of visas

Remember, Poland is in the Schengen zone, an area comprised of mostly EU countries that have completely open borders that allow a person to travel freely between them all. However, it does not allow you to reside or work in all the zones indefinitely.

A Polish consular can issue one of the following types of visas:

  1. UNIFORM VISAS entitle the holder to enter and stay in the Schengen territory (only relevant if you may not travel in Poland without a visa
    1. AIRPORT TRANSIT VISAS (ATV) valid only for airport transit does not entitle the holder to leave the transit zone of the airport.
    2. TRANSIT VISAS valid for transit through the Schengen territory for a period not exceeding 5 days
    3. SHORT-STAY VISAS valid for stays of no more than 90 days per period of 180 days.
  2. NATIONAL VISAS entitle the holder to enter and stay only in the territory of Poland.
    1. LONG-STAY VISAS are valid only for the territory of Poland. These visas are issued for travelers going to Poland for reasons of work, education, carrying out economic or cultural activities, tourism, visit etc. They are given out for a period of up to one year after which they either need to be renewed or the person needs to apply for a residency card.

It is important to remember that the long-stay visa is not entirely synonymous with residency card. The effective difference is that a person with a residency card can freely travel to other Schengen countries for periods of up to 90 days while a visa holder may need to apply for a short-term visa (again, only if your country is not on the list of countries that may travel without a visa in Poland and the Schengen zone)

How to get a long-stay visa?

Where: appropriate Polish embassy or consulate*

pre-requisite: depends on type of visa

Wait time: up to 4 weeks

Cost: around $81 USD or local equivalent

What you’ll need:

  • Visa application form
  • passport (valid for 3 months after departure from Poland or other Schengen country)
  • two passport size photos (check with consul about photo dimensions, may be different than standard in your own home country)
  • Bank statement – 3 last statements (proof of income)
  • proof of travelers insurance
    • valid throughout the Schengen territory
    • have a minimum coverage of EUR 30.000 or equivalent in local currency
    • cover the entire period of the person’s stay
  • in the case of a national visa, one of the following is needed:
    • proof of suffiecient funds (at least 100 zlotys per day)
    • medical insurance
    • official invitation issued in local authorities (voidvodship) stating that the host will cover all expenses.
  • work permit or certificate of employment (when applicable)
  • letter of acceptance of a Polish university/language school/college, evidence of sufficient founds to stay in Poland (when applicable)

If you are interested in getting any of the other kinds of visas described above, turn to the appropriate embassy or consulate for more details.

Submitting or picking up your visa

The consular will require you to physically be present when you either submit your application or pick up your visa. It is not necessary for you to be there physically for both, so it’s best to ask if you may submit it in person and have them mail you your passport with visa to your home address.

* In large countries where there are many diplomatic missions, each embassy and consulate is assigned a specific jurisdiction and you may apply for a visa only at the appropriate one for you.

Sources & Useful Links:

July 2nd, 2009 - Posted in Blog | | 1 Comments