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:

• Polish Foreign Ministry – Information on visa requirements
• List of all Polish embassies and consulates
• Polish embassy and consulates in the USA
• Polish embassy and consulates in Canada
• Wikipedia: Schengen zone

What’s a work permit?

Technically, there is no document called a “work permit”. Instead a company wanting to employ a foreigner must obtain a “pledge for work permission”, which is described how to do below. The foreigner then submits this document along with their visa or residency card application, allowing them to receive a work visa or a residency card with an annotation entitles them to work legally. For the purpose of simplicity, the “pledge for work permission” will be referred to as a work permit.

In Poland, the work permit is very restrictive to the foreigner and employer alike. It is linked to one employee and one employer, it cannot be shared. This means that if a foreigner gets a work permit in Poland, he or she can only work for the company that the work permit specifies. If the foreigner wants to change employers or work at more than one job, a work permit must be obtained for each employer interested in hiring the foreigner.

Who gets the work permit?

There is some bureaucracy involved in obtaining a work permit, although the process has been simplified in recent years. The work permit requests specific information from the employer, so the employer must apply for the work permit, not the employee. As a result, very often companies avoid hiring foreigners legally simply because they don’t want to be bothered with all the paperwork.

A foreigner finding themselves in a situation where their employer does not seem eager to obtain a work permit has a few options:

1. they may examine the information below and decide to take matters into their own hands and take care of as much of the process as possible, boiling down the process to simply signing a paper or going to an office, or
2. they may want to start their own company and become a freelancer. In the case of language teachers, companies welcome working with self-employed teachers because they do not have to seek a work permit for them and an invoice is preferred to an employment contract. The foreigner benefits as well because they seek their own work permit and they need to do so only once, no matter how many places the foreigner works.

How do I get a work permit?

Who: future employer

Where: Urząd Wojewódzki (Voivoidship Office)

pre-requisite: none

Wait time: 14 days

Cost: 100 zł

What you’ll need:

• filled out application form (sample)
• information on the foreigner
• company information
• current criminal record report of the company from KRD
• document confirming the legal status of the company
• photocopy of passport
• copy of information the company’s income or loses from the previous year
• information on company’s employment (number of workers, etc.)
• proof of payment of fee
• document from the local unemployment office stating that there are no qualified workers who may take up this position which the foreigner is to fill*
• document demonstrating that the foreigner is qualified to fill the position they will be hired for

The Next Step

After the future employer has submitted all the documentation and waited the 14 days, they will receive the work permit

At this point, the foreigner has two options:

1. if they are in their home country, they may apply for a visa by going to the nearest Polish embassy or consulate, or
2. if they are already in Poland, they may apply for a residency card at the local voidvodship office.

What’s a residency card?

This card allows a foreigner to retain in Poland for an extended but defined period of time. A typical tourist visa expires after three months whereby the foreigner has to leave the Schengen Area, get their passport stamped and then may return on a new Polish tourist visa. Although this solution may make sense as a short term solution, people planning on staying in Poland for an extended period of time ought to take the steps to obtain a residency card as soon as possible.

Physically, the card is very similar in appearance to a Polish ID card and functions in much the same way. You are required to have it with you as a form of identification and proof of legal status if you are stopped by the authorities.

How do I get a residency card?

Where: Urząd Wojewódzki (Voivoidship Office)

pre-requisite: varies

Wait time: up to 45 days (you MUST submit the paperwork at least 45 days before your current visa/residency card expires)

Cost: 340 zł + 50 zł

What you’ll need:

• filled out application form (this form is in Polish, English and French)
• 4 current ID photos
• passport + 2 photocopies
• original birth certificate + certified translation*
• certificate from appropriate tax office**
• confirmation of temporary “zameldowanie” or photocopy of residency card

Additional documentations

if you want to legally work:

• permission to work or visa
• pledge of permission to work
• copy of contract to work
• documents proving financial stability
• last year’s tax returns PIT 37, PIT40 or PIT 11
• proof of health insurance***
• rental agreement

if you have your own company:

• notary act of partnership or proof of company registration
• current report from the national register of courts
• company balance sheet for previous year
• CIT-8 for previous year
• tax return for previous year (PIT-37 or 40)
• proof of health insurance***
• last submitted ZUS DRA declaration
• proof that obligations to ZUS have been met
• documents proving financial stability
• certificate from appropriate tax office**
• affidavit regarding running a business in Poland
• pledge of permission to work & work permit or proof that such a work permit is not needed
• rental agreement

if you’re a university or post-graduate student:

• confirmation of enrollment at a school or other
• appropriate institution
• proof of payment for studies
• documents proving financial stability
• proof of health insurance***
• rental agreement

if you’re taking part in a professional training course:

• confirmation of enrollment in the training course
• documents proving financial stability
• proof of health insurance***
• pledge of permission to work & work permit or proof that such a work permit is not needed
• rental agreement

if you’re studying in Poland (pre-university):

• confirmation of enrollment at a school
• documents proving financial stability
• proof of health insurance***
• rental agreement

if you’re an academic, scientist, or researcher:

• contract with an educational institution in Poland as well as a written statement assuring that your costs will be covered by the institution
• contract with an educational institution in the EU as well as a written statement assuring that your costs will be covered by the institution
• documents proving financial stability
• proof of health insurance***

if you’re married to a Polish citizen:

• marriage certificate
• photocopy of your partner’s ID card
• documents proving financial stability

if you’re relative is Polish:

• document confirming relationship to Polish citizen (e.g. marriage or birth certificate)
• photocopy of residency card and decision allowing the foreigner to stay in Poland
• documents proving financial stability
• proof of health insurance***
• rental agreement

in other cases:

• document confirming the situation which the foreigner is citing in their application
• documents proving financial stability
• proof of health insurance***
• rental agreement

** Go to the tax office of appropriate to where you are living and submit a request to get a forum that states that you do not owe taxes from years past

*** The health insurance criteria can be met in one of two ways. If you are to be employed full-time, you will be part of the national health care system. If you are under a different contract that does not include this benefit, you may purchase an insurance policy that covers hospitalization and medical costs. This can be obtained at most major insurers for a cost of a few hundred for an entire year.

The Polish government’s tax offices use a NIP (Numeru Identyfikacji Podatkowej; in English “tax identification number”) to recognize you within their system. The NIP number is issued by each region tax office or “urząd skarbowy”, of which there are literally hundreds. The number is not completely random, being as the first several digits identify the tax office that originally issued it. However, it is not nearly as elaborate a number as the PESEL, which contains date of birth, gender, etc.

A NIP is needed if you want to file for a tax return in Poland. It is not necessary to get a NIP if you want to work in Poland. You may opt for tax residency in your home country, however, in most cases this may be used for only up to two years. However, if you decide to make Poland your home for an indefinite period of time, you ought to obtain and file taxes in Poland.

The instructions below are aimed towards people who do not plan on starting their own company at this time. If you need a NIP to get a job working for someone else, then continue reading below.

How do I get a NIP?

Where: local tax office (Urząd Skarbowy)

pre-requisite: PESEL, zameldowanie

wait time: 2-3 weeks

What you’ll need:

• Filled out NIP-3 application form (sample)
  • PESEL number
  • current first and last names
  • maiden name (if any)
  • parents’ first names
  • place and date of birth
  • gender
  • citizenship
  • current registration address(zameldowanie)
  • current address of residence (if different than
  • registration address)
  • serial number of current ID card (dowód osobisty)
  • phone number
  • bank name and account number
• form of ID

NIP-3 form instructions:

In section A of the NIP-3 form, you’ll need to mark if you are applying for a new NIP number or updating info on a current one, specify the exact tax office you are submitting it to, and if you have been registered in any other tax offices in Poland before.

Section B is split across two pages, the front and the back. On the front in section B.1, you’ll need to fill out basic information about yourself. In section B.4, you’ll need to enter your current address of residence. This is most likely your address of registration as well.

On the next page, section B.5 asks you for your address of registration (zameldowanie). Again, mostly likely this is where you live. However, in the event that it is different, you’ll need to write it in. In section B.6, you ought to write in your phone number so that if the tax office has a question, they can contact you quickly. A stationary or mobile phone are appropriate. Then, in section B.7, enter your bank name and account number. This is for the purpose of receiving your tax return when you file it.

Finally, you’ll need to date and sign the application form. Remember to write your signature to be legible because in Poland there are two kinds of signatures: regular and legible, with the latter often being required for official documents.

Useful Links

• Wypelnianie PIT-ów: Jak dostać NIP? Wypełniamy NIP-3
  
• PIT.pl: NIP1 NIP3 – PITy roczne 2007

What’s a PESEL?

PESEL stands for “Powszechny Elektroniczny System Ewidencji Ludności”, which translates roughly to “common electronic citizen records system”. Ultimately, this is the principle number by which a private individual is identified in most government offices.

A PESEL is linked with personal information about the given individual including the following:

• PESEL number
• current first and last names
• maiden name (if any)
• former first and last names
• parents’ first and last names
• place and date of birth
• gender
• citizenship
• birth certificate number
• marital status
• spouse’s first and last names
• date of marriage, marriage certificate number
• current permanent registration (zameldowanie)
• previous registrations (permanent and temporary)
• military rank and number (if any)
• serial number of current ID card (dowód osobisty)
• death certificate (if applicable)

for foreigners:

• serial number of residency card
• information on permits and certificates allowing
• the foreigner to stay in Poland

What does a PESEL number look like?

A PESEL consists of 11 digits, each containing information about a person. It is not completely randomly assigned.

The first 6 digits signify the person’s date of birth. The first two the year, the next two the month, and finally the day. In the case of people born between 1900-1999, the months appear naturally, while those born between 2000-2099 have an additional 20 added to the month number. In other words, a person born on July 14, 2002 would have a PESEL that starts like this,

0 2 2 7 1 4

The gender of the PESEL holder is assigned by the ten digit: if it’s an odd number, the PESEL belongs to a male, if it’s even (or zero) then it belongs to a female. The final number is a control number, chose using some algorithm which is not terribly important to understand.

How do I get a PESEL?

Where: city hall/town council (urząd miasta)

prerequisite: can be obtained in conjunction with your permanent or termporary (>3 months) registration (zameldowanie stały lub czasowy trwający ponad 3 miesiące)

Wait time: about three weeks

What you’ll need:

• Filled out application form (sample form)
  • current first and last names
  • maiden name (if any)
  • former first and last names
  • parents’ first and last names
  • place and date of birth
  • gender
  • citizenship
• form of ID (passport)
• proof of registration or “zameldowanie” (applications for PESEL and zameldowanie are submitted at the same time)

Useful resources:

• Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracj (in Polish)
• The Researcher’s Mobility Portal (in Polish)
• Erasmus in Poland – How to get a PESEL in Poland
• British in Poland – How to get a PESEL
• Polish Blog – Confirming Polish Citizenship and Getting Polish ID Card

If you feel that any of the information above is inaccurate, unclear, or needs to be restated, then let me know any suggestions you may have!

Permanent or Temporary registration (zameldowanie)

Documents needed:

• filled out application (available at the city hall)
• permission from the owner
• proof of residence at given location (e.g. rental agreement)
• proof of de-registration from pervious flat (if any)
• passport

Where to go: city hall
Cost: none

Temporary registration (zameldowanie) for under 3 months

Documents needed:

• filled out application with standard information
• form of ID (e.g. passport)
• owner of the locale (with proof of ownership)

The owner of the flat or house goes with you to the city hall and orally declares that you are registered there. You’ll have to repeat this every 3 months… or not. Depends if you need a residency card or not

Links and resources:

• Sample forms:
  • permanent registration
  • temporary registration for over 3 month
• Foreigners in Poland – registration “zameldowanie”
• Polish Residency – Zameldowanie to be abolished?