Polish Visa

Since 21 st of Decembe, 2007, Poland is part of the Schengen Area, a zone with no internal borders which comprises the territory of 25 countries. Third-country nationals may cross Poland’s external borders if they are in possession of a valid travel document, usually a visa. Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 includes a list of third countries whose nationals must possess valid visas to cross external borders, and of countries whose nationals are released from this obligation.

Visa to Poland

In most instances, a valid passport is sufficient for a stay of up to 3 months. Before arriving in Poland, as usually when travelling, the passport must valid for at least a further 6 months. In respect of countries that do require a visa before entering Poland, the visa usually should be valid for a period of 6 - 12 months.

Work Permits to Poland

A foreign resident who is interested to work in Poland must obtain a work permit and a working visa. A work permit is granted in Poland subject to an examination to verify that it is in respect of skilled work that is not noxious to local employment. In addition, on the basis of the work permit, an application must be made for a working visa. It is important to highlight that approval of the working visa will be granted only outside Poland, so if the employee is in Poland, he must leave Poland to obtain the visa. The working visa will remain valid for not longer than one year with an option to extend it, as required.

List of countries whose nationals may enter Poland without a visa

When crossing the border, third-country nationals are also obliged to substantiate the purpose and conditions of the intended stay and prove that they have satisfactory means of subsistence, both for the period of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third State into which they are certain to be recognized, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully. Moreover, they may not be listed as persons who have been refused entry and may not be considered to be a threat to public policy, national security or the international relations of any of the Schengen States. The visa application should be presented to and examined by the relevant Polish consular post in accordance with its territorial competence. Applicants should contact the relevant consular post before submitting the application in order to obtain the application and information about procedures (including the electronic registration of the application) and visa fees. The application will be examined no later than 15 calendar days from the date of submission of the full set of documents. Unfortunatelly, in some countries Polish delegations are not presented. In this case, the applicant is obliged to submit the application to the relevant Polish consular post in another country.

 

European Commission Council of Europe European Migration Network Migration Policy Institute International Organization for Migration