From this article, you will learn how to obtain a Polish visa, what types of visas are available, and how to successfully apply for a visa. I invite you to read on!
Let’s start with a story…
The suitcase was already by the door, but one thing was still missing before departure – a visa. Daniel joked that it was the ‘last piece of the puzzle’ without which the picture was still incomplete. Working in Poland offered tempting new opportunities, and the idea of moving aroused curiosity rather than stress.
The visa process began with simple questions: the purpose of the trip, its duration, and what documents would be needed. With each subsequent step, the whole process became more and more organised. The forms were no longer a mystery, and the regulations were no longer an impassable barrier. It turned out that with a little knowledge, the procedure could be predictable and understandable.
This short story is similar to many others. Obtaining a Polish visa is not a moment of trial, but the first formal step towards a new stage in life. And when you know how the system works, the whole journey simply becomes a well-planned trip.
What are the types of visas to Poland?
Polish visa law is more structured than it might seem at first glance. The Polish Act on Foreigners clearly distinguishes between different types of visas depending on the purpose and length of stay. These are:
Schengen visa (type C)
National visa (type D)
The key point is that it is not the consulate that ‘selects’ the visa for the application – it is the foreigner who must correctly indicate the type of visa at the outset.
Schengen visa (type C) – allows for a stay in Poland (and other Schengen countries). The length of stay or stays may not exceed 90 days within any 180-day period.
A Schengen visa may also be issued with limited territorial validity. Such a visa will be valid in one or more, but not all, Schengen countries. The length of stay or stays under this visa may also not exceed 90 days in any 180-day period.
National visa (type D) – choose this option if you plan to stay in Poland for a longer period of time. A national visa entitles you to enter Poland and stay there continuously or for several consecutive stays totalling more than 90 days during the visa’s validity period, which is a maximum of one year. In practice, a national visa very often serves as a transitional stage – it allows entry and legal stay in Poland until a temporary residence permit is obtained.
There is another type of visa, regulated by an EU regulation – the Community Visa Code – an airport transit visa (type A). This is the most technical type of visa. It only entitles the holder to stay in the international transit area of one or more airports of Member States (including, of course, the international transit area of Polish airports). This visa does not entitle the holder to enter Polish territory. It applies to citizens of specific countries (basically: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka). In practice, it can be crucial for intercontinental travel.
What are the purposes of issuing Polish visas?
Under Polish visa law, the purpose of stay is not an addition to the application, but its foundation. For both Schengen and national visas, it is the declared purpose that determines the scope of the foreigner’s rights, the required documents and the consul’s assessment of the application.
The Polish Act on Foreigners lists typical purposes for which a Schengen visa and a national visa may be issued. In addition, the Polish regulation on visas for foreigners assigns a code to each visa purpose. This code will be placed on the visa sticker. The purposes for issuing visas include, in particular:
- Tourism (code ‘01’)
- Visiting family or friends (code ‘02’)
- Conducting business activity (code ‘04’)
- Performing work (codes ‘05a’, ‘05b’ and ‘06’, depending on the basis for performing work in Poland)
- Medical treatment (code ‘14’).
In addition, only a national visa (type D) may be issued for the following purposes, among others:
- Studying or training at a doctoral school (code ‘09’)
- Conducting scientific research or development work (code ‘13’)
- Undertaking an internship (code ‘13a’)
- Repatriation (code ‘19’)
- Enjoying temporary protection (code ‘20’)
Keep in mind that from a legal perspective, it is crucial that you use your visa for the purpose for which it was issued. Violating this rule, e.g. taking up employment while staying in Poland on a tourist visa, may lead to the withdrawal of your visa, refusal to issue another one, and in extreme cases even to a decision to oblige you to return. Therefore, treat the choice of visa purpose as a conscious legal decision that will have a direct impact on the legality of your stay in Poland.
Application for Polish visa
Submitting an application for Polish visa is a key stage in the entire process and, at the same time, the moment when mistakes are most likely to occur. It is therefore worth knowing how to prepare a visa application, what information to include in it, and what documents to attach.
The Polish Act on Foreigners regulates how to prepare an application for a national visa. Issues related to Schengen visa applications are regulated by an EU regulation – the Community Code on Visas, because Schengen visas are issued by various EU Member States. However, if Poland is the main or even the only destination of your trip (and I assume it is, since you are reading this article), you should submit your Schengen visa application to the Polish consul. Since issues related to national visa applications and Schengen visa applications are regulated by two different legal acts, these applications will not be identical and you will need to prepare different information and documents. Below is some basic information:
Application for a Polish national visa and documents required for an application
First of all, you must submit your application for a Polish national visa in person. You submit your application on a form, in which you must enter, among other things, your personal details, information about your citizenship, information about your passport (e.g. series and number, date of issue and expiry date, name of the country that issued it), your email address, information about national visas and Schengen visas issued to you in the last five years. In the form, you must also indicate and justify the purpose of your stay in Poland. It is very important that you think carefully and indicate and justify this purpose appropriately – this will determine the type of visa you will receive. In your application, you should also indicate the number of entries into Poland that your visa should entitle you to, the period during which you plan to stay in Poland, and the planned date of entry into and departure from Poland. The Polish authorities will verify whether you have sufficient financial means to cover the costs of your travel and stay in Poland, so you should also provide relevant information on this in your application. A template for a national visa application is available here.
When applying for a Polish national visa, you should also attach a recent photograph and documents confirming:
- the purpose and conditions of your planned stay in Poland (e.g. if the purpose of your visit to Poland is tourism, you can attach to your application a hotel reservation confirmation or a purchased flight ticket)
- sufficient financial resources to cover your living expenses for the entire planned period of your stay in Poland and for your return journey (as a rule, you should have PLN 300 if your stay in Poland does not exceed 4 days and PLN 75 for each day of your planned stay, if the planned period of stay exceeds 4 days + funds necessary to purchase a return ticket. You can document these funds, for example, with a bank statement confirming the credit card limit or a bank statement confirming that you have sufficient funds in your account)
- having health insurance or travel medical insurance – here, when it comes to travel medical insurance, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs publishes information on its website about insurers and the insurance they offer that meet the required conditions – you can find this list here .
- the credibility of your declaration of intent to leave Poland before the expiry date of your visa – this may include any documents confirming your ties to your country of origin, e.g. an employment contract, a statement from your university confirming that you are continuing your studies or family documents confirming that, for example, your spouse or children remain in your country of origin.
Additionally, when applying for a national visa, you should present your passport in order for the consul to inspect it. Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months after the expiry date of the visa you are applying for. In addition, your passport should have at least two blank pages (for the visa sticker) and should have been issued within the last 10 years.
The consul will note in your passport that they have accepted your application for a national visa.
Application for a Schengen visa to Poland
The application for a Schengen visa is slightly different from that for a national visa. First of all, the official application form is different. You can find it here .
As a rule, you should submit your application for a Schengen visa in person, no earlier than three months before the start of your planned visit to Poland.
When applying for a Schengen visa, you should present your passport, which should be valid for at least three months after the planned date of departure from the territory of the Member States. The passport should contain at least two blank pages (for the visa sticker) and should have been issued within the last ten years.
You should attach your photograph to the application, as well as:
- documents confirming the purpose of your trip (e.g. an invitation from a company to attend a meeting, a ticket to a trade fair/congress, confirmation of registration for professional courses, confirmation of a booked organised trip)
- documents concerning accommodation in Poland or proof of sufficient funds to cover accommodation costs
- documents confirming that you have sufficient funds to cover your living expenses for the entire duration of your planned stay and to cover the costs of your return
- information allowing to assess that you intend to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa (e.g. return ticket, document confirming that you have financial means in your country of permanent residence, certificate of employment, document confirming ownership of real estate, documents confirming family ties in your country of permanent residence).
In addition, you should generally attach proof of travel medical insurance to your Schengen visa application. This insurance should be valid throughout the territory of the Member States and cover the entire period of your planned stay. The minimum amount of such insurance is EUR 30,000.
Where should I submit my Polish visa application?
You should submit your application for a Polish visa outside Poland, in the country of your permanent residence or legal stay:
- at the relevant consulate, which you cannot choose freely – the jurisdiction of the consulate will depend on your place of residence and the so-called consular district (e.g. if you are applying for a visa to Poland in Canada, there are four consular districts there, and so, for example, if you live in the province of Quebec, the competent consulate will be in Montreal – always look for detailed information on Polish government websites, such as this one)
- or at an external visa centre – VFS Global – if Poland has entrusted the processing of visa applications to such an agency, but even if the processing of your application has been entrusted to such an external agency, the final decision on whether to issue a visa is always made by the consul.
You must submit your visa application in person. The authorities or agencies will not accept applications sent by fax, email or post. In practice, the first step is to register your visit in the e-consulate system (here) or on the visa centre’s website. Only after making an appointment will you be able to submit your complete set of documents.
In exceptional situations, a visa may also be issued by the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs. This will be the case for members of diplomatic missions or consular offices of foreign countries and their family members. In addition, foreigners from Belarus can currently apply for a visa to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (this possibility results from the Polish Regulation on countries whose foreigners may apply for a visa from the Minister of Foreign Affairs).
How long does it take to process a visa application for Poland?
When it comes to a national visa (type D), the standard processing time is 15 days from the date of application. This period may be extended to 30 days in justified cases. Additionally, if the consul requests the Head of the Office for Foreigners to provide the necessary information (e.g. regarding national defence or security), the application is processed within 5 days from the date of providing this information to the consul.
The standard processing time for a Schengen visa (type C) application is also 15 days. In individual cases, this period may be extended to 30 days, especially when further examination of the application is necessary. Exceptionally, when additional documents are required in specific cases, this period may be extended to a maximum of 60 calendar days.
So when is the best time to apply for a visa? It is safest to do so at least 4-6 weeks before your planned departure, and in seasons of increased visa traffic, even 2-3 months in advance. This gives you a safety margin for any requests to supplement your documents or procedural delays.
Will I always need a Polish visa?
This is one of the first questions people planning to visit Poland ask themselves. The answer is no, you will not always need a visa to visit Poland. The visa requirement depends primarily on your nationality, the purpose of your stay and its duration. For more information on this topic, see my blog article: How long can you stay in Poland without a visa? – Polish immigration lawyer.
What should I do if my visa to Poland is refused?
It may happen that the consul refuses to issue you a visa. Refusal to issue a national visa (type D) and a Schengen visa (type C) will take the form of a decision and will be issued on a specific form. The decision will include, among other things, information about the reasons for the refusal. You have the right to request a re-examination of the case (also by the consul). You will have 14 days from the date on which the decision refusing a visa was delivered to you to submit such a request for re-examination. The consul will also have 14 days to consider your request. If, after considering your request for re-examination, the consul upholds his or her previous decision to refuse a visa, you will be entitled to appeal to the administrative court.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main types of visas for Poland for non-EU citizens?
The main types of visas to Poland are the Schengen visa (type C), which allows you to stay in Poland (and other Schengen countries) for up to 90 days within any 180-day period, and the national visa (type D), which entitles you to enter Poland and stay in Poland continuously or for several consecutive stays totalling more than 90 days during the visa’s period of validity, which is a maximum of 1 year.
What are the fees for issuing a visa to Poland?
The fee for issuing a national visa (type D) is currently (as of 1 January 2026) EUR 200. The fee for issuing a Schengen visa (type C) is EUR 90. For children aged 6 to 12, the fee is EUR 45, while children under 6 are exempt from the Schengen visa fee.
Is it possible to extend a visa during a stay in Poland?
Yes, it is possible to extend your visa during your stay in Poland. For a national visa (type D), this can be done, for example, if you can prove that it is necessary due to important professional or personal reasons, or if you cannot leave Poland before the expiry date of your visa for humanitarian reasons. For Schengen visas (type C), the grounds for extension are similar – this will apply, for example, to situations related to force majeure, humanitarian reasons or important personal reasons. In both cases, the decision on visa extension will be made by the Voivode competent for your place of stay in Poland.
It is important that you submit your visa extension application no later than on the last day of your legal stay in Poland . This is important because if you do so later, the Voivode will refuse to consider your application and you will lose the opportunity to extend your visa.
Julia Dolińska
attorney-at-law
Photo by Kit (formerly ConvertKit)