Entering the territory of Poland:
Citizens of non-EU countries may enter Poland and stay within its territory on a basis of Schengen or national visa. Visa is issued by a consul.
- Schengen Visa (marked with C symbol) – is issued when the planned stay on the territory of the Schengen area does not exceed 90 days within each 180-day period.
- national visa (marked with D symbol) – entitles to entry and a continuous stay in the territory of Poland or to several consecutive stays which jointly last longer than 90 days, the period of validity of a national visa cannot exceed 1 year.
Conditions of entry, travel and residence rules in the European Union
List of countries, citizens of which are exempted from a visa and the rules of visa-free regime
Important notes:
After Brexit (1st January 2021) UK citizens may enter Poland and stay within its territory on a basis of:
- visa-fee movement – entitles to entry and stay in Poland and other Schengen countries up to 90 days in each 180-day period.
- national visa (marked with D symbol) – is issued when the planned stay in Poland is longer than 90 days. The validity period of a national visa cannot exceed 1 year.
- Separate regulations apply to Brits who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement. They have the right to stay in Poland under the current conditions if they were residents in Poland under EU law by the 31st December 2021 and still live here. It is recommended that all beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement obtain a new residence document. Read more on the Polish government’s website.BREXIT — residency procedures, UK nationals (PDF)
On 19th September 2022, new restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens into Poland have been introduced. Currently, only Russian citizens belonging to one of the groups described in the link below may cross the state border to enter Poland through road, rail, river, air and sea border crossings (regardless of the country from which the entry to Poland takes place).
More information can be found on the Border Guards’ website (PL)
In case of any doubt, please contact the dedicated hotline at +48 22 500 40 00 (from Monday to Friday 8.15-16.15) or via email: zdsc2.kg@strazgraniczna.pl
Temporary residence permit:
The application for a temporary residence permit is submitted in person, no later than on the last day of legal residence in Poland to a voivode having jurisdiction over place of residence (Wojewoda Mazowiecki).
If you intend to apply for the residence permit in Warsaw, you should register your profile and case at the online portal for foreigners – inPOL.
Instruction how to register an account and submit a new application can be found here. Please also check the frequently asked questions – inPOL.
What documents are needed to submit?
- 2 copies of the application for a temporary residence permit. The application should be completed, registered and printed out in the inPol system. You can also use our instruction on how to fill in such an application (PDF ENG).
- 4 recent colour photographs;
- a valid travel document (passport, 2 photocopies);
- stamp duty – PLN 340
- a confirmation, issued by the Faculty office, of acceptance or continuation of your studies/certificate of participation in a training course,
- proof of payment of the required tuition/course fee, if they are payable;
- documents confirming having health insurance or coverage by the insurer of the cost of treatment in Poland. Please make sure that your private policy (travel medical insurance) is provided by an insurer on the list of insurers accepted by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This list is changed twice a year – in December/January and in July/August.
- evidence of sufficient funds to cover the costs of living and return travel to the country of origin or residence and the cost of tuition/training course (more information can be found here).
- transcript of records
- information about utilities expenses (such as electricity, water, waste disposal, heating, and sewage) – it can be dormitory accommodation certificate, lease agreement or statement of accommodation costs signed by the landlord (PDF PL)
Documents drawn up in a foreign language should be submitted together with their translations into Polish made by a sworn translator.
You can search the sworn translator through the website of the Ministry of Justice.
What fees are needed to be paid?
340 PLN at the time of submission of the application
- account:
21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070
- recipient:
- title:
OPŁATA ZA WNIOSEK O ZEZWOLENIE NA POBYT + your name & surname as it’s written in your passport
And upon receipt of the decision:
a) 50 PLN for the residence card — if an application was submitted after July 29, 2022
b) 25 PLN for the residence card — if an application was submitted by July 29, 2022
Bank transfer details
- account:
83 1010 1010 0137 1022 3100 0000
- recipient:
Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki, Biuro Finansów Urzędu,
Pl. Bankowy 3/5 Warszawa
- title:
OPŁATA ZA KARTĘ POBYTU + your full name and surname as it’s written
More information about fees can be found here (PL)
Where and how the documents should be submitted?
The application should be submitted to one of the three submission points at the Department of Foreigners in the Mazowieckie Province Office:
- 3/5 Marszałkowska Street, ground floor, stands 10-11, rooms 14 and 16. More details about the place of submitting documents are here: Polish version (PDF) English version (PDF) Russian version (PDF)
- 28 Jerozolimskie Avenue
- 3/5 Bank Square, entrance G — an additional point of receipt of applications for legalization of stay for the marriages and the children of the foreigner and the family members who join him.
Office hours
Monday: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Tuesday – Friday: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
ways of submission:
-
in person after prior arrangements for a specific day and time.
To make an appointment, please visit this website and follow instruction below:
In addition to the standard details such as name, surname, date of birth, passport number, visa/residence card expiry date, etc., you will need to provide the TRP application numbers generated in two government systems: inPOL and MOS.
* Read more about the inPOL system
* Set up account on MOS website
The booking form is activated every week on Monday between 8 am and 10 am.
After completing the form, you should receive an appointment date by e-mail within 5 working days. In case of lack of slots or an error in the registration form, you will receive an email notification asking you to retry your booking next Monday.
Slots are granted for 5 weeks ahead e.g. in May for mid-June, in June for mid-July and so on. If your visa/visa-free travel/residence card expires earlier than the nearest available slot, we recommend that you either send your application by post or apply through a registry office (check information below).
Please note that it is mandatory to submit printed applications from both government systems, namely inPOL and MOS. People who come to the meeting without the necessary documentation from inPOL and MOS will be unable to proceed with their appointment.
During the meeting, you will be asked to leave your fingerprints and show your passport for verification. It is also possible to ask the inspector to authorize copies of earlier submitted documents if you provide the original for verification. This will avoid the additional cost of notarization, as all submitted documents must be originals or authorized copies.
If the application does not contain formal or material errors or deficiencies, you will receive a stamp in your passport as proof that the legalisation of your stay has begun, and as long as it is in progress, you are in Poland legally.
Advance appointment booking is required:
https://www.e-uslugi.mazowieckie.pl/umow-wizyte#/visit-selection
While booking, select Wydział Spraw Cudzoziemców (in Location section) and Biuro Podawcze – do 8 spraw (in Case section)
-
by post at:
Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki
Wydział Spraw Cudzoziemców
ul. Marszałkowska 3/5
00-623 Warszawa
Please remember to use services of Poczta Polska and send documents using registered letter with confirmation of delivery (PL: list polecony z potwierdzeniem odbioru). Check out instruction on how to fill in the postal form (PDF PL/ENG).
The date of submission of the application is considered as the date when the application is physically submitted to the Office or the date of the postmark. When applying by post or registry office, no fingerprints are taken, and the submitted documents are not verified for compliance with the originals. Additionally, it is not possible to obtain a stamp on the passport confirming the submission of the application.
How to collect a residence card
The Department of Foreigners will inform you by text message about the date of collection of the residence card. You must bring the following items with you on the appointed day:
- the decision
- passport
- confirmation of payment for the residence card
The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Our website may contain links to external resources; Welcome Point is not responsible for the content or operation of any such external content or websites.
