^{Updated on 20 April 2026}

Entering the territory of Poland:

Citizens of non-EU countries can enter Poland and stay with a Schengen or national visa. The visa is issued by a Polish consulate in your home country.

• Schengen Visa (type C) – allows a stay in the Schengen area of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
• National visa (type D) – allows entry and a continuous stay in Poland or several consecutive stays totaling more than 90 days. The visa is valid for up to 1 year.

For your information: 

• Visa requirements and application forms + complete list of Polish diplomatic missions abroad are available at the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Travel in the Union: conditions of entry, travel and residence rules in the EU.
• List of countries, citizens of which are exempted from a visa and the rules of visa-free regime.

UK citizens: After Brexit (1^st January 2021) UK citizens may enter Poland and stay within its territory on a basis of:

• Visa-free movement
• National visa (type D)
• 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 31^st December 2021 and still live here. It is recommended that all beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement obtain a new residence document. Read more about BREXIT — residency procedures, UK nationals (PDF) here.

Russian citizens: On 19 September 2022, Poland introduced restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens. Currently, only Russian citizens who belong to one of the groups listed on the Border Guards’ website (PL) are allowed to enter Poland. This applies to all road, rail, river, air, and sea border crossings, regardless of the country from which they are entering Poland.
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 (TRC):

The application for a TRC must be submitted no later than on the last day of your legal residence in Poland.
If you intend to apply for the TRC in Warsaw, you should register your profile and the case at the online portal for foreigners – MOS (Case Management Module)

Attention

Under the planned legal changes, applications for residence permits in Poland (temporary, permanent, and long-term EU resident) will be submitted exclusively online through a dedicated portal – MOS 2.0 (Case Management Module), accessible via a web browser from 27 April 2026. You will no longer need to book an appointment or wait in lines; applications can be completed at your convenience. You will also be able to pause the application, save your progress, and edit it later.

The previous system (MOS) was shut down on 17 April 2026.

Please follow the government website – WSC Migrant – for updates

Required documents:

• Application form – complete it in Polish directly in the MOS system
• Recent colour photograph – taken no more than 6 months ago, (684×883 px)
• Valid passport – upload scans of the entire passport, including the covers, all pages with stamps or visas, and all empty pages
• Fees – PLN 340 application fee + PLN 50 residence card fee

• Annex 5 confirming your student status – it must be completed and signed electronically in MOS by your Faculty. Ask your Students’ Office which e-mail address you should enter in the application. MOS will send a link to this address so that the Faculty can complete Annex 5.

  You will receive an e-mail notification from MOS once Annex 5 has been completed and signed. You can submit your TRC application only after the signed Annex 5 has been added to your application.

  Do not wait until the last moment to apply. Students’ Offices may need some time to complete Annex 5, especially during busy periods. We recommend starting your TRC application at least 45 days before your current legal stay expires.

• Confirmation of tuition fee payment, if applicable – issued by your Students’ Office
• Transcript of grades – issued by your Students’ Office
• Health insurance
• Proof of sufficient financial resources – you need to show that you have enough funds to cover your living costs, return travel and tuition/course fees, if applicable. You can use this Excel sheet to calculate the required amount.
• Information about your accommodation and utility costs – for example, a dormitory certificate, lease agreement or a statement of accommodation costs signed by the landlord (PDF PL)

How to prepare documents for MOS

Please remember that simply scanning a paper document and uploading the scan to MOS may not be sufficient. Documents submitted through MOS should be:

• original electronic documents (PDFs) signed by the person or institution that issued them with a qualified electronic signature; or
• electronic copies certified by a notary public in Poland with a qualified electronic signature
• if you upload scans without electronic signatures, bring the original documents to your fingerprint appointment. The immigration officer will verify the scans against the originals.

Additionaly, documents in a foreign language must be submitted together with a Polish translation prepared by a sworn translator. When requesting a translation, remember that the translation also needs to be submitted electronically through MOS. Ask the translator to provide you with an electronically signed PDF.

Important

Official certificates and statements containing information about your current situation should generally be no more than 30 days old when submitted.

Fees to pay:

340 PLN when applying for TRC (stamp duty).

Bank transfer details

50 PLN for the plastic TRC card

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)

Submit your application

Once you have completed the application, uploaded required documents and received confirmation that Annex 5 has been completed and signed by your Faculty, sign the application using your Trusted Profile and submit it through MOS.

Provide your fingerprints and submit missing documents

After the initial verification of your application:

1. You will receive an Official Confirmation of Receipt (UPO).
2. You will receive your case number by email or text message
3. You will be invited to a fingerprint appointment. During the appointment, you will:
   • show your original passport,
   • provide your fingerprints,
   • present the originals of documents uploaded to MOS, if they need to be verified.

Once your application and documents have been verified, you will receive an official certificate confirming that your stay in Poland is legal while your TRC application is being processed.

If any documents are missing, the immigration office will provide you with a list of missing documents and a deadline for submitting them.You can submit them:

• via e-Delivery – send original electronic documents signed by the issuer or electronic copies certified by a notary with a qualified electronic signature; or
• by Polish Post – send the original paper documents or copies certified by a notary along with the cover letter

Useful links:

• Create an e-Delivery account >>
• Learn how to submit documents via your e-Delivery account >>

How to collect a residence card:

The Department for Foreigners’ Affairs will inform you by text/email 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 issuance of 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.