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Visas - general information

Visa types

Before you apply, you must decide which visa you need:

Airport transit Schengen visa (A-Type)

choose this visa type if you plan to pass through an international transit area of a Schengen airport travelling with a passport of one of these states:  Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka.

Schengen visa (C-Type)

Choose this visa if you plan to stay in Poland or other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days in each 180-day period of time. This means that you are allowed to stay in the Schengen zone legally only if your stay in Schengen countries did not exceed 90 days over the last 180 days. A special calculator on the European Commission’s website  Na stronie Komisji Europejskiej will help you count how long you can stay in Schengen countries.

You can apply for a Schengen visa in a Polish diplomatic mission if:

  • Poland is the only destination country of your visit to the Schengen zone;
  • you visit more than one Schengen country, but Poland is your main destination;
  • you do not know which Schengen country will be your main destination, but you cross the Schengen border for the first time in Poland.

In exceptional cases it is possible to issue a Schengen LTV visa which is valid only in the territory of selected Schengen states.

National visa (D-Type)

Choose this visa if you want to stay in Poland for more than 90 days. The validity of a national visa cannot exceed one year. You also need to apply for a national visa if you seek asylum, repatriation, or if you use Polish Card privileges.

Admissibility of the application

1. You have to submit your application no more than three months and no less than 15 days before the start of the intended visit. Holders of a multiple-entry visa may lodge the application before the expiry of the visa valid for a period of at least six months.

2. When lodging the application, you have to:

a) present a visa application form

b) present a valid travel document that extends at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member State or, in the case of several visits, after the last intended date of deparure from the territory of the Member States; contain at least two blank pages;

has been issued within the previous 10 years.

c) present a photograph 3.5 x 4.5 cm. The photo should be: sharp, on a white background, printed on high quality paper, not older than 6 months, taken straight ahead, clearly showing the eyes and face on both sides from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders so that the face is 70-80 % pictures. Headwear has to be taken off for the photo.

3. Submit biometric data (see below).

4. Pay visa fee.

Relevant information

- apply for a visa in the consular district of your permanent residence.

- if the application is admissible, the consul will stamp your travel document. The stamp has no legal implications.

- applications will be decided on within 15 calendar days of the date of the lodging of an application which is admissible. That period may be extended up to a maximum of 30 calendar days in individual cases. Exceptionally, when additional documentation is needed in specific cases, the period may be extended up to a maximum of 60 calendar days.

- the long-stay visa (Type D) is valid for a maximum of 365 days. 

- type D visas allow you to stay in other countries of the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180-day period. This means that you can stay legally in the Schengen area only if your stay in the countries of the Schengen area has not exceeded 90 days in the last 180 days.

- type D visas allow you to stay in other countries of the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180-day period. This means that you can stay legally in the Schengen area only if your stay in the countries of the Schengen area has not exceeded 90 days in the last 180 days.

- remember that the visa does not guarantee entry into the territory of Poland - the final decision is always made by the Border Guard. During border control, in addition to a visa, a confirmation of financial resources may be required. It is recommended that during the trip the applicant carries the documents that were submitted when applying for a visa (e.g. invitation, hotel reservation, other additional documents).

- a decision on refusal and the reasons on which it is based will be notified to the applicant by means of the standard form. You will be required to sign and enter the date of receipt of the negative decision.

- if you have been refused a Schengen or Type D visa and you disagree with the decision, you have the right to appeal against such a decision. A written request for reconsideration of the case should be submitted to the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Copenhagen during the office's working hours, within 14 days from the date of receipt of the decision.

- visa fee for reconsideration of the refusal decision is 595 DKK. The application is considered by the consul within 7 days.

- the third countries whose nationals or specific categories of whose nationals are subject to prior consultation or information is here.

- in accordance with Art. 65(1)(4) of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners, a foreigner will be refused a national visa if he/she does not have the health or medical insurance referred to in Article 25(1)(2)(a), or the medical insurance referred to in Article 25(2) of the Act.

- complaints about the behavior of the consulate staff or the visa application process are received by the head of the Consular Section during the opening hours of the office.

Simplified Visa procedure for family members of EU citizens

Who is eligible:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This procedure applies only to family members of EU nationals who do not have Polish citizenship or do not have a permanent residence in Poland.

EU nationals include:

  • nationals of EU member states,
  • nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

A family member of an EU national is:

  • a spouse,
  • a partner with whom an EU national formed a partnership under the law of a given EU state, provided that this country’s law recognizes a formal partnership as equal to a marriage,
  • a child under 21 who is dependent on an EU national, his/her spouse or partner.

Under the procedure you are eligible to submit your visa application:

  • free of charge,
  • without prior appointment.

Required documents:

  • A printed and signed visa application (filled in online)
  • A recent photo in colour 35 x 45 mm size,
  • A valid passport,
  • A document confirming marriage or partnership with an EU national,
  • A document confirming that you accompany an EU national in his/her journey or join him/her in their place of residence.

Visa refusal:

A consul refuses a visa in the form of a decision. You can appeal against the refusal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Biometric data

When you apply for a visa, you have to provide your biometric data: a photo in the case of a national visa and a photo and fingerprints in the case of a Schengen visa.

If you have already applied for a Schengen visa in the recent 59 months and if you have given your fingerprints, you do not have to give them again – the system will automatically transfer your data.

The following applicants do not have to give their fingerprints:

  • children under 12;
  • persons who are physically unable to give their fingerprints (because they do not have fingers or they suffer from a temporary finger trauma); 
  • heads of states or governments, members of national governments and their accompanying spouses and members of official delegations if they are invited for official purposes;
  • monarchs and high-ranking members of royal families, if they are invited for official purposes.

New regulations on travel medical insurance

Information of the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the insurers and the insurances that they offer, which meet the necessary conditions referred to in Article 25 (1) (2) (a) and Article 25 (1b) of the Act of 12 December 2013 on Foreigners is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [należy podlinkować angielską stronę MSZ: https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/visas].

Personal data

The authority responsible for the processing of personal data that are in the Visa Information System (VIS) is the Central Technical Authority of the National Information System at the National Police Headquarters, address: ul. Puławska 148/150, 02-624 Warszawa.

Complaints concerning personal data protection are handled by the Inspector General for Personal Data Protection, address: ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warszawa.

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