Poland in South Africa

You can apply directly at the consular office.

Visa application form must be submitted in person. Diplomatic mission does not accept application forms sent via fax, regular mail or e-mail.

For work visas, you should book your appointment in the e-Konsulat system. Follow the link and change the language option at the top right of the page to "English, then select the letter "R" then "Republic of South Africa" and then "Pretoria." From the next menu, please select the option to "register form." The system will provide further instructions. New appointment slots are drawn and assigned by the automated system on a weekly basis. Visa applications are accepted on Mondays 13:00 - 16:00 and Tuesdays to Fridays 09:00 - 12:00.

For study visas, a new system for booking appointments has been introduced, further details can be found here.

1.    Visa application form completed via the e-konsulat system, printed and signed;

2.    3.5 x 4.5 cm colour photo. The photo must be:
a.    sharp, taken against white background and printed on quality paper,
b.    newer than 6 months,
c.    taken en face, clearly showing the eyes and face on both sides from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders with the face covering 70-80% of the photo. The photo must be taken without any headwear or glasses.

3.    Passport issued within last ten years, valid for at least three months from the expected return date, with at least two blank pages for visas. In the case of citizens from outside the consular district, proof of legal stay or a residence permit in the consular district is required, valid for a period of at least three months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen territory. Consular district includes: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Eswatini, Lesotho. Citizens from outside the consular district applying for a National visa should e-mail the consulate beforehand since permanent residence in the consular district is typically required in this case.

4.    Copy of the passport page with personal data and photo.

5.    Copy of an ID document to confirm residence within the consular district of your application.

6.    A national visa applicant must personally submit a document confirming the possession of travel medical insurance, referred to in Article 25 (1) (2) (a), or a document confirming the possession of health insurance within the scope of the Act of 27 August 2004 on health care services financed from public funds. Travel medical insurance with an insured amount of no less than 30 000 EUR must be valid for the period of the intended stay of the foreigner on the territory of the Republic of Poland, must cover all expenses that may arise during the stay in this territory due to the necessity of return travel for medical reasons, the need for urgent medical assistance, emergency hospital treatment or death, in which the insurer undertakes to cover the costs of healthcare services provided to the insured directly to the entity providing such benefits, on the basis of a bill issued by this entity.

More information:  https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/visas  -->  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

For work and study purposes, travel insurance must be valid for 1 full year.

List of selected approved insurance companies which meet the criteria:

• Absa
• ACE
• AIG
• AXA
• Bryte
• Hollard
• IMG
• Old Mutual
• Santam
• Swiss Care
• Tokio Marine
• Wiener

The full list of companies which meet the necessary requirements may be found here.

7.  A flight booking/reservation. Must include dates and flight numbers specifying entry to the Schengen territories (one way is acceptable). Please provide the full itinerary. 

8.    Proof of accommodation for the entire duration of the intended stay. For work or study purposes, a signed letter from the company, institution or organisation must be presented, confirming that accommodation arrangements have been made and for how long; alternatively, a lease agreement is acceptable (proof of ownership may also be requested if renting from private individuals).

9.    A document to confirm the purpose and the conditions of your planned stay in Poland:

• Work purposes: official signed invitation letter from the company or institution must be presented, which clearly mentions the nature and duration of employment, expected remuneration and healthcare coverage; this must be accompanied by an official work permit from a Voivodeship Office in Poland (Urząd Wojewówdzki).
• Study purposes: an official signed invitation letter from the institution or organisation must be presented, which clearly states that the applicant has been accepted for their chosen field of study and that all outstanding fees have been paid. This must be accompanied by an official Certificate of acceptance (Zaświadczenie). A copy of the letter of no objection for further studies (typically issued by the ministry of education) should also be included. If the student will be arriving late for their studies, an official letter confirming the deadline for late students must also be presented.
• Visiting relatives and/or friends: official invitation letter is required from the host, which is registered in a Voivodeship Office in Poland (Urząd Wojewówdzki) and confirms that the host will provide accommodation and financial support. In exceptional circumstances (if the official invitation letter cannot be procured), we may accept a Notarized invitation letter (in original) from the host (as well as a copy of his/her Polish ID or passport) which clearly identifies both host and invitee, and details the purpose of the visit and length of stay. If the host is not a Polish citizen, a copy of his/her passport and Polish residence card/visa is required, together with the lease agreement for his/her residence and proof of employment/studies.
• Spouses of Polish citizens: signed letter from the Polish citizen should be presented, which identifies the spouse and confirms the visit; this must be accompanied by a copy of the Polish citizen’s ID or passport, as well as their marriage certificate. There is no visa fee in such cases. If the Polish citizen confirms that s/he will cover all travel costs, then no further documents confirming employment or financial funds from the spouse are required.

10.   Proof of employment. Signed letter from employer confirming employment and indicating monthly salary, continued employment after period of leave and duration of absence. In the case of self-employed individuals, a certification from SA Companies and Intellectual Property Commission or SA Revenue Service is required. This requirement does not apply to National visa applications for work or study purposes.

11.   Proof that you have enough financial means for the entire duration of the intended stay:

• applicant’s last three months bank statements, certified by their bank, or
• pay slips from the applicant’s employer (last three months), pension slips, or
• a letter from his/her bank is required confirming credit card limit, or
• in the case of minors, a signed declaration by the legal representative or sponsor on the coverage of all relevant costs is required (including a copy of said representative’s/sponsor’s ID or passport, as well as three months of their bank statements or pay slips).

This requirement does not apply to National visa applications for work purposes.

In the case of students, the following is acceptable:

• confirmation of available funds from a bank in Poland; or
• scholarship confirmation
• If the student has a sponsor, this person must prepare a signed declaration of the coverage of all relevant costs together with a copy of his/her ID or passport. This letter (in original) must be Notarized (prepared by a Notary Public) and Apostilled or legalized by the appropriate institution. In addition to this, the sponsor must also provide a signed confirmation of employment letter (in original) which clearly indicates his/her salary/wages, the last 3 months' pay slips and the last 3 months' bank statements . If the sponsor is self-employed, company registration documents confirming his status are required, together with the last 3 months’ bank statements from the sponsor’s personal account (company bank statements will not be accepted). The final balance must show at least R200 000. If the sponsor has a personal credit card, he/she may provide a letter from his/her bank confirming this. The card should have a limit of at least R100 000.

According to the Polish Act on foreigners these documents should not be older than 30 days.

Regarding required funds for students, at least R 100 000 is required to cover 1 year of studies, accommodation and living expenses on the minimum level. It should be remembered that the amount of the sponsor’s income should be sufficiently higher, ensuring the possibility of its maintenance during the declared period of student sponsorship. The above amount is only an estimated cost of living for a student in Poland on the minimum level.

. . . . . . . . . .

Additionally, when applying for a visa for a minor you should present:

• Notarized consent of the child’s/minor’s parent(s) to apply for a visa, prepared by a notary public and confirmed by a high court (Apostilled). If there is only one guardian, it should be proved by a birth certificate, a court decision on exclusive parental custody or a death certificate of the other parent.
• Originals and copies of parents' passports.
• An original and a copy of a birth certificate.

If the child is entered in the parent's or legal guardian’s passport, please submit a separate visa application.  The visa will be pasted into the parent's or the legal guardian's passport.

IMPORTANT: All original documents (passports, certificates, official letters, etc.) MUST be accompanied by COPIES thereof. Copies will not be made at the Consulate, and it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all relevant copies are presented during the visa appointment. It is also the applicant's responsibility to deliver any outstanding documents to the Consulate, should their application be incomplete. The deadline for missing documents is determined during the appointment.

Please note:

• You must apply for a visa in a consular office or the embassy’s consular department in the consular district of your place of residence 
• Usually, the above documents are enough to receive a visa, however, the consul may require additional documents.
• The consul may, but does not have to, invite the applicant for an interview.
• The D-type visa allows you to stay in other Schengen states for 90 days within a 180-day period. It means that you can legally stay in the Schengen area only if your stay was shorter than 90 days over the past 180 days. 
• The D-type visa is valid for a maximum of one year.
• Please note, that receiving the visa does not guarantee that you will enter Poland - the final decision is always made by the Border Guard.

Charges in accordance with the table of consular fees.

Payments are accepted only in cash.

The visa application fee is non-returnable, whatever the consul's decision. 

The decision on the issue of a visa is made within 15 days from the payment date of application fee. If the documents need to be examined in more detail, or if required documents are missing and must be delivered by the applicant, the consideration period may be extended to 30 days.

After the application has been accepted by the Visa Officer in the Consular Section, the applicant will be given a receipt with the date of collection of the passport. National visa processing time is 15 calendar days. The visa may be collected by a courier or representative, who should present an authorization letter which has been signed by the passport holder. There is no need to make an appointment for the collection of the passport. Collection may be done at a later date, although only within consular office hours:

Monday:  12:00-13:00
Tuesday - Friday:  13:00-14:00

In case of a negative visa decision, the consul issues a written decision stating the reasons for it.

If you do not agree with the consul's decision, you may ask to have your visa application re-considered. You must apply for the reconsideration in the office that issued the decision within 14 days of its delivery.

The fee for submitting such an application is the same as for the original application. 

Visa appeals may be submitted:   Tuesday - Friday:  13:00-14:00

• Stamping the admissibility of the application into the applicant's travel document has no legal consequences.

• Some nationalities or holders of certain categories of travel documents are subject to compulsory consultation with national or EU authorities, which may delay the visa issuing process.

• The Embassy of the Republic of Poland strongly warns against making use of unscrupulous agents’ services when applying for visas to Poland. The Embassy and the Consulate does NOT collaborate with any visa agents.