Poland in the UK

• Visa applications must be submitted no earlier than six months and no later than 15 calendar days before the start of the planned journey.
• For seafarers performing their duties, applications can be submitted up to nine months in advance.
• IMPORTANT! Holding a visa does not guarantee entry into Poland or the Schengen Area. The final decision is always made by the Border Guard at the point of entry.

IMPORTANT! Before you apply, decide which visa you need.

Airport Transit Schengen Visa (A-Type)

Choose this visa type if you plan to pass through the international transit area of a Schengen airport and you are a citizen of one of the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Armenia
• Bangladesh
• Cuba
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Iran
• Iraq
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Somalia
• Sri Lanka

IMPORTANT! You do not need to apply for an A-type visa if you:

• hold a diplomatic passport,
• are a member of an EU citizen’s immediate family,
• hold a C-type or D-type visa or a residence permit issued by an EU Member State,
• possess any of the residence permits listed in Annex V of the Community Code on Visas, issued by: Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the United States of America,
• have a valid visa for a European Economic Area country, Canada, Japan or the United States of America; or if you are returning from these countries after using such a visa.

Schengen visa (C-Type)

• Choose this visa if you plan to stay in Poland and/or other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days in each 180-day period of time.
• This means that you are permitted to stay in the Schengen zone continuously or intermittently, as long as your total stay does not exceed 90 days within the last 180 days.
• A special calculator on the European Commission’s website will help you count how long you can stay in Schengen countries.

You can apply for a Schengen visa at the Polish Embassy in London 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 in terms of the length of stay counted in days or the purpose of stay,
• you do not know which Schengen country will be your main destination, for instance, because you plan to stay an equal number of days in each but you cross the Schengen border for the first time in Poland.

Schengen visa (C-Type) for transit through the territory of Poland

Choose this visa type if you plan to transit through the territory of the Republic of Poland.

IMPORTANT! Schengen visa (C-Type) for transit is not required if:

• the traveler already holds a valid C-type visa,
• the traveler is flying and does not leave the airport transit zone (does not cross the border).

This exemption does not apply to nationals of countries listed under the Airport Transit Schengen Visa (A-Type) section when transiting through the international zone of a Schengen airport.

National visa (D-Type)

Choose this visa type if your stay in Poland will exceed 90 days. A national visa is valid for a maximum period of one year.

Who is eligible:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The procedure applies to the foreigners who travel to a Member State that is a different EU Member State than the country of citizenship of their family member, or who already reside in that country. 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 requirements for visa applications

When applying for a visa, you must provide biometric data:

• For a national visa, only a photograph is required.
• For a Schengen visa, both a photograph and fingerprints are required.

Exemptions for fingerprint submission:

• If you have applied for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months and provided your fingerprints, you do not need to give them again. The system will automatically retrieve your data.
• The following applicants are exempt from providing fingerprints:

1. Children under 12 years of age.
2. Persons physically unable to provide fingerprints (e.g., due to the absence of fingers or temporary injuries).
3. Heads of state or government, members of national governments, their accompanying spouses, and members of official delegations invited for official purposes.
4. Monarchs and high-ranking members of royal families invited for official purposes.

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

Complaints regarding personal data protection are managed by the Inspector General for Personal Data Protection: ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warszawa, Poland.