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Poland Visa Policy

Read all about Polish visa policy and discover the travel requirements you need to meet.

Visa Policy for Poland

On this page travelers from every country across the world can learn about the visa policy of Poland and discover the requirements for their nationality.

The visa law of Poland outlines the requirements that foreign visitors need to meet to travel to, enter, and remain in the country. Visa restrictions will vary depending on the traveler’s nationality, the purpose of the visit and the length of stay.

Poland is in the Schengen zone, a group of European countries that has signed an agreement for visa-free travel, and so shares the common Schengen visa policy with the other members.

Consequently, citizens of all 26 Schengen countries are admitted entry visa-free to Poland for an unlimited period of time and any purpose of visit, by presenting a National ID Card at Polish border crossings.

Individuals from over 60 other countries are visa-exempt for Poland for stays up to 90 days within every 180-day period, if they hold a valid passport upon arrival at a Polish immigration checkpoint.

However, individuals from these same countries will be required to meet an additional mandatory requirement by the start of 2022, when the European Commission implements an electronic registration system for visa-free travelers.

Once introduced, it will become compulsory for these citizens to pre-register for this online travel authorization, the ETIAS visa waiver, in order to travel to Poland for business, tourism, or transit purposes.

ETIAS will be a multiple entry travel authorization, which, once approved, is electronically linked to the holder’s passport. Further information about this type of online visa waiver will be outlined in the boxes below.

An additional 150 nationalities must apply for an embassy visa, also known as a Schengen Visa, to travel to Poland no matter the duration of stay or purpose. This must be obtained from a Polish embassy or consulate well in advance of the expected travel dates.

Polish immigration laws do not currently identify any visa bans for any foreign nationalities.

Find more detailed information about Polish visa rules in the boxes below.

Tourist Visa Policy for Poland

Tourists planning a trip to Poland need to check the visa requirements in advance to find out if they require a travel authorization for the country or not.

At the moment, citizens of over 90 countries do not need a visa for Poland for tourism, with the period of visa-free stay permitted varying depending on nationality.

Schengen Area ID-holders can gain tourist entry to Poland for an unlimited period of time, while other visa-exempt nationalities can enter for up to 90 days for tourism by presenting a valid passport at Polish border checkpoints.

In the near future, this will change for non-Schengen nationals with visa exemption for Poland. By 2022, these citizens will be required to submit a registration for ETIAS, a multiple entry online travel authorization, before they can enter Polish borders for tourism purposes.

All other foreign citizens are required to apply for a Polish visa from a government diplomatic office to visit the country for tourism. This kind of tourist visa should be applied for well in advance of the intended date of arrival in Poland, to allow for sufficient processing time.

Find out more about the different visa types for Poland by browsing the boxes below

ETIAS for Poland

The visa policy of Poland, like that of the other countries in the Schengen Area, will change slightly in 2022, as a new requirement for visa-free travelers will be implemented: ETIAS.

The ETIAS online visa waiver program has been approved by the European Parliament with the aim of pre-screening visa-exempt travelers before arrival in the Schengen Area, to strengthen the external borders of Europe.

Eligible citizens will be required to pre-register for ETIAS through a simple online form, to receive an approved multiple entry travel authorization valid for 3 years.

An approved ETIAS for Poland grants the holder a total stay of 90 days per entry in all 26 Schengen Area countries during its 3-year validity, for purposes of tourism, transit, business, or medical treatment.

The simple ETIAS application can be completed in a few minutes, by supplying basic personal, passport, and travel information, as well as answering a few security-related questions.

Once approved, an ETIAS authorization is electronically linked to the applicant’s passport and valid for 3 years from approval, or until the associated passport expires, whichever comes first.

Holders of an approved ETIAS who need to stay longer than 90 consecutive days in the Schengen Area, to visit the territory for purposes other than those allowed with ETIAS, need to apply for a Polish embassy visa.

See the list below to discover all of the nationalities that will be required to have an approved ETIAS to travel to Poland.

Get Embassy Info

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

The Polish visa policy states that there are several nationalities for which a consular or embassy visa is mandatory to travel to Poland. As Poland is a Schengen Area country, this type of visa is also known as a Schengen visa.

Visa-required travelers need to apply for a Schengen visa at the nearest Polish overseas diplomatic mission several weeks before their intended arrival date, to guarantee sufficient processing time before the trip.

Application protocol establishes that the first step is to schedule a visa appointment at the Polish government office, whether an embassy or a consulate.

Once confirmed, the applicant will need to print and complete a Polish Schengen Visa form to bring to the embassy.

This must also supply a range of additional supporting documents depending on the type of visa for Poland they require, whether for tourism, to work or study, for residency, or other purposes.
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All embassy applicants need to present a passport valid for at least 3 months from the intended entry to Poland. They may also be asked to furnish evidence of travel insurance to cover a stay in the Schengen zone, the address where they will stay in Poland, and proof of sufficient funds to cover the trip.

Once approved, a Polish embassy visa only grants entry to Poland, not the entire Schengen Area like an ETIAS visa waiver.

Below you can find a full list of visa-required countries according to the immigration policy of Poland.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list

Click on the links below to find out more about each country
Get Embassy Info

Visa Not Required

Currently, foreign visitors from several countries do not need to hold a visa or a travel authorization in order to gain entry to Poland.

The current list is formed by over 90 nationalities, including all citizens of the Schengen Area, as well as countries like the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, among others.

Travelers with an ID Card from a Schengen country are permitted travel freedom to Poland for an indefinite stay for any purpose.

Visa-free travelers from other countries, on the other hand, must present a valid passport to gain entry to Poland, for short periods of stay for tourism, business, or transit reasons. However, as mentioned in boxes above, this will change in 2022.

From the moment the ETIAS visa waiver program is implemented, all Schengen Area visa-exempt visitors will have to obtain this multiple entry travel authorization, through an online application, to visit Poland for the same periods of stay.

If these same visa-free travelers need to visit Poland for longer consecutive stays, or for purposes not permitted with ETIAS, they are required to apply for an embassy visa.

Browse the list below with all the actual nationalities that are visa-exempt for a travel to Poland.

Visa Not Required: Country list

Click on the links below to find out more about each country
Get Embassy Info

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