The Republic of Poland is becoming more and more popular among the citizens of Belarus, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and other CIS countries. They are attracted not so much by tourism or shopping as by the European opportunities that this country opens up for them. Therefore, the number of immigrants to Poland is increasing every year. Anyone who wants to live in this country, study in secondary and higher educational institutions, find a well-paid job, as well as those who have a Pole Card, will need a national visa to Poland.
Polish national visa: what you need to know
The EU Visa Code defines a long-term national visa of European states (the time of stay is more than three months in half a year) as type D. Foreign citizens who have acquired the right to study (enrolled in a Polish educational institution), have entered into an employment agreement can apply for a national visa to Poland with a Polish employer or own a Pole's Card.
Visa D entitles you to stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland from 90 days to one year, depending on the purpose of your visit.
At the same time, the national visa of the Republic of Poland allows you to move and stay in other member states of the Schengen zone, but not longer than three months in half a year.
By the number of border crossings, category D visas are divided into single, double and multiple entry visas. In particular, with a single entry visa, only one entry into the country is allowed, a double entry allows you to do this twice, and a multiple entry visa does not restrict a foreigner's right to leave the country and re-enter it as needed.
Registration of a national visa: required documents
To open a national visa for Poland, you must prepare a package of documents. The registration procedure begins with the preparation of a visa application.
When filling out the questionnaire, you must fulfill a number of conditions:
- The application form is completed by the applicant using a computer or pen in block letters in Latin (when writing Russian words, transliteration should be used) without errors and corrections.
- An application for a visa requires the introduction of personal information about a foreigner: full name, year and place of birth, citizenship, etc. All information entered must strictly correspond to the entries in the applicant's passport.
- It is also necessary to indicate information about the planned duration of stay in Poland, dates of entry and exit, information about the host organization, availability of finances, etc.
In addition to the application, the following documents (originals and copies) are required for a national visa:
- international passport (a copy of the first page is required). You should pay attention to the validity of the passport: it must be valid for at least three months after the expiration of the validity of the visa. The passport must have at least two blank pages;
- internal passport (photocopy of all completed pages);
- insurance policy with a minimum coverage of 30 thousand euros. When applying for a multiple entry visa, the insurance must fully cover the duration of the first entry;
- two actual color photos (35 x 45 mm) without a headdress, full face. The face should cover 70 to 80% of the photo. The background must be white. One photo should be pasted in the upper right corner of the application form.
In addition, it is necessary to submit documents confirming the purpose of the trip to Poland.
Documents that will be needed to confirm the purpose of the trip
A mandatory requirement for opening a visa is confirmation of the purpose of the trip. Persons with Polish roots can take advantage of some benefits, but for this they must have a Pole Card. As a bonus, they will receive a national visa with a Pole Card without registration and exemption from paying visa fees.
Foreign citizens who apply for a visa in order to find a job in Poland must have with them the original and a copy of one of the documents:
- work permit from the voivode;
- guarantees of employment in Poland from another entity authorized to issue similar documents for those types of activities when permission from the voivode is not required (for example, at the invitation of the university administration);
- an application for the assignment of work to a foreigner who is registered with the provincial employment authorities.
Foreigners who go to study in Poland must present:
- a certificate of enrollment in a secondary or higher educational institution (original and copy), in the case of a contract form of study - confirmation of payment for studies;
- proof of sufficient financial condition of the student (certificate of scholarship, letter of sponsorship from one of the parents, confirmation of their family ties, certificate from the parents' place of work or bank account statement for three months).
Students are required to own the amount of 1600 zlotys (or its equivalent in euros or US dollars) to pay for their stay in the country for the first two months. In the absence of health insurance, an additional amount is required at the rate of PLN 300 per day within a month from the date of entry.
Originals of student / pupil tickets from the host educational institutions, certificates of enrollment for courses can also be considered as documents confirming the purpose of the trip. For more information on how to obtain a visa for study, read the material "Student visa to Poland".
Requirements for underage applicants
The opening of a visa to foreign citizens who have not yet reached the age of majority has some peculiarities. Such persons must additionally provide:
- birth certificate (copy and original);
- copies of parental (guardian) passports (for a joint trip);
- the consent of the parent (guardian), if the trip is made by a minor independently or with one of the parents (the document must be certified by a notary).
Submission of biometric data for obtaining a national visa
Since 2021, the states that are part of the Schengen zone have tightened the requirements for the issuance of Schengen visas, in particular, the mandatory submission of biometric data for the applicant was introduced (only children under 12 years old are exempt from fingerprinting). These measures are aimed at enhancing security and control over migrants.
However, the procedures for obtaining national visas in most EU countries were not affected by these innovations. Therefore, applicants do not need to submit their biometric data (fingerprints, digital photo, electronic signature) to open a Polish national visa in 2021. This requirement applies only to those cases when it comes to opening one of the Schengen visas to Poland.
How to submit documents correctly
You can submit paperwork for opening a national visa, by choice, at one of the consular offices of Poland in the country of residence or at the nearest visa application center (visa center) at least seven days before the planned trip. Here you can make an appointment for a visa.
Each applicant must submit a visa application and a package of necessary documents in person. For a minor child, the parent / guardian signs the application.
If there is a record of a minor son or daughter in the parent's passport, an application for a child to open a visa is still submitted, and a ready-made permit will be pasted into the parent document.
The visa fee can be paid directly on the day of submission of documents.
The procedure for submitting documents to the consular department
The main condition for submitting an application and documents to the Polish consulate is the use of e-konsulat services.To do this, you need to fill out an application online and register it (without this procedure, the consulate will not consider it).
To register an application, you should:
- go to the website http://www.e-konsulat.gov.pl/;
- specify the country and select the required consulate in the Russian Federation (in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad or Irkutsk). On the opened page in the "Menu" select "National Visa - Register the form";
- read the instructions, enter the captcha and select "Next";
- choose a suitable date for a visit to the consulate and "Register";
- fill out an application form;
After the questionnaire is completed, you should carefully check it (if there are errors, it can be denied to issue a visa) and save. It should be borne in mind that a certain time is allotted for filling out the questionnaire and registering - from 30 minutes to an hour. Otherwise, all entered data will be canceled.
The completed application form, together with the issued barcode and number, should be printed, dated and signed, and a photo should be pasted. Then, at the appointed time, you need to come to the reception at the consular office, pay the visa fee and submit an application.
The procedure for submitting documents to the visa center
To speed up and simplify the procedure for obtaining a permit to enter Poland, all papers can be submitted to one of the visa centers that are open and operate in consular districts. At the Visa Application Center, visitors have the opportunity to:
- get advice on all visa issues of interest;
- fill out an application and submit documents for opening a national visa;
- pay consular and service fees;
- get a passport with a ready-made visa;
- order services for an additional fee (assistance in filling out the questionnaire, photocopying, photographing, etc.).
The addresses of the visa centers can be found on the website of the Polish Embassy.
For more information on where to go, visit the VFSGlobal website. It is necessary here:
- select the required consular district of Poland;
- find the nearest visa application center in the proposed list (for example, St. Petersburg);
- get contact information about the center.
After that, you should visit the selected center during business hours and submit an application and documents. Application forms are available at the center free of charge.
Cost and terms of issuing a national Polish visa
In addition to providing a package of necessary official papers, you will also need to pay a consular fee, which includes all the costs of considering and applying for a national visa.
The amount of the fee for citizens of the Russian Federation and a number of other CIS states is 60 euros, for Belarusians - 20 euros, for Ukrainians the payment of the fee is not provided. If a visa is refused, the paid consular fee will not be refunded to the applicant.
All services of the visa center are paid. A service fee is charged on account of their payment, which is 19.50 or 23 euros (the amount depends on the city in which the documents are submitted).
Visa applications are processed at the consular offices of Poland within five calendar days. In special cases, this period can be increased to 30-60 days, for example, if it is necessary to provide additional documents.
An urgent visa opening (two or three days before the start date of the trip) is possible for an additional fee. Citizens of Ukraine must pay 30 euros for such a visa, and 90 euros for Russia. For citizens of Belarus, an urgent option for obtaining a visa is not provided
How to check the readiness of a Polish visa
When submitting documents, the applicant receives a receipt indicating the date of readiness of the passport with a visa. However, if you wish, if the visa center is involved in the processing of documents, you can check the readiness of the visa by tracing the status of your application on the VFS Global website by selecting the menu item “Tracking the status of your application”.
For verification, you need to enter the registration number of the application and the expiration date of the passport.
Visa centers also offer a notification service (three text SMS) about the status of the application. The cost of the service is 100 rubles including VAT.
However, this service can also be obtained free of charge, as a bonus, by applying for any of the additional service packages at the visa application center: for filling out a questionnaire, photographing, copying services, and others.
Refusal to open a national visa: reasons and possibility of appeal
One should not think that obtaining a national Polish visa is not difficult at all. Practice shows that employees of Polish consulates are distinguished by their integrity.
Among the reasons why an applicant may be refused a visa, the following should be highlighted:
- the submitted documents contain false information or are fake;
- the purpose of the trip to Poland has not been documented;
- there are not enough funds to stay in Poland;
- mistakes were made when filling out the visa application;
- the applicant has a criminal record;
- the visa opening fee has not been paid.
The reasons for the refusal will be stated in writing and presented to the applicant upon return of the passport. After becoming acquainted with the reasons for refusing to open a visa, the applicant has the right to re-apply. For re-examination, you will have to pay 60 euros.
It is also possible to appeal the refusal at the Embassy, where you may be invited for a personal meeting. This must be done within seven days of receiving the refusal. The consul's decision after appeal is final.
Interesting fact. Most of the legal workers who entered Poland on a national visa came from Ukraine. At the end of 2021, more than 900 thousand Ukrainians worked here. The second place is taken by Belarusians - 15 thousand, the third place is taken by the citizens of the Russian Federation - more than 10 thousand.
Let's summarize
The Polish national visa category D is very popular among foreigners who want to find a job or enter an educational institution in Poland.
To apply for a national visa, you must adhere to a certain algorithm of actions: prepare all the necessary documents, contact the consular office of Poland or a visa center, submit a visa application and a package of official papers, pay the fee and receive an answer in due time. For a minor applicant, a number of additional papers will be required.
In case of refusal to apply for a national visa, the applicant can appeal this decision within a limited time.
