Financial resources required from the foreigner to enter Poland
Pursuant to the Regulation of Minister of Internal Affairs of 23 February 2015 regarding the financial means required from the foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland and documents that can confirm the possibility of obtaining such funds along with the purpose and duration of the intended stay on the basis of the Art. 26 paragraph 1of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 35), every foreigner should have financial resources to cover the costs of:
- subsistence during his/her stay in that territory;
- the return trip to the country of origin or residence;
- transit through this territory to a third country, which will grant the entry permission;
and should possess documents,
- which can confirm the possibility to obtain the abovementioned funds legally.
- which can confirm the purpose and duration of the foreigner's planned stay, if the amount of funds varies due to the purpose or duration of the planned stay.
THE AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL MEAND TO COVER THE COSTS OF LIVING BY THE FOREIGNER DURING THE STAY IN THE TERRITORY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND
A foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland must have financial resources in the amount of at least:
1. 300 PLN, if the period of the planned stay does not exceed 4 days;
2. 75 PLN for each day of the planned stay, if the period of the planned stay exceeds 4 days;
- or the equivalent in a foreign currency.
In the case of a foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland who:
- is a participant of a tourism event, youth camp, sports competitions;
- has already paid for the stay in the Republic of Poland;
- arrives at a health resort and sanatorium;
- is a participant of the program that enables the performance of summer work on the territory of the Republic of Poland, which is not the main purpose of the stay, regulated by an international agreement to which the Republic of Poland is a party.
- must possess financial resources in the amount of at least 20 PLN for each day of the planned stay, however, not less than 100 PLN, or the equivalent in foreign currency.
In the case of a foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland to take up or continue studies, participate in scientific research or training, conduct development activity and take up or continue education:
- s/he must have financial means in the amount of at least 1086 PLN for the first 2 months of the planned stay or the equivalent in a foreign currency.
THE AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO COVER THE RETURN TRIP TO THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OR RESIDENCE AND TRANSIT THROUGH THIS TERRITORY TO A THIRD COUNTRY, WHICH GRANTED THE ENTRY PERMISSION
The foreigner must possess financial resources in the amount equivalent to the ticket on the basis of which s/he arrived to the territory of the Republic of Poland, but not less than:
1. 200 PLN, if s/he arrived from a neighboring country of the Republic of Poland;
2. 500 PLN, if s/he arrived from a Member State of the European Union other than that specified in the point 1;
3. 2500 PLN, if s/he arrived from a non-member state of the European Union - applies to the foreigners arriving from Armenia
- or the equivalent in a foreign currency.
TYPES OF DOCUMENTS THAT MAY CONFIRM THE POSSIBILITY OF OBTAINING FINANCIAL MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW
Documents that can confirm the foreigner's ability to obtain all the required financial resources (to cover the cost of living during the stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland, return travel to the country of origin or residence and/or transit through this territory to a third country that grants the entry permission) are:
- a traveler's cheque;
- a certificate regarding the credit card limit provided by the bank or credit institution that issued the credit card (issued not earlier than one month before the day of crossing the border);
- a certificate regarding the possession of payment means at a bank or credit union or credit institution having its registered office in the territory of the Republic of Poland or in another Member State of the European Union (issued not earlier than one month before the day of crossing the border).
A document that can confirm the foreigner's possession of financial means to cover the return travel costs to the country of origin or residence and/or transit costs through this territory to a third country, which grants the entry permission may also be
- a return ticket that entitles travelling to that country.
In the case of a foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland to take up or continue studies, participate in scientific research or training, conduct development activity and take up or continue education, a document that can confirm the possession of financial resources by that foreigner to cover costs of living may also be
- a document confirming the award of the scholarship to the foreigner.
TYPES OF DOCUMENTS THAT MAY CONFIRM THE PURPOSE AND DURATION OF THE PLANNED STAY OF A FOREIGNER, IF THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL MEANS WITH REGARD TO THE PURPOSE OR DURATION OF THE PLANNED STAY
Documents that can confirm the purpose and duration of the planned stay by foreigners are:
- a document confirming participation in a tourism event, youth camp or sporting event;
- proof of payment for the costs of stay in the Republic of Poland covering at least the costs of accommodation and meals;
- referral to a health resort and sanatorium;
In the case of a foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland to take up or continue studies, participate in scientific research or training, conduct development activities, and take up or continue education, a document that can confirm the purpose and duration of the intended stay by the foreigner is
- a certificate of admission to studies or continuation of studies, participation in scientific research, training, conducting development activity and undertaking/continuing education
DETAILED ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF FOREIGNERS (STUDENTS, RESEARCHERS, INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS) APPLYING FOR D-TYPE VISA
Foreigners applying for a D-type visa who:
1. undertake or continue studies in the territory of the Republic of Poland or conduct scientific research or development activity in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
2. have an internship in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
3. perform voluntary services in the territory of the Republic of Poland
are required to have sufficient financial means to cover the cost of living and return travel costs to the country of origin or residence and/or transit costs to a third country that grants the entry permission.
The minimum amount of financial means to cover the cost of return travel to the country of origin or residence or the cost of transit to a third country, which grants the entry permission is:
- 200 PLN, if s/he arrived from a neighboring country of the Republic of Poland;
- 500 PLN, if s/he arrived from a Member State of the European Union not neighboring the Republic of Poland or a Member State of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) - parties to the agreement on the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation;
- 2500 PLN, if s/he arrived from a country other than those specified in the points 1 and 2 - applies to the foreigners coming from Armenia
- or the equivalent of this amount in a foreign currency.
Documents that can confirm the possibility of obtaining funds to cover the costs of return travel to the country of origin or residence or the cost of transit to a third country, which will grant the entry permission, in the amount set out above, are:
- a traveler's check;
- a certificate regarding the credit card limit provided by the bank or credit institution that issued the credit card;
- a certificate regarding the possession of financial means at a bank or credit union having its registered office in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
- a document confirming the award of a national or foreign scholarship - only in the case of foreigners undertaking or continuing their studies in the territory of the Republic of Poland or conducting scientific research or development activity in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
- a certificate of employment and income - only in the case of foreigners undertaking or continuing studies in the territory of the Republic of Poland or conducting scientific research or development activity in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
- a certificate on covering the costs under the Erasmus+ program or the European Solidarity Corps, issued by the organization, for which the foreigner is going to perform services as a volunteer - only in the case of foreigners performing voluntary services on the territory of the Republic of Poland.
The amount of monthly financial means sufficient to maintain the living of the foreigner, after deducting the funds intended to cover the housing costs, which the foreigner has in order to cover the costs of living, must be higher than the amount of income entitling him/her to cash benefits from social assistance specified in the Act of March 12, 2004 on social assistance in relation to a foreigner and each dependent family member - currently (as of July 8, 2020) the amount of the indicated income entitling to cash benefits from social assistance for a self-employed person is 701 PLN and for a family member 528 PLN.
The above-mentioned deductible funds to be allocated for accommodation costs include at least the amount of fixed fees related to the operation of the occupied premise in the settlement of the number of persons residing in that premise, as well as fees for energy, gas, water and collection of sewage, waste and liquid waste.
This means that when calculating your accommodation costs, you should apply these rules as an example;
1. in the case of a rental agreement - rent paid to the landlord, an advance payment or the maintenance fee of the property/premise (fixed fees for the housing community or cooperative) - unless they have been included in the rent, as well as other charges (e.g. utility charges);
2. in the case of a loan agreement - fees (e.g. utility use) - unless otherwise provided in the contract;
3. in the case of property or real estate ownership - taxes or fees related to the possession of the property (premises), as well as other charges (e.g. utility costs);
4. in the case of accommodation in a hotel (hostel) - payment per night of the accommodation;
5. in the case of accommodation in a student residence - a monthly fee set by the coordinator/administrator and a possible deposit.
In the case of accommodation in other forms, similar rules to determine accommodation costs should apply. If a given living space is inhabited by more than one person - the cost of living is determined in proportion to the number of people.
A foreigner applying for a D-type visa for the purposes set out above (studies, conducting research, internship, volunteering) should submit documents on the basis of which the Consul will be able to determine the accommodation costs and assess whether the foreigner's financial means allow to cover travel costs and the cost of living (as per the minimum value indicated above) and accommodation fees. If s/he does not submit such documents together with the application – s/he has 14 days to complete them.
If it is impossible to determine the costs of living in the aforementioned manner, the amount of financial resources that a foreigner must have in the situations stated above should be determined in accordance with the general rules for foreigners (i.e. based on the provisions of the Regulation of Minister of Internal Affairs of 23 February 2015 regarding the financial means required from the foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland and documents that can confirm the possibility of obtaining such funds along with the purpose and duration of the intended stay) – where it relates to specific groups of foreigners (e.g. students, scientists or other foreigners), also taking into account the conditions under which the foreigner will stay in Poland (e.g. terms of internship or volunteer contract, in so far as they concern the cost of living, cash benefits, etc.).