Poland in Ethiopia

You can book your appointment online via the e-konsulat system. Interview dates are made available on a regular basis.

Registration of a visa application for a different purpose than indicated in the selected type of a visa/registration section, making substantial changes in the visa application after completing the registration will cause a visa application rejection. Please register visa applications carefully and with proper attention.

Please note that:

1. Applicants must correctly input all of their personal details on the application form during the registration procedure.
2. Applicants must input the correct details of their valid passport.
3. Applicants are obliged to input their complete and personal details on the application form: complete residential address (including the house number, street name, city/town, province, and zip code) AND personal contact details (e.g. email address and landline or mobile number).
4. You are required to show up exactly on time with all required documents.

IMPORTANT NOTICE! The earliest you can apply is 6 months before you intend to travel. You should apply no later than 15 days in advance.

WORK VISA​​​ 

• Appointments for work visas are allocated once a week by automated drawing. If your application was selected for interview we will inform you by email. Registered applications remain valid and take part in drawing in the following weeks, so there is no need to register again.
• You are required to show up exactly on time. It will be not possible to change the assigned date.
• Employees of consular offices cannot interfere with the process of drawing applications, which will be assigned the date of the visit. All information, confirmations, and links to fill in the applications are sent automatically by e-mail to the e-mail address provided by you.
• You must come to the consular office on the selected date with the printed and signed visa form, the original work permit and all required documents.

You can apply at the consular office: 

Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Addis Ababa
Dej. Belay Zeleke Road, Gulele Sub-City, Kebele 08, House No. 583
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel: (+251 11) 157 41 89 or (+251 11) 157 41 90

The visa applications are accepted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays upon prior registration online. 

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

IMPORTANT NOTICE! The Embassy does not collaborate with any agents or commercial visa agencies. These entities are unable to secure visa appointments. The only cost involved is the visa fee charged by the Consulate.

You can book your appointment to apply for a visa via the e-konsulat system. Interview dates are made available on a regular basis.

Please be informed that the only way to register for a visa appointment is via  e-konsulat system. When all appointments are booked the registration service will be temporarily unavailable. Please check the page – new slots are released regularly. New appointments in our system are opened every Monday at 9:00 AM (local time). In case said dates fall on a holiday, the visa slots will be released on the next working day at the same time.

Registration of a visa application for a different purpose than indicated in the selected type of a visa/registration section, making substantial changes in the visa application after completing the registration will cause a visa application rejection. Please register visa applications carefully and with proper attention.

IMPORTANT NOTICE! The Embassy does not collaborate with any agents or commercial visa agencies. These entities are unable to secure visa appointments. The only cost involved is the visa fee charged by the Consulate.

 Please note that:

1. Applicants must correctly input all of their personal details on the application form during the registration procedure.
2. Applicants must input the correct details of their valid passport.
3. Applicants are obliged to input their complete and personal details on the application form: complete residential address (including the house number, street name, city/town, province, and zip code) AND personal contact details (e.g. email address and landline or mobile number).
4. You are required to show up exactly on time with all required documents.

IMPORTANT NOTICE! The earliest you can apply is 6 months before you intend to travel. You should apply no later than 15 days in advance.

1.    A visa application form filled via the e-konsulat system, printed and signed.
2.    A 3.5 x 4.5 cm color photo. The photo must be:
a.    sharp, taken against white background and printed on a 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.
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.
4.    A copy of the passport page with personal data and the photo. 
5.    A person applying for a national visa shall submit a document confirming the possession of travel medical insurance, as referred to in art. 25 sec. 1 point 2 lit. a of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners or a document confirming the possession of health insurance within the meaning of the Act of 27 August 2004 on health care services financed from public funds. Travel medical insurance with an insurance cover of no less than EUR 30,000 must be valid for the period of the intended stay of the foreigner on the territory of the Republic of Poland, 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 services, on the basis of a bill issued by this entity. More information: https://www.gov.pl/web/dyplomacja/wizy - in the tab: Information of the Minister of Foreign Affairs about insurers and insurance offered by them, meeting the conditions referred to in art. 25 sec. 1 point 2 lit. a and paragraph 1b of the Act of 12 December 2013 on foreigners. 
6.    A copy of an ID document to confirm legal residence within the consular district of your application.
7.    Proof that you have enough means of subsistence in the form decided by the mission.

8.    A proof of accommodation (for example, an official invitation or a hotel booking or reservation).
9.    Documents confirming the purpose of your stay Poland.
10.  A flight reservation (round trip) with a Passenger Registration Number. The Embassy advises not to pay for airline tickets prior to visa approval in order to avoid financial loss.

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

• Written consent of the child’s/minor’s parent(s) to apply for a visa, confirmed by a notary. 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.
• Parents’ passports – originals and copies.
• Birth certificate – original and copy.
• 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.

DETAILED LIST OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO BE PRESENTED BY VISA APPLICANTS DEPENDS ON PURPOSE OF TRAVEL

WORK VISA - required documents:

• Work permit.
• Written information from the future employer about the conditions of employment.
• Written evidence of contact with the potential employee, verification of his skills, etc.
• Evidence of the qualifications of the applicant (proof of employment in a given industry, career, certificates, diplomas, etc.).
• Any other documents required for the specific job (permits, authorizations, licenses, etc.).
• Hotel booking or other written proof of accommodation; applicants intending to live with family or friends, or being sponsored by Polish / EU citizens in any other way, are required to submit an invitation registered in the Voivodeship Office.
• Documents regarding the family situation of the applicant (marriage / birth certificates).

STUDY, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT WORK - required documents:

• The original acceptance letter of the unit conducting the studies on admission to studies or on continuation of studies.
• Decision of the relevant Education Board in the Voivodeship where you intend to start your studies regarding the recognition of a secondary school certificate or other certificate from abroad as a document confirming the right to apply for admission to higher education in the Republic of Poland. Here you will find a list of Education Boards with correspondence addresses. In case of problems, we suggest contacting the university/academy and/or higher school where you plan to start your studies. Some certificates are not subject to these requirements due to bilateral agreements on the recognition of education signed by the Republic of Poland – a list and detailed information on the application of these agreements can be found on the website of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
• In the case of people applying for a visa for the purpose of conducting scientific research – an agreement on admitting a foreigner for the purpose of conducting scientific research or development work, concluded with a research unit based in the territory of the Republic of Poland as an employment contract, contract for specific work, contract of mandate or other civil law contract. The contract should specify: the title or purpose of the research or development work or its subject; the researcher's commitment to participate in the conduct of research or development work; commitment of the research unit to provide the researcher with conditions to fulfill his obligation; the start and the end dates or the estimated duration of the research or development work; the researcher's remuneration and other working conditions; information on planned research or development works in the territory of other Member States of the European Union.
• Proof of payment of the fees (if applicable).
• Diplomas being the basis for recruitment for studies with superlegalisation.
• Other additional documents confirming education (eg. English language certificate, course and training diplomas/certificates) with superlegalisation.
• Documents confirming the possession of financial resources to cover the costs of return travel and the costs of stay in Poland. The minimum required amount of financial resources that should is as follows:

If applicant is alone in Poland:

• 2 500 PLN for a return trip;
• cost of accommodation on the basis of hotel booking or rental agreement;
• 776 PLN for every month of stay (776 PLN x 12 months = 9 312 PLN) or their equivalent in a foreign currency.

If applicant stays in Poland with family members:

• 2 500 PLN for a return trip (Dz.U.2022.78 t.j.);
• cost of accommodation on the basis of hotel booking or rental agreement;
• 600 PLN for every month of stay for the applicant and each member of family; or their equivalent in a foreign currency.

Required documents confirming the possession of financial resources (to be selected from the list – there is no obligation to present all of the listed ones):

• Original bank statement from the last 6 months, containing contact details of the bank employee responsible for confirming documents.
• The original certificate of the possession of funds in a bank having its registered office in the territory of the Republic of Poland.
• The original of the sponsorship letter confirmed by the consul or a notary – if the applicant does not cover his stay in Poland by himself. For Ethiopia “Declaration of Consent” – "welena masrega" available at Sub-city offices will be accepted). The sponsor confirms that he has funds to cover the costs of the return trip and the costs of the applicant's stay in Poland on the basis of the documents listed in two abovementioned points. Only a family member may be a sponsor – when submitting the documents, the applicant should present documents confirming the relationship between the applicant and the sponsor.
• A document confirming the granting of a national or foreign scholarship.

Make sure that the higher education institution (HEI) of your choice is eligible to recruit international students. All public (state-owned) universities are eligible. All academic HEIs are eligible, the list is available here. All other HEIs need to go through approval process, the list of approved ones is available here (first link in the bottom part of the page).

VOLUNTEERING, INTERNSHIP - required documents:

• Acceptance letter.
• All documents required by the institution.
• Confirmation of payment of fees (if applicable).
• Documents regarding applicant's family situation (marriage/birth certificates).
• Travel medical insurance valid for the entire period of intended stay plus at least 2 days; valid for all Schengen countries; minimum coverage: 30,000 EUR.
• Hotel reservation or written proof of another accommodation FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF VISA VALIDITY along with the amount of the rental; for applicants planning to stay with family or friends an invitation registered with appropriate Polish authorities (Urząd Wojewódzki) is required.
• Documents confirming the possession of financial resources to cover the costs of return travel and the costs of stay in Poland. The minimum required amount of financial resources that should is as follows:

If applicant is alone in Poland:

• 2 500 PLN for a return trip;
• cost of accommodation on the basis of hotel booking or rental agreement;
• 776 PLN for every month of stay (776 PLN x 12 months = 9 312 PLN) or their equivalent in a foreign currency.

If applicant stays in Poland with family members:

• 2 500 PLN for a return trip (Dz.U.2022.78 t.j.);
• cost of accommodation on the basis of hotel booking or rental agreement;
• 600 PLN for every month of stay for the applicant and each member of family; or their equivalent in a foreign currency.

OFFICIAL MISSION OR OFFICIAL PURPOSES – required documents:

• A verbal note issued by the Ethiopian Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirming that the applicant is a member of an official delegation or on an official mission to a Member State.
• Invitation letter or confirmation of registration from the host organization.

PLEASE, NOTE:

Documents in Amharic, Oromo, Somali or French must be delivered with a translation into English or Polish. Please be informed that all certificates and official papers must be provided in original (for perusal) and copy.

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 visas allow to stay in other Schengen states for 90 days of any 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.

The visa application fee is 150 USD. 

The fees must be paid at the office counter when submitting the application.

Accepted forms of payment: cash.

The visa application fee is non-refundable, whatever is the visa decision. 

Please see updated fees here. 

The consul will make the decision on the visa within 15 calendar days.

Exceptionally, the time to make the decision can be extended up to 30 or 60 days.  

Your passport with visa decision can be collected in the afternoon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, between 14:00 - 15:00. When applying, you will be assigned a collection date and time.

If you disagree with the consul's decision, you have the right to submit an application for reconsideration of your visa application. You have to submit it to the office that issued the visa decision within 14 days of receiving it.

Application for reconsideration can be lodged on Mondays between 10:00-12:00.

Appealing does not require the prior registration online or filling in application form anew. However you should present a letter explaining the reason why you disagree with the consul’s decision. The second decision is final, appeal against it is not possible.

The fee is 150 USD. ​​​​​​

Please note that an appeal cannot be completed by mail or by sending documents through DHL.

If 14 days have already passed, the applicant needs to make a new appointment on-line.

Can a citizen of another country apply for visa at the Embassy?

The Embassy can only accept visa applications from citizens and residents of countries of accreditation. A proof of residence is required.

Can you lodge visa application by mail or e-mail?

No. Visa application must be lodged in person after booking an appointment in the e-konsulat online system.

Can I pay by a bank transfer?

No. Consular fees can only be paid by cash. Please bring the exact amount in USD only.

Do I have to provide a paid plane ticket?

No. A flight booking is required with the visa application. Visa will be granted for the period covering the dates in the booking. Purchasing ticket can be done after visa is granted.