Poland in Ireland

Before you apply, you must decide which visa you need:

Airport transit Schengen visa (A-Type)

choose this visa type if you plan to pass through an international transit area of a Schengen airport travelling with a passport of one of these states:  Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka.

Schengen visa (C-Type)

Choose this visa if you plan to stay in Poland or other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days in each 180-day period of time. This means that you are allowed to stay in the Schengen zone legally only if your stay in Schengen countries did not exceed 90 days over the last 180 days. A special calculator on the European Commission’s website  Na stronie Komisji Europejskiej will help you count how long you can stay in Schengen countries.

You can apply for a Schengen visa in a Polish diplomatic mission 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;
• you do not know which Schengen country will be your main destination, but you cross the Schengen border for the first time in Poland.

In exceptional cases it is possible to issue a Schengen LTV visa which is valid only in the territory of selected Schengen states.

Consultations are required for holders of passports listed below:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus (for holders of diplomatic and service passports), Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Russian Federation, Philippines, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Cameroon, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Democratic Republic of Congo, North Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Palestinians, Refugees, Stateless people.

National visa (D-Type)

Choose this visa if you want to stay in Poland for more than 90 days. The validity of a national visa cannot exceed one year. You also need to apply for a national visa if you seek asylum, repatriation, or if you use Polish Card privileges.

Information of the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the insurers and the insurances that they offer, which meet the necessary conditions referred to in Article 25 (1) (2) (a) and Article 25 (1b) of the Act of 12 December 2013 on Foreigners is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Who is eligible:

Facilitations for family members of the EU/EAA citizens based on transposed Directive 2004/38/EC into national law.

IMPORTANT: Rules below applies only to those family members, who accompany or join the EU/EEA citizens who move to or reside in a Member State other that of which they are nationals.

The following persons are defined as family members of the EU/EEA citizen:

• the spouse,
• the direct descendants who are under the age of 21 or are dependants and those of the spouse,
• the dependent direct relatives in the ascending line and those of the spouse.

An applicant must present documents proving that he/she is a beneficiary of the aforementioned definition. If a person fails to provide such evidence must apply for visa under the rules of the Visa Code, see general requirements for Schengen visa.

Members of the EU/EAA citizens may apply for the appointment by sending the copies of the documents proving that he/she is a beneficiary of the aforementioned definition at dublin.visa@msz.gov.pl. In that case the date of the appointment shall be proposed individually.

The list of required visa documents:

1. Schengen visa application form filled via the e-konsulat system, printed and signed.
2. A 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour 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 from 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. Valid passport/travel document.
4. IRP/GNIB card valid 3 months after departure from Schengen Area.
5. Passport of your EU spouse (original).
6. Marriage certificate (original), birth certificate (original), proof of dependency (original, if issued by third country shall be legalized and translated into English or Polish).
7. Proof of traveling together with the EU citizen or joining the EU citizen in Poland,
8. Visa fee - free of chargé.

Additional documents may be requested after the meeting.

Visa refusal:

You can have your visa application refused only if:

• your data are in the register of foreigners whose stay on the Polish territory is undesirable,
• visa authorities have considered that your stay might pose a threat to national defence or national security or to the protection of public safety, order and health.

A consul refuses a visa in the form of a decision. You can appeal against the refusal to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

When you apply for a visa, you have to provide your biometric data: a photo in the case of a national visa and a photo and fingerprints in the case of a Schengen visa.

If you have already applied for a Schengen visa in the recent 59 months and if you have given your fingerprints, you do not have to give them again – the system will automatically transfer your data.

The following applicants do not have to give their fingerprints:

• children under 12;
• persons who are physically unable to give their fingerprints (because they do not have fingers or they suffer from a temporary finger trauma); 
• heads of states or governments, members of national governments and their accompanying spouses and members of official delegations if they are invited for official purposes;
• monarchs and high-ranking members of royal families, if they are invited for official purposes.

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

Complaints concerning personal data protection are handled by the Inspector General for Personal Data Protection, address: ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warszawa.