Poland in the UK

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, Armenia, Bangladesh, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, 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 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.

You need a visa to travel to Poland if you are:

• a holder of British refugees travel document (blue), issued on the basis of the Convention of 28 July 1951,
• a holder of the Certificate of Travel (black),
• a holder of stateless person travel document issued on the basis of New Your Convention of 28 September 1954.

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

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, if you use Polish Card privileges or if you are going to work or study in Poland.

This procedure applies to:

A family member of a Polish national; they are:

• a spouse (husband/wife) of a Polish national if he/she meets the requirements altogether mentioned below:
  - a Polish national is going to relocate to Poland and reside there permanently,
  - a Polish national before intended return/relocate to Poland possessed the residence permit for longer time than 3 months in one of the states mentioned in the above act of law, e.g. the United Kingdom,
  - the marriage took place before or during stay in the UK;
• a child under 21 who is dependent on Polish national or his/her spouse if he/she meets the requirements altogether mentioned below:
  - a Polish national is going to relocate to Poland and reside there permanently,
  - a Polish national before intended return/relocate to Poland possessed the residence permit for longer time than 3 months in one of the states mentioned in the above act of law, e.g. the United Kingdom,
  - the family life/ties with Polish national strengthen before or during stay in the UK;
• a parent (the dependent direct relatives in the ascending line and those of the spouse who are dependent on Polish national, his/her spouse) if he/she meets the requirements altogether mentioned below:
  - a Polish national is going to relocate to Poland and reside there permanently,
  - a Polish national before intended return/relocate to Poland possessed the residence permit for longer time than 3 months in one of the states mentioned in the above act of law, e.g. the United Kingdom,
  - the family life/ties with Polish national strengthen before or during stay in the UK.

IMPORTANT! The applicant whose family member – a Polish national – does not meet the above requirements shall apply for the Schengen visa based on general rules (see: "C-Type Schengen visa").

Family members of the EU/EEA or UK nationals who do not have Polish citizenship or do not have a permanent residence in Poland.

Those nationals include:

• nationals of the EU Member States,
• nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

A family member means:

• a spouse,
• a child under 21 who is dependent on an EU national or his/her spouse,
• a parent (the dependent direct relatives in the ascending line and those of the spouse who are dependent on an EU national, his/her spouse).

IMPORTANT! Under the procedure you are eligible to submit your visa application free of charge.

Required documents (originals only; copies are not accepted):

• a printed and signed visa application (filled in online),a recent photo in colour 35 x 45 mm size,
• a passport (valid for at least three months from the date of the planned departure from Poland or the Schengen area, it should contain at least two blank pages and it should have been issued within the last 10 years),
• a valid UK residence permit,
• a document confirming marriage or partnership with an EU national (marriage certificate, birth certificate or proof of dependency, they should be in English or Polish),
• a passport or ID of an EU/EEA national's spouse, child,
• a document confirming that you accompany an EU national in his/her journey or join him/her in their place of residence (booked travel tickets or a written confirmation from an EU/EEA national's spouse).

Visa refusal

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

Please, make sure you hold the original of the document proving the family ties with the EU/EEA citizen (e.g. marriage or birth certificate) when crossing the Polish border. If you are a family member within the meaning of the Directive and you need an entry visa to travel with the EU/EEA citizen or join them, you have to book visa appointment first.

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, Poland.

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