Foreign students must apply for a Student Visa in the Polish Embassy or consulate in their home country before arriving to Poland. Any student in need of assistance is asked to contact the International Office.
Visa requirements according to the foreigner's nationality:
- European Union and European Economic Area citizens
Temporary residence permit
An EU student can enter Poland with his/her ID document (a valid travel document e.g. passport, or another document certifying his/her identity and citizenship). If a student intends to visit Poland's neighbouring countries (not all of them are EU Member States), a passport is recommended.
For stays of up to 3 months no legalisation of stay will be necessary. For stays exceeding 3 months, an EU student will have to obtain a residence permit (Karta pobytu obywatela UE). In the case of students, the residence permit is issued for one year and can be extended every year until the completion of his/her studies. This document will be issued by the Department of Citizens Affairs of the Voivodeship Office (province administration, in Polish Urząd Wojewódzki). The charge for issuing the residence permit is 30 Polish zloty (ca 7 EUR).
Temporary residence permits will be granted to EU students who have the health insurance document (E-111) and sufficient resources to cover their expences without needing social security support.
Documents that have to be submitted by the student to the Voivodeship Office in order to obtain the residence permit:
- copy of travel document (passport or other ID document)
- health insurance document
- official letter of acceptance from the Polish university (with information about the planned period of study)
- declaration about sufficient resources to cover the subsistence costs in Poland
- 2 photographs
- Application form (Wniosek o zezwolenie na pobyt, in Polish).
Citizens of the EEA countries are subject to the same conditions as EU citizens.
Citizens of Switzerland can enter Poland only on the basis of a valid passport.
For more information look at: www.mazowieckie.pl
More practical information about: arriving to Poland, legalizing your stay, medical care and insurance, recognition of diplomas, driving license, addresses of diplomatic missions of EU and EEA in Poland you will find on the website: http://www.msz.gov.pl/index.php?document=2
Visa requirements
The students of a non-EU/EEA country can enter the territory of Poland on the basis of a valid travel document (passport) and a visa (if required). A student of a non-EU country has to obtain a visa from the consulate of Poland in his/her country of residence. A short-term visa entitles the holder to stay in Poland for up to 3 months, a long-term visa - up to 1 year. Prolongation of a visa in Poland is only possible in cases of force majeure or situations impossible to foresee while applying for the visa in consulate. The visa can be prolonged only once. Students coming for a period of study longer than 3 months are therefore obliged to apply for a visa in a consulate for the whole planned period of stay in Poland. An application form for Polish visa is available at:
http://www.msz.gov.pl/Visa,Application,Forms,2348.html
For complete details of the application procedure please contact a Polish consulate or embassy. 45 days before your visa expiry date you must apply for a residence permit in the Voivodeship where you live.
