Financial Documents Required for Polish National Study Visa Applications

20 Feb 2022

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Studying in Poland is a goal that involves substantial planning, multiple application stages, and extensive documentation. From gathering transcripts and scorecards to writing and submitting entrance essays/statements of purpose/letters of reference to filling out lengthy application forms, there is a lot to do. This isn't the end of the process; once you've been accepted, you'll have to start filling out a whole new set of paperwork for your student visa. The financial paperwork is a crucial part of the process. While the details may differ from country to country and university to university, every document follows a standard format.

This article will point you in the right direction for the many paperwork that a study Poland application will need, including sample forms for financial documents related to study abroad and fundamental good-to-know information. We'll start by going over some of the terminologies that universities and consulates typically use for confirmation of admission and student visa applications, respectively.

What is Proof of Funds (POF) or Financial Capacity?

Proof of Funds or Financial Capacity is one of the most basic requirements for student visa applications. Students are expected to give evidence that they are able to pay not just the fee but also their usual living expenses for the duration of their stay in practically all countries (with the exception of a handful). Some institutions want the same information, but only after they have made you an offer of admission. Regardless of who requests Proof of Funds, the reality remains that Proof of Funds is proof that the student will be able to cover the costs of studying abroad. There are two major components to the costs:

1. Fees and other University charges

To confirm their acceptance offer, students are frequently requested to pay this component in advance. Because the payment is paid in advance, the proof for this component is the receipt of the payments made. Universities usually do not demand students to show proof of future payments. To make matters worse, the fees are frequently altered; there is no set amount. Universities may still want proof of income to verify that you will be able to pay the fee in the future. Sponsorship letters or an Affidavit of Support may be required at times. Some institutions demand verification of funds in the form of a specific minimum balance in dedicated accounts (Poland)

2. Living Expenses

Most of the countries have a basic minimum living expense requirement that is specified. The students are in turn requested to provide proof that they have access to the same. Most of the European Countries require liquid funds in the amount specified available with the student called the statutory fund requirements. In Poland, while there is no statutory amount specified in terms of minimum monthly expense, students would be required to provide proof of financial support and/ or capacity to make the payments. Students need to provide documentary proof that they have access to that amount for the tenure specified. Again, a country might request proof of funds for one year while some might ask for fund availability for the entire tenure of the course’s normal duration. Here is a list of some of the countries and the minimum fund requirements (living expenses) specified.

DOCUMENTS CONFIRMING THE SUFFICIENT FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO COVER COSTS OF LIVING AND RETURN TRAVEL TO THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OR RESIDENCE - applicant applying for a national visa for study must provide a document confirming that he has sufficient financial resources to cover: A. The cost of returning to the country of origin in the amount of 2500 PLN (minimum) to cover returning to the country of origin (other than a country neighboring Poland or an EU/EFTA members), B. Living expenses covering the planned stay: the required minimum for each month of the planned stay is 701 PLN/person, or 528 PLN/each person in the family (if the applicant will stay in Poland with family members). C. Cost of accommodation (documents must be submitted in a way the consul will be able to estimate the cost of living e.g. lease agreement, a decision on the provision of a dormitory, etc.). E.g. Applicants from Non-EU nationals for a 365-day visa must have at least 10912 PLN (701 PLN x 12 months + 2500 PLN) to cover the cost of return and living expenses and additional funds to cover the cost of accommodation. If the monthly payment for a dormitory or renting an apartment is 1000 PLN, then the cost of accommodation will be 1000 PLN x 12 months = 12000 PLN per year. In total, the applicant needs at least 22912 PLN. *Not applicable to National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) scholarship beneficiaries (scholarship programs only waving the tuition fee not included).

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Types of Documents accepted under Proof of Funds

There is no standard list of documents that would be required by countries abroad. As the application process for Poland student visa requirements and accordingly the list of documents that are required as proof of funds. Poland country’s Student Visa/ University requirements list a separate set of acceptable documents. Here is a list of what all they can be, along with samples wherever necessary. Also, often more than one proof (unless a specific account/ deposit is requested) can be combined with another.

1. Bank Account Statements

Simply put, universities and Visa Consulates may demand you to present bank account statements for a particular period of time. Again, the formats are straightforward. Students should keep this in mind.

The statements should be made by the person who is being questioned. For example, if a university accepts a parent's, guardian's, or spouse's financial support, the statement should be from the person's savings account. Some nations, such as Sweden, require monies to be held in the student's personal account, thus the student should maintain track of this. (Note: Current Account Statements are normally not approved, so it's advisable to double-check before sending one.)
It should be a scanned copy of the original statement, not an e-mail statement, with the bank's stamp and signature. A statement is often only a click away with Net-banking. The bank statement, on the other hand, must be authentic, on the bank's letterhead, stamped, and signed by the bank in order to prove financial capacity.
The required tenures should be explicitly stated. Universities and visa consulates frequently want six months' worth of bank statements (the tenure may vary though).

2. Loan Approval/ Disbursement Letter

Students can also provide a Loan Approval Letter as proof of funds. This is easy enough to get from the bank you have applied for a loan from. While the banks might have a set format, the letter essentially conveys the approval of the bank of loaning the specific amount to the student for his higher education abroad. Here are a few things a student should keep in mind:

The letter should be on the bank’s letterhead, duly signed and stamped
The letter should clearly specify the amount of the loan and the student’s name
Should include a promise to disburse the amount as and when specified
Should mention “The Loan of PLN/Euro. _____________ has been fully sanctioned and all terms and conditions are completed except disbursement.”

3. Scholarship Letters

In case you have been given a scholarship, the student can also attach the scholarship letter as evidence of financial capacity. This letter is often provided by the University/ Institution that grants the scholarship. In case you have received a Governmental Grant, you are required to attach a copy of the same as well.

4. Affidavit of Support/ Sponsorship

Students applying to Poland Universities should note that for Poland/European Countries the Sponsorships are quite different in nature. Most of the countries do not accept support documents. They, however, accept Sponsorships from people who are residing in that country. For instance, if you are applying to Universities in France and an uncle is staying in France and is willing to take care of your expenses, then the student would be required to provide a “Letter of Sponsorship”. These are standard formats often available to students by the Visa issuing authority for that country.

MINORS AND ADULTS FINANCIALLY DEPENDENT ON SPONSORS: Letter of sponsorship - it should be noted that the sponsors are required to cover all travel, living, and accommodation expenses of the person applying for the visa.

From the applicant’s parents - the sponsor’s letter must be certified by a notary.

From a third-person - admissibility will be assessed by the consul; the sponsor’s letter must be certified by a notary and legalized/attested/apostilled by MEA/MFA.

Documents confirming the availability of financial resources of the sponsor.

Document confirming relationship with the sponsor (e.g. the family ties) - the exact same spelling of sponsor's name in the document confirming the relationship with the sponsor, in the sponsor’s letter and in the documents confirming the financial resources, is required, e.g. Type of document: Passport,

if parents' names are not correctly or fully indicated in the applicant’s passport, another official document (in Polish or English) confirming the family ties (e.g. birth certificate) legalized/attested/apostilled by the MEA/MFA should be submitted. Please note that affidavits will not be considered official documents in this regard. Birth certificate another document,

Minors

Birth certificate (if applicable, proof of legal guardianship) legalized/attested/apostilled by MEA/MFA.

Copies of signed ID documents of the parents/guardians of the applicant.

Notarized certificate of permission to travel from the parent(s)/guardian(s) not accompanying the minor during the travel, legalized/attested/apostilled by MEA/MFA.

N/A Proof of parent(s)/ guardian(s) accompanying minor during travel:

Death certificate if one or both of the parent(s) is/are dead legalized/attested/apostilled by MEA/MFA. - N/A

Court verdict in case the parents are divorced and/or one of the parents lost custody of the child, legalized/attested/apostilled by MEA/MFA. - N/A

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS - applicants are allowed to submit additional documents that they consider useful to explain/justify the trip. E.g. English Language test such as IELTS {International English Language Testing System} (Band 6.0), TOEFL {Test of English as a Foreign Language} (minimum score of 550 points for the Paper Based Test or 213 points for the Computer Based Test), and CAE (Cambridge English: Advanced) are highly recommended as proof of possessing the necessary language skills for undertaking studies conducted in English. - Optional documents

RESIDENCE PROOF - an official document proving stay in the current jurisdiction.

Passport Data Pages Copy

One copy of the applicant's passport data pages (the first and the last one).

Copy of the pages with Polish/Schengen visas, if issued (if the visas were in the previous passport – a copy of that passport’s data pages - the first and the last one). - N/A (no previous Polish/Schengen visas).

5. Bank Letters

Simply put these are letters that clearly mention the nature of accounts held by the student/ sponsor in the banks as well as the balance in the account. As suggestive, these are provided by the bank and should be accordingly on Bank’s official letterhead, duly signed and stamped. Here is what all the bank letters should include

Name of the person/ persons who hold the account with the bank
The kind of account (savings/ current/ joint) and the tenure of relationship (years for which the person has held the account in that bank)
DOCUMENTS CONFIRMING THE SUFFICIENT FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO COVER COSTS OF LIVING AND RETURN TRAVEL TO THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OR RESIDENCE - applicant applying for a national visa for study must provide a document confirming that he has sufficient financial resources to cover: A. The cost of returning to the country of origin in the amount of 2500 PLN (minimum) to cover returning to the country of origin (other than a country neighboring Poland or an EU/EFTA members), B. Living expenses covering the planned stay: the required minimum for each month of the planned stay is 701 PLN/person, or 528 PLN/each person in the family (if the applicant will stay in Poland with family members). C. Cost of accommodation (documents must be submitted in a way the consul will be able to estimate the cost of living e.g. lease agreement, a decision on the provision of a dormitory, etc.). E.g. Applicants from Non-EU nationals for a 365-day visa must have at least 10912 PLN (701 PLN x 12 months + 2500 PLN) to cover the cost of return and living expenses and additional funds to cover the cost of accommodation. If the monthly payment for a dormitory or renting an apartment is 1000 PLN, then the cost of accommodation will be 1000 PLN x 12 months = 12000 PLN per year. In total, the applicant needs at least 22912 PLN. *Not applicable to National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) scholarship beneficiaries (scholarship programs only waving the tuition fee not included).

6. Loan Capability Certificate

This is a bit different from a Loan Approval Letter and is often asked by universities in the USA at the time of admission, without which they would not issue I-20s (in case you have suggested you would be requiring a loan to fulfill the fund requisites.) This document, as the name suggests, is a “Capability Certificate”, given by banks / financial institutions which suggests that they would be willing to provide a loan to the student should he get admitted to the University Abroad. Here is an example template of the same:

Again, things the Loan Capability Certificate should include the following things clearly,

Name of the student
Willingness and the prima facie promise of the bank to grant a loan
Amount of the loan eligibility
Again, it should be on the bank’s letterhead, duly signed and stamped

7. CA Certificate

Some countries also require what is commonly referred to as a CA Certificate. Prepared by a certified CA, the document specifies the actual assets held by the student/ sponsor as well as the liabilities. This essentially includes both the current assets (like a bank balance, fixed deposits, shares, bonds, etc.) as well as fixed assets (land, property, gold, etc. with an estimated value of the same). The document must be signed and stamped by the CA. Again, there is no fixed format and usually, the CAs have their own formats.

8. GPF/ EPF Statement confirming the ability to withdraw

Many countries also accept the funds available in your/ parent/guardian’s Provident Fund Account. These are an official statement issued by the Provident Fund Disbursing Authority clearly stating the number of funds available in the account along with the ability to withdraw. In case there is a variation in the amount the person can withdraw, the letter should clearly mention the amount that can be withdrawn. Here are the things you should keep in mind

The statement should be on the Provident Fund Disbursing Authority’s Official Letterhead
It should clearly specify the name of the employee/ account holder along with the name of the student. Since the document is only valid if it is a parent, the relationship should be clearly mentioned as well
It should specify the total amount available along with the withdrawable limits
The letter should clearly state that the withdrawals are “non-refundable/ permanent” in nature
Name, contact details of the signing authority along with the stamp should be clearly mentioned as well