Before applying for a visa, you must decide what type of visa you will apply for:

Schengen visa (type C)

Visa for people who intend to stay in Poland or other countries of the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days in each 180-day period. This means that you can stay there legally only if your stay in the countries of the zone did not exceed 90 days during the last 180 days. On the website of the European Commission you can find a special calculator that allows you to calculate how long you can stay in the Schengen countries.

You can apply for a Schengen visa at a Polish diplomatic mission if:

• Poland is the only purpose of your visit to the Schengen area;
• if you are visiting more than one country of the zone, but Poland is the main place of visit;
• if you are unable to determine which of the Schengen countries is your main destination, but this is the first time you cross the border of the zone in Poland.

In exceptional cases, it is also possible to issue the so-called Schengen LTV visa valid only on the territory of selected countries of the zone.

Domestic Visa (Type D)

Apply for this visa if you want to stay in Poland for more than 90 days. The period of validity of this visa, however, may not exceed 1 year. You must select an application for a national visa if you are applying for asylum, repatriation or you are using the rights given to you by the Pole's Card.

Airport Transit Visa (Type A)

Choose this type of visa if you plan only transit through the international zone of the airport located in the Schengen zone and you travel on the basis of a passport of one of the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka.

Who can use the procedure?

REMEMBER: The procedure applies only to family members of EU citizens who do not have Polish citizenship or do not live permanently in Poland. 

EU citizens include:

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

A family member of an EU citizen is considered to be:

• a spouse,
• the partner with whom the EU citizen has contracted a registered partnership under the law of a given Member State, provided that the law of that country recognizes the equality of formal civil partnership and marriage,
• a child not older than 21 years, dependent on an EU citizen, his spouse or partner.

What does the simplified procedure entitle you to:

• The visa application is free of charge.
• Your application will be accepted at the diplomatic mission without prior registration.

Required documents:

• a printed and signed visa application form (filled in on the e-konsulat website );
• a current, color photograph with dimensions of 3.5 x 4.5 cm;
• valid passport;
• a document confirming marriage or civil partnership with the EU citizen;
• a document confirming the fact of accompanying the EU citizen on the journey or joining him at the place of residence.

Refusal to issue a visa

The basis for issuing a negative decision may only be:

• entry into the list of people whose stay in Poland is undesirable;
• negative opinion of the visa authorities, which consider that your stay may pose a threat to the defense or security of the state or the protection of safety, order and public health. 

Refusal to issue a visa by a consul takes the form of a decision. The decision to refuse this type of visa may be appealed against to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

When submitting your visa application, your biometric data will be collected: a photo in the case of a national visa and a photo and fingerprints for Schengen visa applications.

If you have applied for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months and your fingerprints have been collected, you will not have to re-submit them - the system will automatically transfer your data.

The following persons are exempt from the obligation to collect fingerprints:

• children under the age of 12;

• C-type visa - submission of the application

   

  Where will you handle the matter?

  You can submit the application to the territorially competent consular office of the Republic of Poland.

  How do you make an appointment?

  You can book your appointment in the e-konsulat system . (The dates are available from Monday to Thursday from 8.30-13.00)

  What documents do you need to submit?

  1. A completed , printed and signed visa application form in the e-konsulat system  .
  2. Color photo measuring 3.5 x 4.5 cm. The photo should be:
     1. sharp, made on a white background and printed on high-quality paper,
     2. not older than 6 months,
     3. taken straight, showing the eyes and face clearly on both sides from top of head to top of shoulders, so that the face covers 70-80% of the photo. Please take off your hat for the photos.
  3. Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least 3 months from the date of the planned return, with at least 2 blank pages. If you have a second valid passport, it must be attached to the visa application.
  4. A copy of the page in the passport with personal data and a photo.
  5. Applicants for a Schengen (uniform) visa for single or double entries shall demonstrate that they have adequate and valid travel medical insurance covering any expenses that may arise during their stay (s) in the territory of the Member States relating to the need to return for medical reasons, the need for urgent medical care, emergency inpatient treatment or death. Multiple-entry applicants shall demonstrate that they have adequate and valid travel medical insurance for the period of their first intended visit. The insurance must be valid throughout the territory of the European Union Member States and cover the entire period of the planned stay. The minimum amount of insurance is EUR 30,000.
  6. A copy of the identity document confirming residence in the consular district of the facility where you apply for a visa.
  7. Confirmation of financial resources in the form determined by the facility:

  • valid bank account status certificate.

  8. Document confirming the accommodation (e.g. official invitation or hotel reservation).
  9. Documents confirming the purpose and conditions of the planned stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

  Additionally, when applying for a visa for minors, provide:

  • Written, notarized consent of the parent / parents to submit a visa application. If there is only one guardian, this must be documented by presenting a birth certificate, a court order granting sole parental responsibility or a death certificate of the other parent;
  • Parents' passports - original and copy;
  • Birth certificate - original and copy.

  If the child is entered in the parent's or legal guardian's passport - submit a separate visa application. The visa will be pasted into the parent's or legal guardian's passport.

  Remember:

  • You must apply for a visa at the diplomatic mission whose consular district is your place of permanent residence. 
  • As a rule, the above-mentioned documents are sufficient to issue a decision, but the consul may request additional documentation.
  • Apply for a visa no earlier than 3 months before the planned trip.
  • The consul has the right to invite the applicant for an interview at the office, but does not have to do so.
  • The submission of forged documents and the provision of false information may result in a ban on entry to the Schengen states.
  • The visa does not guarantee entry into the territory of the Schengen area - the final decision is always made by the services of the country where you plan to cross the border of the area.

  What is the completion date?

  The consul has 15 calendar days to make a visa decision. In exceptional cases, this period may be extended to 30 or 60 days. 

  How will you pick up the documents?

  Personally. The Consular Section is open to parties from Monday to Thursday from 9-13.00.

  How can you appeal?

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

  Fee for submitting such an application according to the Table of Consular Fees .

  The Consular Section is open to parties from Monday to Thursday from 9-13.00.

  Withdrawal or annulment of a Schengen visa

  If you received a decision to revoke or annul a Schengen visa with which you do not agree, you have the right to request a retrial. However, if you have applied for the withdrawal of your Schengen visa yourself and the consul has granted this request, you are not entitled to appeal against such a decision.  

  The application for reconsideration of the case by the consul should be submitted within 14 days from the date of receipt of the decision on annulment or withdrawal of the Schengen visa at the seat of the office which issued the decision.

  [information about the facility about dates and times and the receipt of requests for reconsideration of the application]

  The application for reconsideration of the case in the event of withdrawal or annulment of a Schengen visa is free of charge.

  Complaint against refusal to issue a Schengen visa, decision to withdraw or annul a Schengen visa and the consul's activities in this regard

  If, after considering your application for reconsideration, the consul issued another decision to refuse, annul or revoke the visa, with which you do not agree, you are entitled to appeal to the Provincial Administrative Court in Warsaw. The complaint should be submitted through the consul who made the decision within 30 days from the date of receipt of the decision made as a result of the reconsideration of the case.

  When forwarding the complaint to the consul, you do not pay any fees to the consul, however, the proceedings before administrative courts are subject to fees. So you have to reckon with the fact that you will be called by the court to pay the court fee. Information on the amount of court fees in the event of submitting a complaint to the administrative court and the possibility of applying for exemption from the costs of proceedings and the language of the proceedings can be found on the following page:

  http://bip.warszawa.wsa.gov.pl/133/wpis-sadowy-zasady-dokonyienia-wpisu.html

  Source: https://www.gov.pl/web/chorwacja/wiza-typu-c