This guide should not be considered legally binding. It was made sure it was compliant with binding legal regulations. However, it is necessary to remember that it concerns typical and frequently occurring cases, and as such, it may not entirely fully refer to every patient case. The number and type of documents that administrative authorities may require during the procedure may differ from the list below. In case of doubts, it is necessary to contact the authority competent for the individual case or independently review legal regulations.

General requirements

Poland is among Schengen countries. If you come to Poland to work as a researcher, you need

  • a valid travel document (Identity Document or Passport), 
  • national visa,
  • or a temporary residence permit.

However, citizens of EU member states may stay in Poland for 90 days without registration.  Citizens of countries that  Poland has agreed to visa-free travel with may also stay up to 90 days.

Who can apply for a national visa or a temporary residence permit for scientists?

A national visa or a temporary residence permit to conduct scientific research may be granted to a researcher, i.e. a foreigner who holds a professional title equivalent to a Master’s degree in Poland or higher, which authorises them to apply for PhD degree studies and whose purpose of stay in Poland is to conduct scientific research or development activities.

Legislative requirements

Scientists coming from EU member states, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland with a valid travel document (ID or passport), may stay and work freely in Poland for an uninterrupted max of  3 months without any registration. After 3 months, they need to register and obtain the right of residence. The Hospitality Manager will assist you with completing and submitting the application and other required documents.

Residence registration procedure

The registration procedure is easy and free of charge. The required application form - for the residence registration must be submitted in person to the voivode  Masovian Voivodeship Office   (Urząd Wojewódzki)  no later than the next business day after the expiration of 3 months period starting from the date of entering the territory of the Republic of Poland. However, it is highly recommended to apply much earlier due to currently lengthy procedures. 

You need to submit the following documents:

  • 1 copy of the application form for stay registration: application form for residence registration of an EU citizen;
  • 1 copy of valid travel document - ID or passport, or other valid document confirming identity and citizenship (1 copy of all saved pages, original document available on request),  
  • employment contract or employment certificate issued by the employer (original document available on request).  

For more information about the residence registration of an EU citizen and application forms, go to:

Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki

 Citizens of the EU with families

Family members who are EU citizens whose stay lasts longer than 3 months are also required to register their visit.  A family member who is not an EU citizen must obtain a residence card of an EU citizen’s family member. Additional documents confirming the relationship must be submitted (Polish sworn translation). The requirement of personal submission does not apply to minors. The Hospitality Manager will assist you with completing and submitting the application and other required documents.

A family member of an EU citizen should be understood as an alien being or not a citizen of the EU: a spouse of an EU citizen and children.

More information about registration and legalisation of your family member’s stay:

Office for foreigners

Scientists from outside the EU have to obtain a national D-type visa, also called „no. 13” with "researcher” annotation. It is issued for a maximum one year time period - to perform scientific research or development work. When the stay exceeds one year, it is obligatory to apply for a temporary residence permit, which is issued for a max. of 3 years with a possibility to extend. 

The Hospitality Manager will assist you with completing and submitting the application for a temporary residence permit, as well as other required documents.

Note! Non-EU citizens of countries with which Poland has agreed on visa-free traffic  (visa-free traffic- list of countries)  cannot stay longer than 90 days.  A temporary residence permit is required after that period. Due to the waiting time for a residency permit, which may be extended, it is advisable to apply for a visa before coming to Poland at a consular office or the embassy’s consular department in the consular district of your place of residence. 

Researchers from visa-free traffic countries are allowed to work in Poland starting from the first day of their stay without a visa.

Visa application procedure – national D-type visa with “researcher” annotation, called “no. 13”

What does the national D-type visa entitle you to?

A holder may stay in the territory of Poland throughout its validity. It enables travelling within the Schengen zone for three months every six months, calculated from the date of first entry to the territory of an EU member state and allows you to travel between your home country and Poland.

Where to apply?

You apply for a visa and submit an application in a consular office or the embassy’s consular department only in the consular district of your place of residence. You do it via the e-konsulat system.

First, to apply for a visa, you have to register online at https://secure.ekonsulat.gov.pl.   

Do I have to apply in person?

Visa application form must be submitted in person. The diplomatic mission does not accept application forms sent via fax, regular mail or e-mail.

How to book an appointment?

In order to apply for a visa, please book your appointment via the e-konsulat system.

Remember to apply for a visa no later than two weeks before the planned departure.

What documents do I need to submit? 

  1.  Visa application form filled via the e-konsulat system printed and sign
  2. 3.5 x 4.5 cm colour photo. The photo must be:
    • clear, taken against a white background and printed on quality paper,
    • not older than 6 months,
    • taken from the front, clearly showing the eyes and face from both sides from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders with the face being 70-80% of the photo. No headwear is allowed.
  1. Passport issued within last ten years, valid for at least three months from the expected return date, with at least two blank pages for visas.
  2. Copy of the passport page with personal data and the photo. 
  3. Healthcare insurance is valid across the European Union for less than EUR 30,000. Insurance data stated in your employment contract is enough, and travel medical insurance for at least EUR 30,000 for the time until signing the employment contract, if necessary.
  4. Copy of an ID to confirm legal residence within the consular district of your application.
  5. Proof that you have enough means of support. Data on your salary stated in the employment contract should be enough.
  6. Proof of accommodation (for example, an official invitation or a hotel booking or reservation or NCBJ confirmation of assistance in finding an apartment).
  7. Documents confirming the purpose of your stay in Poland. j.  Visa fee.

Additionally, when applying for a visa for a minor, you must provide: 

    1. written consent of the child’s/minor’s parent(s) to apply for a visa, confirmed by a notary. If there is only one legal guardian, it needs to be proved by a birth certificate, a court decision on exclusive parental custody, or the other parent's death certificate.
    2. originals and copies of parents' passports.
    3. an original and a copy of a birth certificate.
    4. if the child is entered in the parent's or legal guardian’s passport, please submit a separate visa application.  The visa will be pasted into the parent's or the legal guardian's passport.

Please note:    

Usually, the above documents are enough to receive a visa. However, the consul reserves the right to ask for additional documents.

The consul may, but does not have to, invite the applicant for an interview.

Please note that receiving a visa does not guarantee that you will enter Poland - the final decision is always made by the Border Guard.

How much does it cost?

It depends on the consular district of your place of residence, where the Polish Consulate is based. You should check the fee directly on the consulate website and the payment form.

The visa application fee is not refundable regardless of the consul's decision.

The Consulate Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland reserves the right to return incomplete documentation at the applicant's own risk and cost. The fee will not be refunded. 

How long is the waiting time?

The decision on issuing a visa is made within 15 business days from the payment date of the application fee. If the documents need to be examined in more detail, the waiting period may be extended to 30 days. In urgent and justified cases, the decision can be made within three business days.

How to collect the documents?

In-person, during the office hours of the Consulate. Check the hours on their website.

How to appeal?

The applicant may appeal against the decision to refuse/annul/revoke a national visa issued by the consul.

The request for re-examining the visa application should be filed within 14 days from receiving the decision with the consul who gave the said decision.

Re-examination of the application is NOT free of charge. 

Application for the re-examination can be filed during office hours of the Consulate.

List of Polish diplomatic representatives in the world:

Diplomatic representatives

Residence registration procedure – Temporary Residence Permit

 What does the card entitle to?

If you have a residence permit or a national type D visa for scientists issued by another EU Schengen country or you are a citizen of a country Poland has signed a visa-free traffic agreement with. You have a valid travel document (passport), then you are allowed to travel within the territory of the Schengen Area for a period of max. 90 days within every  180 days. Therefore, you can come to Poland for a period of up to 90 days.

Whether you are entitled to work based on your visa or residence permit depends on the purpose for which the document has been issued; for example, you cannot work with a tourist visa. 

This permit entitles you to perform work without the need to obtain an additional work permit. The residence card issued in connection with granting a temporary residence permit has an annotation "access to the labour market" and "scientist".

Important!

Suppose your visa or previous residence permit has expired and you are waiting for a new residence permit. In that case, you are not allowed to cross borders within the European Union Schengen area. You are only authorised to go to your home country. Still, then to come back to Poland, you will need to get another visa (if required) in a consular office or the embassy’s consular department in the consular district of your place of residence.

How long is the card issued for?

The residence permit can be issued for a minimum period of 3 months and a maximum period of 3 years, and then you have to apply for a new temporary residence permit.

Where and how to apply?

To obtain a temporary residence card, you must submit an application for a temporary  residence permit (residence card).  You must be present in the Masovian Voivodship Office (MVO) in Warsaw (Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki w Warszawie) at the latest on the last day of your legal stay in Poland.  However, it is highly recommended to apply much earlier due to currently lengthy prolonged procedures. The requirement of submission in person does not apply to minors. 

A complete application with fingerprints can only be submitted during the appointment.

Registration of visits takes place via the online calendar:

Link: https://kolejka-wsc.mazowieckie.pl/rezerwacje/pol

or you can either submit the documents by sending them by mail to the address:

Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki w Warszawie  Wydział Spraw Cudzoziemców  

ul. Marszałkowska 3/5

 00-624 Warszawa

 or at the OFF's Registry office: 

Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki w Warszawie          

pl. Bankowy 3/5,

entrance F from the Al. Solidarności street

In all cases, you will be asked to visit the MVO to leave your fingerprints and present original documents for inspection.

All documents required to be attached to the application need a sworn translation into Polish (except your Passport).

  What documents to submit?

    • 2 copies of a completed application form for a temporary residence permit printed and signed. Here you will find an editable application form:  wniosek do edycji   
    • 2 copies of annexe 4. Here you will find an editable application form:   załącznik nr 4 | wersja edytowalna or  https://www.gov.pl/web/uw-mazowiecki/badacze-inaukowcy-dokumenty
    • employment contract 
    • 4 colour photos with dimensions 45x35 mm. Images must be
        1. taken within the last six months,
        2. clear, taken against a white background and printed on quality paper,
        3. clearly showing the eyes and face on both sides from the top of  the head to the top of the shoulders with the face being 70-80 % of the photo, face looking straight ahead with the mouth closed, not covered by hair and with a natural facial expression,
        4. must be taken without any headwear;
          • a foreigner with congenital or acquired vision defects may attach a photograph wearing shaded glasses. In such a case, documents confirming the disability, and in their absence, a foreigner's declaration of disability must be attached
          • a foreigner wearing headwear according to their religion may attach a photograph in the headwear, provided that the face is fully visible. In such a case, a foreigner's statement of being a part of a religious community must be attached,
    • 2 copies of a valid travel document - passport, issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least 3 months from the expected return date, with at least 2 blank pages for visas (2 copies of all pages, except the blank ones),  
    • lease agreement on the apartment with the landlord's statement regarding the rent costs along with any fixed payments
    • A document is proving health insurance on the territory of Poland.  Data on your insurance stated in your employment contract is enough and travel medical insurance in the amount of at least EUR 30 000,  for the time until signing the employment contract, if necessary,
    • documents confirming sufficient financial resources - it is enough to indicate the remuneration in the employment contract,
    • confirmation of 340 PLN fee payment for the application, with the following annotation in Polish: “opłata skarbowa - wniosek o zezwolenie na pobyt czasowy” 

Bank account: 

Centrum Obsługi Podatnika  ul. Obozowa 57,

                     01-161 Warszawa           

 21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070   (domestic transfers)

 IBAN:  PL 21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070  (European transfers)

 SWIFT/BIC: CITIPLPX 21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070 (worldwide transfers)                 

-      and issuing a payment in the amount of PLN 50 or PLN 25 upon the collection of the residence card,  bank account:

Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki

 Wydział Finansów i Budżetu

 NBP O/O Warszawa

83-1010-1010-0137-1022-3100-0000

  Note: Original documents must always be presented for inspection!

 Family members

If you apply for a temporary residence permit for your family members (a spouse or a child) you will have to submit the same documents as stated above and, additionally, documents confirming family relationships (marriage certificate, birth certificate) translated into Polish by a sworn translator.

For more information about registration and legalisation of your family member’s stay, please go to: Family member's stay

Obligation to notify the Voivodeship Office

If you change your residence address or if your employment situation changes, for example, you changed your job or you plan to terminate your employment contract earlier or leave Poland, you are obliged to notify the Voivodeship Office within 15 business days following said change.

The employer is obliged to notify the Voivodeship Office of such changes as soon as possible.

Useful links:

For more information on where and how to apply to temporary residence, visit: https://www.gov.pl/web/uw-mazowiecki/gdzie-moge-zlozyc-wniosek-pobyt-czasowy  

More information on the legalisation of your stay in Poland:

https://www.euraxess.pl/poland/information-assistance/entry-conditions/information-non-eucitizens

For more information about coronavirus outbreak, special solutions for foreigners and news visit: https://udsc.gov.pl/en/

Official website on the legalisation of stay for researchers: https://udsc.gov.pl/en/cudzoziemcy/obywatele-panstw-trzecich/chce-przedluzyc-swojpobyt-w-polsce/zezwolenie-na-pobyt-czasowy/naukowiec/

Official website for foreigners from outside the EU: https://udsc.gov.pl/en/cudzoziemcy/obywatele-panstw-trzecich/

 

Registration in the Municipal/District Office

Obligatory registration in Poland for foreigners and Polish citizens is called “meldunek”.

When registered in the relevant municipal/district office with your residence, you will automatically be assigned a PESEL number (personal identification number). The number starts with your date of birth and serves for common identification purposes. It is required, for example, for your annual tax declaration. It can also be helpful when you want to use medical services or borrow a book from a library.

The procedure is free of charge. However, a written confirmation costs PLN 17, and the number is issued within several days from the date of registration of the application.

To get a temporary stay application form click here 

Application and declaration forms are also available at the municipal authority’s population registration department.

If you cannot register your residence, you can obtain your PESEL registering at the Municipal and Communal Office using your employer’s address. Click here to get the:

Application for the assigning of a PESEL Number 

Citizens of EU countries, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland must register in the place of their temporary stay no later than on the 30th day after their arrival.

Citizens of pending countries must register at the place of their temporary stay at the latest on the 4th day after arrival. 

For registration, you need:

  1. your passport or ID card,
  2. visa or residence card,
  3. flat/apartment/house lease contract or hotel/dormitory reservation document,
  4. registration form (signed by an authorised person from the hotel/dormitory) or an application for assigning PESEL,
  5. for family members - additionally a document confirming family ties (translated into Polish by a sworn translator).

The Hospitality Manager will assist you with completing and submitting the application and declaration forms.

Temporary Residence Card for students

Temporary residence permit in Poland – a document issued to a foreigner in order to legalize stay in Poland for a period longer than 3 months. In the case of a positive decision of state authorities, the foreigner gets an official document (temporary residence card). The maximum validity period of the document is 3 years.

BASIC INFORMATION

  • you apply to submit for a temporary residence permit in person, no later than on the last day of your legal stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
  • you can collect the residence card only in person;
  • fingerprints will be taken from you to issue a residence card;
  • documents should be submitted in Polish in originals or photocopies together with originals for inspection;
  • documents in a foreign language should be translated into Polish by a Polish sworn translator.
  • we are helping you to register for the submission with an already prepared package of documents for obtaining a temporary residence permit in Poland.

WHAT DOCUMENTS TO SUBMIT?

  • 2 copies of the application for a temporary residence permit filled in as instructed: application (to be edited);
  • 4 current colour photos, undamaged, 45x35 mm in size, taken in the last 6 months on a bright uniform background, in good sharpness and clearly showing the eyes and face from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders; the face is to take up 70-80% of the photos; the photo is to show the person looking straight ahead with their eyes open, hair open, a natural expression on the face and mouth closed:
  • foreigners with congenital or acquired eye defects may attach a photograph showing themselves wearing glasses with dark lenses. In such a case, documents confirming the disability should be attached, and the foreigner's declaration of disability, in their absence.
  • a foreigner wearing headgear in the rules of his religion may attach a photograph in the headgear, as long as the face image is obvious. The foreigner's declaration of belonging to a religious community should be attached.
  • valid travel document (2 photocopies of all its pages with stamps, annotations and entries, original available for inspection);
  • confirmation of payment of stamp duty.

Attention! The submission of the above documents is necessary to initiate the proceedings. If the application is submitted without any of the above documents, the foreigner is requested to supplement the formal shortcomings in the application. The procedure may be initiated only after the missing documents have been supplemented within the prescribed period and positively verified by the Office.

DOCUMENTS CONFIRMING THE CIRCUMSTANCES INDICATED IN THE APPLICATION

In the case of a full-time student

  • a certificate issued by the unit providing education on admission to studies or the continuation of studies / preparatory course for study in Polish, indicating: name and surname, date and place of birth, citizenship, type, series and number of the identity document and the name of the country that issued it; the name and address of the unit conducting the studies, the date of commencement of studies, the period of study for which the foreigner has been admitted, the field of study, determination of the form, level of studies and information about the fee, information in which language the studies are conducted and the language proficiency level required for their completion, information whether the foreigner is covered by an EU program or a multilateral program including mobility measures or an agreement between at least two higher education institutions providing for intra-EU mobility and the name of the program or contract and the name and address of the units conducting the studies covered by this agreement, and if the certificate applies to continuation of studies - information on the implementation of the course of studies to date and completion of the subjects required by the study program; (pattern)
  • a certificate issued by the unit providing education on the amount of tuition fees for the entire academic year 2020/2021 and the winter semester of the academic year 2021/2022
  • proof of payment of the tuition fee with an indication of the date of payment of the tuition fees or its part (in the case of starting or continuing paid studies);
  • in the case of continuing studies, a printout of the student's periodic achievement card, referred to in the regulations issued based on art. 81 of the Act of July 20, 2018 - Law on Higher Education and Science, or a copy of this card certified to be true to the original, showing the course of the foreigner's education process in this unit, a copy of all pages of the student's index along with the original for inspection
  • documents confirming the possession of health insurance by the foreigner within the meaning of the Act of 27 August 2004 on health care services financed from public funds or confirmation of coverage by the insurer of treatment costs in the territory of the Republic of Poland (e.g. ZUS RCA declaration for the last month, current entry in the insurance card, insurance policy with proof of payment of the previous premium;
  • documents indicating the amount of the cost of living, containing information on the amount of fixed operating fees, charges for the supply of energy, gas, water to the premises, as well as sewage, waste and liquid waste (e.g. a lease agreement with the last gas, electricity bill and administrative rent, clearance certificate) from a dormitory about the number amount of fees)
  • documents confirming that the foreigner has sufficient funds to cover the costs of living in Poland (i.e. PLN 701 x 15 months = PLN 10,515), the costs of education (tuition fees for the academic year 2020/2021 and the summer semester 2021/2022) and return travel to country of origin or residence (i.e. PLN 200 if the foreigner came from a country neighbouring the Republic of Poland, PLN 500 if he came from a European Union Member State other than the one indicated above, PLN 2,500 if he came from a country that is not a member of the European Union) and costs of residence, e.g. a current certificate of the amount of funds on the foreigner's bank account or a cooperative savings and credit union established in the territory of the Republic of Poland, a traveller's check, a certificate of the limit on a credit card issued by the bank that issued the credit card, a document confirming the grant of a scholarship m domestic or foreign with an indication of the period and amount of the benefit.
  • proof of payment of the tuition fee with an indication of the date of payment of the tuition fees or its part (in the case of starting or continuing paid studies).

ABOUT THE FEE

  • 340 PLN need to be paid at the time of applying to the account:

Centrum Obsługi Podatnika

ul. Obozowa 57, 01-161 Warsaw

21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070

  • An application for a stamp duty refund 340 PLN) after issuing a final negative decision or discontinuing the procedure, or after giving a decision to leave the application without examination, should be sent to the Taxpayer Service Center at ul. Obozowa 57.

NOTE! In the event of an appeal against the voivode decision to the Head of the Office for Foreigners, REFUNDS WILL NOT BE RECEIVED!

  • For issuing a residence card PLN 50 upon receipt of the decision to the account:

Masovian Voivodeship Office

Office of Finance of the Office

NBP O / O Warsaw

83-1010-1010-0137-1022-3100-0000

  • An application for a refund of the 50 PLN  fee for the issuance of a Residence Card may be submitted at the Registry Office or by post. Download the form to reimburse the fee for issuing the Residence Card (PLN 50).

WHERE TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION?

A complete application with fingerprints can only be submitted during an agreed visit via the inPOL foreigner portal.

The submitted documents are certified as true copies only when applying to submit the scheduled visit. When applying to submit the stamp in the passport, remember: it can only be obtained during scheduled visits (if the deadline for submitting has been met, there are no doubts about the legality of the foreigner's stay in Poland). The application for a residence permit should be submitted no later than on the last day of legal stay in Poland.