Visas – general information
Visa types
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, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka.
Schengen visa (C-Type)
Choose this visa if you plan to stay in CANADA VISA FOR POLISH CITIZENS 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.
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, repatriation, or if you use Polish Card privileges.
Visas for the participants of the Youth Mobility Program
Young Canadians – who want to study or work in Poland for up to one year – can apply for a long term national visas under conditions provided for in the Youth Mobility Program.
THE YOUTH MOBILITY PROGRAM POLAND-CANADA
The purpose of this Program is to simplify administrative procedures applicable when young citizens of Poland and Canada intend to enter and stay in the territory of other country to complement their post-secondary education or training, to acquire work experience and to improve their knowledge of other’s languages, culture and society.
The Youth Mobility Program Poland-Canada allows Canadian and Polish citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to work up to a year, under one of the following categories:
Professional development
Gain professional work experience to better compete in a global economy. This program is designed for young professionals, including students and post-secondary graduates, wishing to gain further training in their field under a pre-arranged contract of employment or internship contract (up to 12 months). Work permit is not required!
Internship / On-the-Job Training
Acquire valuable overseas work experience related to your field of study. This program is designed for students who intend to complete part of their academic curriculum by undertaking internship or work placement arranged by agreement between educational institutions (up to 12 months). Work permit is not required!
Working-Holiday Program
Fund your vacation with temporary work in Poland. This program is designed for young citizens, including registered students in their home country, who intend to travel in the host country and who wish to obtain paid employment on an occasional basis in order to supplemet their financial resources (up to 12 months). Work permit is not required!
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
1. National Visa Application Form (printed, dated and signed).
2. Filled-in Declaration.
3. Canadian passport – must be valid for at least 3 months from the date of intended departure from Poland with at least one blank visa page.
4. 2 passport size identity photos.
5. Travel itinerary reservation for the flight back or proof of sufficient financial means to buy one ( min. 2500 PLN).
6. Healthcare insurance valid across all countries of the Schengen area for the amount not lower than EUR 30,000, deductible $0, covering medical emergency, transportation, hospitalization, repatriation.
7. Pre-arranged contract of employment, internship contract or volunteering contract/invitation (up to 12 months) – signed, on company letterhead, with address and contact phone of the company. This document must specify 1) the dates, duration, salary and duties related to your job or internship;
or 2) documentation proving registration at a post-secondary institution in CANADA MEDICAL VISA and demonstrate that you have been granted consent to undertake compulsory internship or traineeship in Poland. This document must specify the dates, duration, salary and duties related to your job or internship;
or 3) a statement confirming that purpose of your stay in Poland is training and learning and a declaration of intent to offer employment form the prospective employer.
8. Up-to-date basic curriculum vitae.
VISA FEE: The participation fee is 116 CAD. Acceptable forms of payment: cash, Money Order, or certified checks payable to Consulate General of Poland. Personal checks are not accepted.
Simplified Visa procedure for family members of EU citizens
Who is eligible:
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The procedure applies to the foreigners who travel to a Member State that is a different EU Member State than the country of citizenship of their family member, or who already reside in that country. This procedure applies only to family members of EU nationals who do not have Polish citizenship or do not have a permanent residence in Poland.
EU nationals include:
- nationals of EU member states,
- nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
A family member of an EU national is:
- a spouse,
- a partner with whom an EU national formed a partnership under the law of a given EU state, provided that this country’s law recognizes a formal partnership as equal to a marriage,
- a child under 21 who is dependent on an EU national, his/her spouse or partner.
Under the procedure you are eligible to submit your visa application:
- free of charge,
- without prior appointment.
Required documents:
- A printed and signed visa application (filled in online)
- A recent photo in colour 35 x 45 mm size,
- A valid passport,
- A document confirming marriage or partnership with an EU national,
- A document confirming that you accompany an EU national in his/her journey or join him/her in their place of residence.
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.
Biometric data
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.
