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Information concerning visas issued by Polish Consuls
before and after joining the Schengen zone.
Information concerning visas issued by Polish Consuls before and after joining the Schengen zone.
Polish visas, issued before the 21st of December are not Schengen visas. Their holders are not allowed to travel through the Schengen territory, these visas entitle them to stay only in Poland.
From the 21st of December Polish consulates will start issuing uniform Schengen C visas, which entitle third-country nationals to entry and stay in the entire Schengen territory or to several successive stays, not exceeding in total 3 months in a 6-month period, counted from the first entry.
From the 21st of December Polish national D visas (long-term visas i.e. valid for stays exceeding 90 days, national working visas, issued under art. 32 of the Aliens Act or visas issued under art. 33 and 34 of the same Act) will allow third-country nationals to enter and stay only in the territory of Poland.
Uniform Schengen short-stay C visas with limited territorial validity issued after the 21st of December will not allow their holders to travel in the entire Schengen territory. They will be valid only for Poland or for Poland and Schengen States indicated in the visa sticker.
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When will Poland start issuing Schengen visas to third country nationals, and the new requirements?
Poland will start issuing Schengen visas to third country nationals on 21st of December 2007.
The new requirements will be in accordance with the provisions of the Common Consular Instructions, which are based on the provisions of the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985.
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Will the duration and the validity of Polish short-term visas be affected before and during the transition period (between December 21, 2007 and March 2008)?
The (national) Polish short-term visas issued before December 21, 2007 will be still valid but only in the territory of Poland.
The Polish short-term Schengen visas issued in the transition period (between December 21, 2007 and March 2008 and after that) will allow the holders of such visas to entry and stay in all Schengen Member States. There will be no passport control at the internal land borders. The passport control at the airports will remain till March 2008.
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Can a to third country national and holder of Schengen visa or residence permit from the Schengen member states, enter Poland in January 2008 by air?
Yes he/she can enter Poland and stay there for a period of maximum consecutive 90 days or enter and stay many times, provided the total number of days doesn’t exceed 90 days in half year period, counted since the first entry.
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What will happen to third country nationals holding Schengen and / or Polish short-term visas, traveling to and from, or transit through Poland, (1) before December 21, 2007, (2) between December 21, 2007 and March 2008, and after March 2008?
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Third country nationals holders of Schengen and Polish (national) short-term visas can enter the territory of Poland or transit through Poland in all above mentioned periods.
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Third country nationals holders of Schengen short-term visas need additionally Polish (national) short-term visas to enter and stay in the territory of Poland before December 21, 2007. For the purpose of transit through the territory of Poland they don’t need any Polish transit visa. The time for transit through Poland can’t exceed the period of 5 days.
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Third country nationals holders of Polish (national) short-term visas can enter Poland in all above mentioned periods for the time of the validity of such visas.
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What will happen to third country nationals holding Polish long-term visas or residence permits, traveling to and from Poland, (1) before December 21, 2007, (2) between December 21, 2007 and March 2008, and after March 2008?
Third country nationals holders of Polish long-term visas, traveling to and from Poland:
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May enter and stay in the territory of Poland in all above mentioned periods; the passport controls at the land borders will remain till December 21, 2007 and the passport controls at the airports will remain till March 2008. After March 2008 there will be no more passport controls at the internal EU-borders (land + airports);
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Need Schengen short-term visas to enter and stay in the territory of Schengen Member States in all above mentioned periods. The total number of days can’t exceed 90 days in an half year period, counted since the first entry;
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Need Schengen short-term visas to transit through the territory of Schengen Member States before December 21, 2007;
d) don’t need Schengen short-term visas or Schengen transit visas after December 21, 2007 to transit through the Schengen Member States traveling by land from / to one of the European airports.
Third country nationals holders of Polish residence permits, traveling to and from Poland:
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Need Schengen short-term visas to enter and stay in the territory of Schengen Member States before December 21, 2007;
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Need Schengen transit visas to travel to Poland through the territories of Schengen Member States before December 21, 2007;
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Don’t need Schengen short-term visas to enter and stay after December 21, 2007 in the territory of Schengen Member States for a period of maximum consecutive 90 days or enter and stay many times, provided the total number of days doesn’t exceed 90 days in an half year period counted since the first entry.
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The Schengen area
On 21st December 2007 Poland, together with 8 other new EU Member States, will join the Schengen area – a territory with no checks at internal borders formed by 24 States . These States apply uniform rules concerning entry and short stays in their territories.
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To enter the Schengen territory third-country nationals must be in possession of a valid travel document and a visa if it is required. They also have to meet the following conditions:
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they justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay and prove that they have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the period of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third State into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully;
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no alert has been issued for them for the purposes of refusing entry;
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they are not considered to be a threat to public policy, national security or the international relations of any of the Schengen States.
After undergoing the single check at the external border it is possible to move freely within the Schengen territory. However, checks at the new Schengen States’ airports will only be abolished at the end of March 2008.
Schengen States issue the following types of uniform visas which entitle the holder to enter and stay in the Schengen territory:
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airport transit visa (A) – valid only for airport transit, does not entitle the holder to leave the transit zone of the airport,
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transit visa (B) – valid for transit through the Schengen territory for a period not exceeding 5 days,
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short-stay visa (C) – valid for stays of no more than 90 days per period of 180 days.
Apart from uniform visas, Schengen States issue national long-stay visas (D) and residence permits which are valid only for the territory of the issuing State.
Long-stay national visas entitle their holders to a maximum 5-day visa free transit through the Schengen territory.
Holders of residence permits issued by one of the Schengen States are allowed to travel within the Schengen area during a maximum 3-month period.
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Visas and residence permits issued by Poland after 21st December 2007
On 21st December 2007 Poland will start issuing uniform visas (A, B, C) valid for the entire Schengen territory and will continue issuing long-stay D visas and residence permits, valid only for Poland.
Holders of Polish D visas (issued before 21st December 2007 as well as after that date) will be entitled to a maximum 5-day visa free transit through the territory of other Schengen States.
Holders of Polish residence permits will be allowed to enter the Schengen territory and stay there for a period not exceeding 90 days.
Polish short-stay visas issued before 21st December 2007 will not be converted into Schengen visas automatically. They will remain valid for the period indicated in a visa, but their holders will be entitled to enter and stay only in Poland and to transit through Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia.
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Entry conditions for third-country nationals under visa obligation
Third-country nationals will be allowed to enter and stay in Poland, if they are in a possession of one of the following titles:
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uniform short-stay Schengen visa (C),
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Polish long-stay national visa (D),
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C or D visa issued by Poland before 21st December 2007, provided it is still valid,
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residence permit issued by another Schengen State.
The following titles will be valid only for the purpose of transit:
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uniform airport transit Schengen visa (A) – only for airport transit,
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uniform transit Schengen visa (B),
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A or B visa issued by Poland before 21st December 2007, provided it is still valid,
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D visa issued by another Schengen State,
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C visa issued before 21st December 2007 by one of the Member States that joined the EU in 2004, provided it is still valid,
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residence permit issued by Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
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