How to enter the territory of Poland?

If you are a citizen of EU or Schengen Area state, you can enter Poland just on the basis of a valid travel document or another document that proves your ID and nationality. If you have family members from the third country, who have the residence card for EU citizen's family member (or another document that is an equivalent to it) - they can also cross the border with you. As "family members" there are recognised: spouse, child of EU citizen or child of his/her spouse under 21 (or older, if he or she is their dependant), mother, father and his/her spouse, if they are EU citizen's dependants.

In case of non-EU and/or Schengen Area citizens the conditions of entering Poland depend on bilateral or multilateral agreements.

There is a group of countries, whose citizens can enter Poland without visa. If it applies to you, remember, that you can stay in Poland only for 90 days, and you should think earlier about the legalization of your further stay. Don't  leave it for the last moment!

For more information concerning staying in Poland without visa, check out that post.

If you stay in one of the Schengen countries on the basis of residence permit or national visa (marked with the symbol "D") you can travel to another countries within Schengen zone (also to Poland) for up to 3 months during the period of 6 months.

In all the above cases, to enter the territory of Poland you are obliged to fulfill the general conditions of entering Schengen zone:

- have valid travel document

- be able to explain the reason and conditions of the intended stay

- have sufficient financial means or the possibility to obtain them in conformity with the law.

In other cases you should apply for visa in Polish consulate.

Legal basis:  

• The Act of 14 July 2006 on entering the territory of the Republic of Poland, staying and exiting from this territory of citizens of the Member States of the European Union and members of their families (Journal of Laws of 2006. No.144, item 1043, with later amendments)
• The Regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration of December 22, 2008 on the value of the financial means which a foreigner who enters the territory of the Republic of Poland should possess and on the documents which can confirm the possession of such means (Journal of Laws of 2008, No. 235, item 1611)
• The Act of 30 December 2013 on foreigners (Journal of Laws of 2013., item 1650)