Insurance and visa

Formalities related to the arrival in a given country are very important, do not forget about them.

Formal matters might sound very serious, when preparing oneself to move to another country.

Passport, visa or temporary residence permit?

What is the difference between coming to Poland to work and to study? We will try to make it all a little bit clearer :)

01.

No additional documents needed

02.

Visa

03.

Temporary residence card

04.

Registration of stay

01.

No additional documents needed

To come to Poland as a EU citizen all you need is a valid Identification Document or a Passport.

However, when staying in Poland for a period shorter than 3 months that will be sufficient, but if you want to stay longer than that (f.e. to study) you will need to file a registration of residence that can be issued by Voivodeship (Provincial) Office.

02.

Visa

For all non-EU citizens it’s obligatory to have a valid passport when crossing the Polish border. Additionally some countries’ citizens also are required to have a visa. The list of those countries can be found right here.

What is more, if you have a valid Polish visa, you can also travel all around Europe (excluding the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and states outside of the EU), since Poland is in the Schengen Area.

Types of visas:

“A” type – an airport transit Schengen visa

“C” type – a short-term Schengen; it allows the holder to stay in the Schengen Area’s territory for up to 90 days in 180 days period

“D” type – a long-term national visa valid for up to one year; it also allows the holder to travel around the Schengen area for up to 90 days in a 180 days period

How to get a visa:

Find a Polish Consulate/ consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland that can process your application. Here is the MFA’s searching tool you can use to find it quicker: https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/polands-missions-abroad

Read carefully ALL the information concerning visa application on the consulate’s website and follow ALL the instructions. Every detail may be crucial for the process of issuing the document.

Set an appointment regarding a visa with the consulate. It’s required in most cases to register through the website first: https://secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/

Check on the website what documents you will need to have with you. Prepare the necessary documents( application form, travel document (passport), biometric photo, health insurance, documents confirming the purpose of your stay) before coming to the consulate.

Submit all the documents including a printed and signed application form and the visa fee. Now you have to wait up to 15 days for your application to be submitted. We advise you to start the whole process longer than 15 days before your departure, as all the formal matters might take longer than anticipated.

03.

Temporary residence card

This document is crucial for you if you plan on staying in Poland for more than 90 days. It includes all the students. Once you have received it, alongside your Passport it will give you permission to cross the Polish borders as many times as you wish (during the time the card is valid). The residence card is issued for 15 months but it can be prolonged up to 3 years (but not longer than a remainder of your studies)

One can apply for the residence card when already legally in Poland!

Where can I get a temporary residence card?

The document is issued by the Voivodeship Office. The list of those who can do that can be found here.

The documents you will need to have in order to legalise your stay include:

  • an application form

  • photos

  • documents confirming your identity and citizenship

  • current address

  • the purpose of stay (a certificate from your school/university)

  • health insurance and possession of sufficient funds

For more detailed information, please check out your localVoivodeship Office’s website. The procedure costs 390 PLN.

04.

Temporary residence card

This document can be issued for all EU citizens students, as they don’t need to file for the temporary residence card. The procedure for them is completely free and can be done in the local Voivodeship Office. More information can be found right here.

Another very important issue is insurance.

All students have to obtain a doctor’s certificate confirming that they can freely undertake study in the field of their choice. Additionally, to get any of the formerly mentioned documents health insurance is needed. You can use this searching engine to compare insurance offers for students:

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

This card gives you access to insurance-covered medical healthcare during your stay in an European country (including Poland) as a person insured in the country of choice. You can obtain the card at your national health insurance provider.

Important! The EHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance, nor it covers the expenses to travel in the purpose of obtaining medical treatment abroad. Additionally, it doesn’t guarantee that all the procedures and treatments will be completely free of charge.

To apply for the document online or to find more information on your local requirements to get it, please use this website.

Also, here you can find all the details on how to use the card in Poland: