Visa extension

Conditions for submitting the application

The application should be submitted at the latest in the last legal stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland to the voivode competent for the act of residence of the foreigner.

Necessary documents

• application form for a national visa – an appropriate annex to the Regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs of 5 May 2014 on the extension of visas for foreigners (Journal of Laws of 2014, item 463)

○ Annex 1 in the case of a Schengen visa, or

○ Annex 2 in the case of a national visa;

• documents confirming the situation justifying the submission of the application;

• proof of stamp duty;

• a photograph meeting the following requirements:

○ o undamaged, colourful, with good sharpness

○ 35mm x 45mm

○ made no earlier than 6 months before the date of submission of the application

○ depicting the image of the applicant's face from the top of the head to the upper part of the shoulders, so that the face occupies 70-80% of the photograph, on a uniform light background, in a frontal position, looking straight ahead with open eyes, unobstructed hair with a natural facial expression and closed mouth, as well as reflecting the natural colour of their skin

○ clearly depicting the eyes of the foreigner, especially their pupils, where the eye line should be parallel to the upper edge of the photograph.

In addition, the foreigner is obliged to present at the time of submitting the application for inspection a travel document in which the requesting authority places a stamp confirming the submission of the application and confirming the legality of the stay until the decision on the extension of the Schengen visa or national visa becomes final, provided that the deadline for submitting the application has been met and the application does not contain formal deficiencies or formal deficiencies have been completed within the time limit.

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Remember!

• In the case of applications submitted after the deadline, the voivode refuses to initiate proceedings.

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Extension of the Schengen visa

Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) provides that the extension of the period of validity of an issued visa or the length of stay covered by that visa is to be effected in the following cases:

• where the visa holder demonstrates that, as a result of force majeure (e.g., natural disaster, cancelled flights) or for humanitarian reasons (e.g., the need to stay in a hospital), it is not possible to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa or the period of authorised stay.

• when the visa holder presents valid personal reasons justifying the extension of the period of validity of the visa or the period of stay (e.g., participation in court proceedings, unexpected extension of the deadline for submitting the project).

The extension of the Schengen visa shall be made in the form of a visa sticker, in accordance with the territorial validity of the original visa, unless the authority examining the application decides otherwise (e.g., where the extension exceeds the authorised period of stay, i.e., 90 days in any 180-day period).

Extension of the national visa:

An extension of a national visa may be made only if all the following criteria are met:

• it is justified by an important professional or personal interest of the foreigner (e.g. the need to defend the thesis, participation in court proceedings, effective completion of a professional project), or for humanitarian reasons, they cannot leave this territory before the expiry of the national visa or the period of authorized stay (e.g., in the event of a civil war, border closure, hospital stay as a result of an accident)

• events that contributed to the extension of the national visa occurred regardless of the foreigner's will and were not foreseeable on the day of submitting the visa application (e.g., illness or death of the promoter, delays resulting from force majeure, but not, for example, failure to pass exams at a university, or delays in projects that were known at the time of issuing the visa)

• the circumstances of the case do not indicate that the purpose of the foreigner's stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland will be different from the declared

• circumstances where a national visa would be refused exist (cf. Article 65 of the Act on Foreigners).

The extension of the national visa shall be made in the form of a visa sticker or, where justified, on a separate visa form.

Fees

The stamp duty for processing an application for the extension of:

• a Schengen visa is the equivalent of EUR 30 (the equivalent of the EUR into PLN is converted at the average exchange rate announced by the European Central Bank for this currency on the last working day preceding the day of submitting the application for visa extension). The extension of a Schengen visa due to force majeure or humanitarian reasons shall be free of charge.

• a national visa is PLN 406.

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Remember!

• Information about the accounts to which fees must be paid can be found on the websites of the relevant voivodeship offices.

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