Border crossing rules

Entry conditions

Justification of the purpose and conditions of the intended stay

• A foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland is obliged, in accordance with Article 25(1)(1) of the Act on Foreigners, to justify the purpose and conditions of the planned stay, in accordance with the purpose of the stay.

• For this purpose, the foreigner should have at the time of entry an identical set of documents to the one used to obtain the visa (analogous to Annex II to 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), unless they need to be updated, e.g., due to different dates or travel routes.

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Travel medical insurance or health insurance

• A foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland is obliged to have a valid travel medical insurance with a minimum coverage of at least EUR30,000, valid for the period of the foreigner's planned stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland or to have a document confirming the possession of health insurance within the meaning of the regulations. Act of 27 August 2004 on health care services financed from public funds (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1373, as amended).

• The list of insurers that are considered when assessing whether a foreigner has valid medical insurance when entering the territory of the Republic of Poland is announced on their website by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

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Funding

A foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland is obliged to present financial means necessary to support himself during their stay on the territory of the Republic of Poland, return trip to the country of origin or residence, transit to the territory of a third country that will grant permission to enter the foreigner.

The Regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs of 23 February 2015 on financial means required from foreigners entering the territory of the Republic of Poland and documents that can confirm the possibility of obtaining such funds, as well as the purpose and duration of the planned stay (Journal of Laws of 2017, item 2122) specifies the amount of funds requires that the entering foreigner has financial means in the amount of:

• PLN 300 if the period of the planned stay does not exceed 4 days;

• PLN 75 for each day of the planned stay, if the period of the planned stay exceeds 4 days;

  – or the equivalent in foreign currencies.

The foreigner must also have additional financial means in the amount equivalent to the ticket on the basis of which they arrived on the territory of the Republic of Poland, but not less than:

• PLN 200 if they came from a country neighbouring the Republic of Poland (Belarus, the Russian Federation, Lithuania, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Ukraine);

• PLN 500 if they came from a Member State of the European Union other than the one bordering the Republic of Poland;

• PLN 2500 if they came from a country that is not a member of the European Union

  – or the equivalent in foreign currencies. Alternatively, the possession of funds may also be confirmed by a return ticket.

Documents that can confirm the possibility of obtaining financial means by a foreigner are:

• a certificate of the amount of the limit on the credit card issued by the bank or credit institution that issued the credit card issued not earlier than one month before the date of crossing the border;

• a certificate of possession of means of payment in a bank, savings and credit union or credit institutions established in the territory of the Republic of Poland or in another Member State of the European Union before the date of crossing the border;

• traveller’s check.

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The obligation to present financial means or documents confirming the possibility of obtaining them does not apply to foreigners crossing the border on the basis of:

• international agreements that provide for the exemption of a foreigner from the obligation to have these funds or the obligation to cover these costs by Polish state authorities or public institutions;

• a visa issued for the purpose of repatriation;

• a visa issued for the purpose of performing a paid activity, seasonal work or work on the basis of a declaration on entrusting paid activity;

• a visa issued for the benefit of temporary protection;

• a visa issued for the purpose of applying for a temporary residence permit for the purpose of family reunification;

• residence cards;

• visas to exercise the rights resulting from the possession of the Pole's Card.

Foreigners crossing the border as part of providing charity or in connection with participation in a rescue operation are also exempt from the requirement to present the above-mentioned funds.

If the foreigner is:

• participant of a tourist event, youth camp, sports competitions;

• has paid the costs of stay in the Republic of Poland;

• comes to the medical and sanatorium facility;

• is a participant in a program enabling the performance of holiday work on the territory of the Republic of Poland, which is not the main purpose of their stay, regulated by an international agreement to which the Republic of Poland is a party.

  – must have funds financed in the amount of PLN 20 for each day of stay, but not less than PLN 100, or the equivalent of this amount in foreign currencies.

In this case, the documents confirming the purpose and duration of the planned stay are, respectively:

• a document confirming participation in a tourist event, youth camp or sports competition;

• proof of payment of the costs of stay in the Republic of Poland to the extent including at least the costs of accommodation and food;

• referral to a medical and sanatorium facility;

• a visa for participation in the holiday work programme containing the name of the programme in the 'Remarks' box.

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A foreigner entering the territory of the Republic of Poland to undertake or continue studies, participate in scientific research or training, conduct development research must have financial means in the amount of at least PLN 1270 for the first 2 months of the planned stay or the equivalent of this amount in foreign currencies. Having the necessary funds may also be confirmed by a document confirming the award of the scholarship. To confirm the purpose and duration of the planned stay of the foreigner, an appropriate certificate is necessary.

In addition, in the case of:

• when a foreigner comes to perform work, they are obliged to have a work permit, a seasonal work permit or a statement on entrusting paid activity entered in the register;

• when a foreigner comes to study, they should have a certificate of admission to a given course, to a given school or university;

• when a foreigner comes for a traineeship or European Voluntary Service, they should have all the documents proving this fact.

Pursuant to Article 25(1a) of the Act on Foreigners, a foreigner benefiting from short-term mobility of a managerial, specialist or trainee employee as part of an intra-corporate transfer, student mobility, short-term mobility of the researcher's family or short-term mobility of a researcher's family member who holds a residence permit or a long-stay visa issued by another Member State of the European Union which is not a country of the area Schengen, additionally presents a copy of the notification sent to the Head of the Office for Foreigners.

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Remark!

• Where a foreigner makes an onward journey to other Schengen States, they should have the necessary means of subsistence on the territory of those States, in accordance with the period of stay and the reference amounts indicated in Annex 25 to the Schengen Handbook (Annex 18 to the Visa Code Handbook).

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