Poland LIFE Guide - VISA
The Poland LIFE Guide is a guide for Japanese people living in Poland. This series explains the necessary procedures and essential knowledge in living in Poland. It provides a detailed, step-by-step, easy-to-understand summary of important points such as visas, insurance and taxes! If you are planning to live in Poland or are currently having problems, please refer to this guide.
Note: This article is valid as of date 20.05.2022. Please be aware that the rules may differ.
For information other than the information given, please contact the Polish Embassy in your country or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If you have any questions about Poland, our experts at Tias Accounting and Law Office are available to help you, please contact us using the dedicated form. LINK
A visa is always required for a long stay abroad.
Make sure you are properly prepared for a safe and legal stay.
Check the type of visa you will need before departure and apply for it at the Polish Embassy in Japan.
Visa requirements
1. A visa is required if you intend to stay in Poland for more than three months.
A Japanese passport allows entry to Poland without a visa and a 90-day stay for tourism and business trip.
A visa is required for those who intend to stay in Poland for longer than 90 days (three months), e.g. for study, emigration or working holiday purposes.
The type of visa that should be obtained depends on the purpose of the visit. Polish visas can only be obtained from the Polish Embassy in Japan, so make sure you prepare before leaving the country.
2. Persons planning to stay longer than the visa period need to apply for a residence permit.
The visa is valid for a maximum of one year.
If you plan to stay longer than the period of your issued visa, you will need to apply locally for a short-term residence permit ('residence permit'). It can take some time for a residence permit to be issued, so apply as soon as possible.
Visa types
Different visa types require different application documents.
Check the type of visa you need and proceed with the application process as soon as possible.
- Type A - Airport transit visa
- Type C - Schengen visa
- Type D - National visa
Airport transit visa (type A).
Choose this visa if you are using a passport from one of the following countries and will be in transit (transferring) at an airport in the Schengen zone on your way to Poland.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
Schengen visa (type C)
For persons who intend to stay in Poland or a country within the Schengen zone for up to 90 days in each 180-day period. This means that you can only legally stay in a country within that zone if your stay in that country in the last 180 days has not exceeded 90 days. (* Japanese passports are exempt from a short-stay visa; if the stay does not exceed 90 days, this type of visa is not required).
A visa is not required in the following cases, but a relevant visa is required for work for remuneration: 1) sightseeing, visiting friends or relatives; 2) participation in cultural or sporting events or exchanges; 3) attendance at business meetings; 4) journalistic or journalistic purposes; 5) medical treatment; 6) short-term study or training.
National visa (type D)
Apply for this visa if you intend to stay in Poland for more than 90 days. This visa is valid for one year. Such as:
-
Work visa
-
Student visa
-
Working holiday visa
For work visas, a work permit from Poland. For student visas, there are different documents required, such as an enrolment permit from a Polish school. Please refer to the Polish Embassy's website for more information/enquiries and make preparations as soon as possible.
*Work visas and work permits are different. Some people often confuse the two. Work visa: visa issued by the Polish Embassy in Japan. Work permit: a permit issued by the Polish provincial authorities which allows a foreigner to work in Poland. A work permit is mandatory for foreigners working in Poland, with some exceptions, and a work visa or temporary residence permit is required in addition.
For more information on when a work permit is not required, refer to this page.
Notes on the Schengen Agreement
What is the Schengen Agreement?
The Schengen Agreement regulates the unified control of visas and allows travel within the Schengen area for a total of three months (90 days) within a six-month period (180 days) in the 25 Schengen countries.
Point 1: When entering the Schengen area from Japan, immigration control is required at the first point of arrival and a stamp is affixed to the passport. Thereafter, no visa checks are carried out until you leave the Schengen area.
Point 2: The period of stay in Schengen is a total of three months (90 days) out of six months (180 days).
For example, after staying in Schengen for 90 consecutive days, it is necessary to wait three months before re-entering the Schengen area.
Poland and Japan have a bilateral agreement.
Japan-Poland Visa Waiver Arrangement: the content of the agreement is that if the period of stay does not exceed 90 consecutive days, visa waiver is granted.
This means that a person can enter and leave Poland as many times as he/she wishes, as long as the period of stay does not exceed 90 consecutive days.
Attached from - LINK
Notes on these two provisions:.
(1) If the date of departure and the date of re-entry are consecutive, the number of days stayed before and after will be added to the number of consecutive days stayed.
(2) As there is no immigration control within the Schengen area, your passport will not be stamped. Therefore, care should be taken when moving to another country within the Schengen zone during a long stay.
Japan → Poland (80 days) → France (30 days) → Poland (30 days) → Japan
The period of stay in each place does not exceed 90 days, but it is considered to be a continuous stay of 140 days in Poland. The visa waiver arrangements between Poland and Japan are as follows.
If you need documents relating to the Japan-Poland Visa Waiver Arrangement at the Polish border, provide them in Polish.
The Polish text can be downloaded from the website of the Embassy of Japan in Poland.
How to obtain a visa
Submit the documents to the Polish Embassy in Japan.
When submitting the form, you need to make an appointment using the form below.
The documents required to apply for each visa type can be found at the following pages of the Embassy.Details are also available by email.
Please note that visa applications must be submitted at least six months before the date of departure (the expected start of the validity period of the visa for which you are applying) and no later than 15 days before departure.
Make sure you have the correct visa and follow the regulations, including the length of stay. If you plan to stay for a longer period of time, we recommend that
you obtain a visa. The
procedure for obtaining a short-term residence permit in Poland takes time. Apply for a visa for a safe, comfortable and anxiety-free stay. If you need any help, please contact our Japanese Customer Support Desk.
Aoi Iwasawa tel: +48 71 737 29 20
e-mail: aoi.iwasawa@tias.pl
We are always here to help you.
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