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Your Stay in Poland

Legalisation of Your Stay in Poland


Citizens of the EU and the EFTA states are not required to have any additional documents to enter Poland, however, it is requested that you legalise your stay in the Śląski Urząd Wojewódzki w Katowicach if you are to stay in the country for longer than 3 months. More information here: https://www.katowice.uw.gov.pl/usluga/cudzoziemcy/rejestracja-pobytu-obywatela-ue
 

For nationals outside of the above mentioned zones it is required to have a traveling permit in order to enter Poland. Those can be:

  • A National Visa (marked with D symbol);
  • A Schengen Visa (marked with C symbol);
  • A temporary or Permanent Residence Permit (Polish or of other EU member states);
  • A Biometric Passport (if such is allowed by the international treaties).

Students are not allowed to study in Poland based on the Schengen visa, Residence permit of other EU states or Biometric Passport. If you have entered the territory of Poland using any of the above mentioned documents then you are required to apply for the Temporary Residence Permit immediately.

In the beginning of your application to WSB University you will receive full help and guidance on how to apply for a proper travel document for you. 

 

After entering Poland students of WSBU have two ways of legalising their stay:

  • by applying or reapplying for a National Visa (type D)
  • by applying for a Polish Residence Permit

 

In order to reapply for a National visa you need to go back to your home country with the following documents:

  • proof of payment for the following semester in WSB University (can be taken in the room 315 in the main campus - Dabrowa Gornicza);
  • student status certificate - can be obtained in the deans office of your respected campus;
  • transcript of grades - can also be taken from the deans office.

Those have to be added to the list of documents requested by the Polish Embassy of your home country. 

 

 

  • Temporary Residence Permit

    The application for residence permit is submitted using a dedicated form available in the attachment section.  
    The application form should be completed entirely in Polish. In the attachment section you will find an example on how to do so. To each application form, you need to add the following: 

    • enclose 4 photos meeting the applicable criteria; 
    • present a copy of your travel document for inspection (all pages which have any sort of markings on them); 
    • copy of the temporary residence card if you already have one;
    • documents confirming the purpose of your stay in Poland (student certificate from university);
    • proof of payment of the tuition fees for the actual academic year or proof of exemption from the tuition fees;
    • proof of payment for issuing the permit;
    • 2 x filled in polish and signed application form;

    • The insurance:
      - Contract with the national health company (NFZ) with confirmation of payment for the month before submitting the application form
      Or
      - Insurance policy with confirmation of payment.

      The insurance must be valid on the date of the decision
      The insurance must be cover the cost of the medical treatment (hospital and ambulatory treatment)
      The insurance without confirmation of payment is not valid

    • Documents confirming that the foreigner holds sufficient funds to cover the costs of stay and return to the country of origin or residence or costs of transit to a third country granting the entry permit. Those can be:

      - Bank statement of polish bank, or,
      - Travel vouchers, or,
      - Confirmation of credit card limit, or,
      - Information on received student grants.

      Costs of return to the country of origin

      200 PLN – if you come from a country neighboring the Republic of Poland;

      500 PLN – if you come from a European Union member state other than neighboring Poland;

      2500 PLN – if you come from a country that is not a member of the European Union;

       

      Important :

      If the foreigner lives in Poland alone he/she must have at least 776 PLN netto per each month of stay.

      If the foreigner lives in Poland with family (e.g. wife, husband, children) must have at least 600 PLN netto per person per each month.

      Please keep in mind that other things costs too. Other important thing is the cost of accommodation, which depends on whether you choose to rent a room in an academic, rent a room on your own or even rent an apartment.

      If you are renting a place in Poland, please remember that the rent is usually not all-inclusive. It is common in Poland to pay extra bills for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and waste disposal. So if you want to calculate how much money you will need, we can use an example:

    You come from Nigeria, you live in Poland with your minor son, the cost of renting an apartment is a rent of 1200 PLN and utilities (gas, electricity, water, waste disposal) 300 PLN.

    - supporting yourself and your son (600 PLN x 2 persons x 15 months = 18 000 PLN)

    - travel costs (2500 PLN)

    - housing costs (rent 1200 PLN x 15 months + utilities 300 PLN x 15 months = 22 500 PLN).
      IN TOTAL YOU NEED MIN: 40 500 PLN


    Please remember that application for a Temporary Residence Permit might be different for each region. For more information reach out to your International Office for help. 

     

    All of the above documents must be submitted to the Śląski Urząd Wojewódzki w Katowicach either by mail (Poczta Polska) or by registering via the official website here. 

  • PESEL

    If you are a foreigner in Poland you will sooner or later face the need to obtain a PESEL number.
    PESEL is a Polish acronym for 'Universal Electronic System for Registration of the Population' and it is used for almost all of the official day to day necessities like applying for work, finalisation of your insurance, tax settlement, etc. 

    The procedure of obtaining a PESEL number is a quick one and usually takes no longer than 15-30 minutes.

    In order to apply for this document you will need the following:

    • A registration form which you can find in the attachment section;
    • A document, which confirms your identity and other data entered in the application form.

    You can submit the application in person or by a Proxy acting on your behalf. If there are any deficiencies in the application – you will be informed that they need to be supplemented. The office will not be able to review your application, if the said application fails to meet official requirements.

    Application for this number is free of charge.

    The office where the application is done in any municipality/township office.