Whether you're an EU citizen or not, you probably have a lot of questions about the administrative and legal side of studying in Poland. Please find below some helpful tips that are meant to introduce you to the process. More information is always distributed once a student has been accepted into the programme.

VISAS

Citizens of many countries may enter Poland without a visa on the basis of visa-free travel agreement. For example, citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Croatia, Serbia, and Japan may enter the country and stay for 90 days. These students may only stay for 90 days within each half-year period, which means a total of 180 days out of any 365-day period on visa-free basis. If the student overstays their allotted time, they may be liable for a fine and/or even be asked to leave the country. That is why, we strongly recommend to non-EU students to get a visa for the first year of their studies in Poland before they arrive.

Citizens of the 27 member states of the European Union do not need a visa to enter Poland. However, officially, a passport is required to enter Poland with the intention of studying. EU citizens may cross with other forms of identification (national ID) for stays of less than 90 days.

After arriving to Poland, the EU students should register their stay at a regional department for foreigner's affairs.  The staff of the Centre for European Studies will be able to help you when dealing with this office.

Polish law requires that all non-EU citizens who wish to study in Poland must get a "student" visa, officially called the national long-stay visa (type D), from the Polish Consulate in their home country.

A full list of Polish Consulates abroad is available here.

In order to start the visa application process, the applicant needs to go to the "e-Konsulat" website and choose the nearest Polish Consulate in his or her country. To make an appointment, click here.

Students must make an appointment and file the application in person.