How to apply for Polish visa as a UK national. National and Schengen Visa

Are you clueless about whether or not you need to visa to study in Poland? Then look no further as I have you covered!

As a UK citizen, in order to visit Poland or any other EU (European Union) country that is under the Schengen zone, you do NOT need to apply for visa if you are going to be there for less than 90 days (3 months essentially). You can visit ANY schengen country you want, to your heart's desire as long as you don't spend more than 90 days in those countries. 

However, this only applies for tourists. Those wanting to stay more than 90 days or want ease of travel that will take 90 days will need to get the visas. The ones you need to get depend on the purpose of your travel. 

What is the Schengen Zone?

There are 26 countries in the Schengen zone. Anyone living in one of these 26 countries are allowed to travel, unrestricted, to any other country in the zone. I have included the list of countries below that are part of the zone as well as the currency they use. Despite being part of the Schengen zone, not all countries use Euro as their cuurency.

List of Schengen zone countries 

1. Austria - Euro €
2. Belgium - Euro €
3. Czech Republic - Czech koruna Kč
4. Denmark - Danish krone kr
5. Estonia - Euro €
6. Finland - Euro €
7. France - Euro €
8. Germany - Euro €
9. Greece - Euro €
10. Hungary - Hungarian Forint Ft
11. Iceland - Icelandic króna kr
12. Italy - Euro €
13. Latvia - Euro €
14. Liechtenstein - Swiss franc CHF 
15. Lithuania - Euro €
16. Luxembourg - Euro €
17. Malta - Euro €
18. Netherlands - Euro €
19. Norway - Norwegian krone kr
20. Poland - złoty zł
21. Portugal - Euro €
22. Slovakia - Euro €
23. Slovenia - Euro €
24. Spain - Euro €
25. Sweden - Swedish krona kr
26. Switzerland - Swiss franc CHF

List of Non Schengen Countries

1. Albania - Albanian Lek L
2. Armenia - Armenian dram ֏
3. Azerbaijan - Azerbaijani manat ₼ or m
4. Belarus - Belarusian ruble Br
5. Bosnia & Herzegovina - Convertible Mark (KM)
6. Bulgaria - Bulgarian lev лв. Bulgaria will adopt the Euro on 01/01/2024
7. Croatia - Croatian kuna kn. Croatia will adopt the Euro on 01/01/2023
8. Cyprus - Euro €
9. Ireland - Euro €
10. Macedonia - Macedonian denar den
11. Moldova - Moldovan leu L
12. Romania - Romanian leu L
13. Serbia - Serbian dinar din
14. Ukraine - Ukrainian hryvnia ₴
15. United Kingdom - Pound £

Schengen Visa 

The Schengen visa is an official document that entitles Europeans from non EU countries to travel all of the 26 countries mentioned above. There's many different types of Schengen visas but the common one allows you to travel 90 days over a 6 month period. This includes the start date on the visa. 

However, if your main aim of travel is for studying or working that is more than 90 days, then you need a national visa for the country that you are going to be studying in.

1. For Poland, you apply for the Schengen Visa using this link: https://secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/placowki/105/wiza-schengen/wizyty/weryfikacja-obrazkowa 
2. The webiste will lead you to an appointment date and you will fill out a form
3. Once filled, a PDF document will be sent to you
4. You then need to prepare the necessary documents needed to get the visa. A comprehensive list can be found here: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/apply-from-uk/
   
   
   

National Visa

For UK citizens, like myself, who will be studying in Poland for a few years need to get the National Visa, specifically the Type D one. To apply for this visa: 

1. You need to make an appointment with the Polish embassy in London. You do this using this link: https://secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/placowki/105/wiza-krajowa/wizyty/weryfikacja-obrazkowa
2. The above link will show you a date and once you have picked the date, will let you fill out an application form with all of your details
3. Once filled, a PDF copy will be then be emailed to you along with an appointment time
4. Next you need to prepare the neccessary documents for your appointment:

1. Passport - it should be valid for at least three months from the date of the planned departure from Poland or the Schengen area, it should contain at least two blank pages and it should have been issued within the last ten years

2. UK residence permit should be valid from the point of entry to Poland until the end of the period of visa. If your residence permit is in your expired passport, please bring your old passport together with current one. If you do not hold residence permit in the UK, you need to make an application in the country of your origin.
3. One photograph (3.5 x 4.5 cm) with a white background  
4. A recent letter from your school or university. It should ensure that letter should includes information about the type of your course, school attendance and intended period of leave/holidays taken from school for your journey
5. Confirmation letter from a school in Poland. This letter should include information about the type of your course, duration etc…with confirmation of the fee payment
6. Bank statement from the last 3 months. The purpose of this says that you have sufficient financial means to live in Poland
7. Proof of accommodation (for intended stay in Poland) - this can be your university accommodation letter or aparment that you are renting 
8. Proof of travel medical insurance to cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, during your stay on the territory of the Member States. The minimum coverage should be EUR 30 000.

You take all of these documents to the Embassy on the day of appointment and the visa will be processed within a few days considering that there's no delays and all the correct information has been given. Currently, wait times are 15 days long. You will be charged a fee, which currently is at £68, for the application. 

Once processed and the visa is issued, you will be allowed to continue your journey in Poland. I wish you all the best in your journey!