An EU citizen can enter Poland with his/her ID document (a valid travel document e.g. passport, or another document certifying his/her identity and citizenship). For stay up to 3 months no legalisation of stay will be necessary. For stays exceeding 3 months, an EU citizen will have to obtain a temporary residence permit (Karta pobytu obywatela UE). In case of students, the residence permit is issued for one year. The residence permit – once issued – will also entitle its bearer to take up work. The residence permit and the right to work also extends to the immediate family – i.e. spouse and children. This document will be issued by the Department of Citizens Affairs of the Voivodeship Office (province administration, in Polish Urzad Wojewodzki). Charge for issuing of the residence permit is 30 Polish zloty (ca 7 Euro). Temporary residence permits will be granted to Union citizens who have health insurance and sufficient resources to cover their expenses without needing social security support. Documents that have to be submitted by the student to the Voivodeship Office in order to obtain the residence permit:

•  copy of the travel document (passport or other ID document)

•  health insurance document

•  official letter of acceptance from the Polish university (with information about the planned period of study)

•  declaration about sufficient resources to cover the subsistence costs in Poland

•  2 photographs

•  Application form (Wniosek o zezwolenie na pobyt, in Polish)

Institutional Erasmus Co-ordinators at Polish universities will help students to obtain the residence permit. Citizens of the EEA countries are subject to the same conditions as the EU citizens. The citizens of Switzerland can enter Poland only on the basis of a valid passport.

A citizen of a non-EU/EEA country can enter the territory of Poland on the basis of a valid travel document (passport) and a visa (if required). A citizen of a non-EU country has to obtain the visa from the consulate of Poland in his/her country of residence. The short-term visa entitles to stay in Poland up to 3 months, the long-term visa – up to 1 year. The prolongation of visa in Poland is only possible in case of a force majeure or situation impossible to foresee while applying for the visa in the consulate. The visa can be prolonged only once. It is therefore necessary to apply for a visa in a consulate for the whole planned period of stay in Poland. For details please contact the Polish Consulate in your country. Persons who have received a visa for the whole period of stay in Poland are not obliged to apply for a residence permit for their stay in Poland.