For several years, Poland has been gaining popularity as a popular study abroad location in Central Europe. It is essential to understand the visa process for Poland before applying to universities there. This guide will walk you through all of the procedures and papers you will need to apply for a Poland student visa. For this purpose, we will answer such kinds of questions in this article: Do you need a visa for studying in Poland? How to apply for Poland study visa? What are the details of the Poland study visa process? How long is Poland visa processing time? What are the Poland study visa requirements? Do we have a chance to get a Poland study visa without IELTS? How much are the Poland study visa fees? On the other hand, I will give you enough information about the Poland study visa appointment, Poland study visa interview, and Poland study visa cost.
Before starting to Poland study visa process, you need to determine whether you need a visa or not? To study in Poland, you must first obtain permission to enter the Republic of Poland's territory. If you are a citizen of an EU nation and want to stay in Poland for more than three months, you must register your stay. Holders of a United Nations "laissez-passer" do not need a visa. If you are not a citizen of the European Union, you must apply for a visa at a Polish consulate in your home country before visiting the country. There are two types of visas available for foreign students:
Visa C: A Schengen short-term visa that allows the bearer to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
Visa D: A long-term national visa valid for up to one year and enabling 90 days of travel inside the Schengen region during a 180-day period. If you need to stay in Poland for a longer period of time for your studies, you must apply for a Temporary Residence Permit/Card. You can cross the Polish border as many times as you like with the temporary residency card. It is first granted for a 15-month term. It can be renewed for up to three years, but not for more than the duration of your studies. Just do not forget that 45 days before your visa expires, you must apply for a Temporary Stay Card.
How to apply for Poland study visa?
Before applying for a Poland study visa, you need to know the education and visa requirements, then follow the steps of the study visa process. To study in Poland, you must have finished a secondary school education and have a leaving certificate indicating that you are qualified to apply to universities. You may freely apply for undergraduate study at a Polish university if you passed the International Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate examinations. If you only have an equivalent qualification from your native country, you must have it legalized at one of Poland's diplomatic outposts or another relevant institution. This entails attesting to the fact that your diploma complies with the laws of the nation in which it was granted. Then you'll need to double-check it with Polish legislation. The process of recognizing a degree earned at a foreign university is known as nostrification. You must also submit an undergraduate diploma from a Polish institution or its international equivalent if you desire to be admitted for postgraduate study in Poland. By the end of the first term, you must provide the nostrification of your foreign diploma to a Polish institution.
Poland study visa process
Poland is one of the most preferred places to study in Europe and if you are one of them, let me start to explain the Poland study visa process for you step by step:
1. Confirm your university acceptance: Before you may apply for a visa, you must have accepted an offer from a Polish institution and have documentation of your acceptance.
2. Find the Polish consulate in your area here: To get your visa application completed, you must go to a Polish embassy or consulate in your home country.
3. Make a Poland study visa appointment with the consulate: You'll most likely need to register first on the Polish consulate's website.
4. Prepare the required documents: A complete list of the papers you'll need may be seen below. Specific criteria may differ from consulate to consulate, so check with them beforehand.
5. Attend your Poland study visa appointment and turn in your paperwork as soon as possible: All papers must be submitted, including a printed and signed application form as well as the visa fee. Within two to three weeks, you should get a decision.
Poland study visa requirements
The Poland study visa requirements are consisting of some important documents that you need to complete before applying for a Poland study visa, and you can find all of the below:
- A signed and filled-in Poland student visa application form
- Passport must be valid (must be valid for three months after planned departure from Poland)
- Official acceptance letter to a Polish college or university
- Your school certificates and degrees in a brief CV
- Proof of language competency in the language you desire to study
- Confirmation that you have the money to study and live in Poland
- Medical insurance: International students who study in Poland will need to obtain a doctor’s certificate confirming that they can freely undertake study in the field of their choice. You will also need to be insured for the duration of your stay in Poland. Health care in Poland is not free, so you should be insured in case of illness or an accident
- 2 passport-size photographs
- Fee for applying for a visa, payable in cash or by postal order
- If necessary, proof of lodging in Poland Transport documents, such as a train or flight ticket
Poland study visa interview
You will be given a token for the Poland study visa interview once you have submitted all of your papers at the embassy. The Poland student visa interview is an important step in the Poland visa application process. The interview, on the other hand, is very straightforward. Questions will be asked regarding your prior trips, the university where you will be studying, your housing and work (if you will have any), and the educational sponsors. Students must respond honestly, and the visa procedure is very quick, provided you have all of the requisite documentation.
Poland visa processing time
In normal conditions, a Poland Schengen Visa can take up to 15 days to process, but in exceptional situations, it might take up to 60 days. You have up to six months to apply for a visa before your trip. So, try to apply for a visa as soon as possible.
Poland study visa fees\Poland study visa cost
When you submit your application for a Poland study visa, you also have to pay a certain fee. The fee for the Polish national (long-term) visa for foreigners is 80 euros. The cost of a visa may vary depending on your nationality.
Poland study visa without IELTS
The most crucial step is to apply for a student visa in Poland once you have obtained an allocation at a Polish university. Many colleges in Poland do not have IELTS criteria that must be met. Students should check with their universities to see if they need to take the test before applying. Because Poland has a high population of English speakers, knowing the language benefits individuals in everyday interactions. The aforementioned figures represent typical university requirements, and the IELTS band requirement for Poland may vary depending on courses and universities. Even when universities accept students without IELTS results, the visa application in some countries requires English language knowledge. The Polish embassy assesses the candidate's English language skills during the visa interview. In the vast majority of situations, no additional English language exams are necessary. However, the restrictions vary depending on the home country, course, and university. When applying to study in Poland, it is usually a good idea to consult with the Polish embassy beforehand. So, many universities in Poland do not have IELTS band requirements, including some of the country's most prestigious institutions, such as Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan and Warsaw University of Technology. Other colleges have language requirements that are optional. If you wish to use IELTS to demonstrate your language skills, below are the IELTS requirements for you:
The University of Warsaw - Required IELTS score: 7
The Cracow University of Technology - Required IELTS score: 6.5
The University of Wroclaw - Required IELTS score: 6
AGH University of Science & Technology - Required IELTS score: 6
Jagiellonian University - Required IELTS score: 6.5
