Is it worth going to Poland now? Poland: Russians need Schengen, special conditions for residents of Kaliningrad

Today, many people go to Poland, some on vacation, and some just to live in this country for some time. But not long ago, this state joined the European Union. What you should know tourist, who decided to go on vacation to Poland on his long-awaited vacation.

Before going on vacation to this state, you first need to worry about documents. If you don’t have a passport, then you need to get one. If this is your first trip abroad, the procedure may take a little longer. Therefore, you should not do this at the last moment. Now you need a visa to Poland.

The standard procedure in such cases applies here. You need to come to the consulate, fill out a form in which you must indicate the purpose of the trip. At the same time, it is important to take into account the following point: for a positive decision you need to present confirmation of the booking hotel, and you also need to take out insurance. At the same time, you should check with the consulate what other documents may be needed. Most likely you will be asked for a certificate of income. After filling out the questionnaire, you will be interviewed.

Despite the seeming absurdity of the questions, they should be taken quite seriously. Poles will want to be sure that you are not planning to get a job in Poland, and you just want to relax there. If you already have Schengen visa. You should not rely on the fact that having it will allow you to enter any country in this zone. A visit to the representative office of this state is necessary in order for you to receive a visa so that you can enter the territory of Poland. This must be done. Otherwise, customs officers may consider your visa insufficient, and you will fly back to Russia .

If in Poland you have relatives, talk to them, perhaps they will help simplify the procedure for obtaining a tourist visa. In this case, the cost of paperwork will be much cheaper. You will only need to pay for insurance. And an invitation to the country will significantly facilitate and speed up the resolution of your application in a positive direction. Moreover, if you are traveling by invitation, then in this case, all expenses for your maintenance, according to Polish laws, are borne by the receiving party. Failure situations are quite rare, but, nevertheless, they also happen. It is better to plan everything in advance than to take the next flight back home.

Four universities in Russia, moved to Poland and did not regret it. “Big Village” publishes her honest story about employment, paperwork, income and price levels: why Poland is the best European country to live in, and Warsaw is the city of dreams.

Reasons for moving

I always wanted to leave Russia - although I dreamed of America, but life took me to a completely different country. At that time, I had been working as a web designer for about a year, living with my fiance and two cats, and was slowly drowning in routine. I periodically felt the urge to move to Kaliningrad, then to Odessa, or somewhere else, just to avoid being stuck in sickening Samara with the unbearably cold winter and the cult of Zhigulevsky beer.

One day I saw a design studio in an illustrator competition for VKontakte and simply fell in love. It turned out that these were Ukrainian guys working in Warsaw. At first I simply wrote them an admiring review. Then for another week I looked at their work every now and then - and couldn’t tear myself away. Then I decided: why not? In three nights after work, I put together a portfolio of the highest level that I was capable of, honestly explaining my goals and desires, namely, to grow under the wing of people who inspire me. A year and a half later, the company manager will tell me that even then he and his boss realized that I was the person they could rely on. I think that is why the boss then decided to hire me, although my level frankly did not reach their work.

We worked for a test two weeks, and after that I began to prepare for the move. When I told my mother that I was creating a portfolio for a company in Warsaw, she was not enthusiastic about it, but later admitted that from the very beginning she knew that I would succeed, and she was sad to realize the upcoming separation. I am very grateful to her for letting me go morally.

Paperwork

The company sent me a work invitation, with which I went to apply for a national visa type D, which allows me to live and work in Poland for six months. To obtain it, you don’t need anything unusual: an application, photographs, a foreign passport, medical insurance, and an invitation, of course - without it you can’t even travel later - they may not let you back in. Insurance is needed with coverage of at least €30,000, but it costs about three thousand rubles and it is enough to do it for some time from the moment of entry, and deal with the rest on the spot.

Currently, visa fees in Samara are approximately four thousand rubles (60 euros). Intermediary agencies ask for about eight thousand, but you can collect the entire package of documents yourself. True, my employer helped me a lot with advice - not everyone is so lucky, so if you don’t have confidence in your abilities, it might be worth overpaying.

When the visa expires, you make a “residence card” (Karta Pobytu) - a document that gives you the right to live and work in Poland and move freely throughout the Schengen area. This card is issued for a period of one and a half to three years and can be extended. If you lose your job, you get a month to find a new one. The only problem is that the production of this card takes longer than the promised three months - sometimes up to six months. All this time you can stay in Poland with a special stamp in your passport, but you cannot leave the country - so I traveled to a good half of Polish cities.

Moving and finding housing

I got there by train through Moscow. I chose the train for two reasons: firstly, I hate fussing with luggage on planes, and secondly, I would have to check the cat in the luggage compartment, and this is inhumane.

By the way, the cat also had to provide documents: a veterinary passport with a rabies vaccination that was at least a month old and a veterinary certificate from Rosselkhoznadzor with a Euro supplement. I steadfastly endured the cat bureaucracy, which was new to everyone in our city, and in return the cat steadfastly endured the long and difficult trip. The travel time was about thirty hours.

On the day of my arrival, the boss (!) met me at the station, and we spent the whole day looking at apartments. Before each new employee arrives, our super-boss looks for all available options, arranges viewings, and then drives around with the new employee in his car, helps them move in, fill out an agreement and comply with other formalities. In the evening we chose a wonderful one-room apartment for me with a clean entrance, a concierge and a gorgeous view of the city - there were even windows in the bathroom!

My first apartment cost 1,700 zlotys (27,000 rubles), the next one - in a slightly better area - 2,100 zlotys (33,500 rubles), now we pay about 2,600-2,900 zlotys (41,000-46,000 rubles) for a two-bedroom apartment, the price fluctuates depending on the utilities .

It should be borne in mind that here you always need to pay a deposit in the amount of one month’s rent, that is, first be prepared to pay double the price. In addition, there are now few apartments from owners, so it is worth preparing another 50% of the rental price for agency services.

I looked for the second and third apartment on my own - there are quite convenient sites here (www.olx.pl, www.gratka.pl, www.gumtree.pl). Poles love cats, so renting a house with them is not a problem. Another question is that if the animal spoils something, the owner will have to pay for it. But with a dog it can be more difficult.

Income and price level

My health insurance cost 450 zlotys (7,100 rubles) for six months - this is a basic package without highly specialized specialists such as an oncologist, for example, but with all the main doctors and tests, even ultrasound. And, of course, dentistry is not included in any package, so it’s worth getting your teeth treated in advance. There are also monthly insurance options, as well as free government clinics, but you need to make an appointment with doctors several months in advance.

Now we have insurance from the company, so we don’t have to pay more for medicine. And the company fully covers taxes, so we receive a salary including all deductions.

The cost of food depends very much on what and where you eat. I earn about 1,000 zlotys (16,000 rubles) a month, despite the fact that I hardly cook at home and eat in a cafe every day.

A monthly travel card costs 110 zlotys (1,700 rubles) or you need to pay 4.40 (70 rubles) for one trip of 75 minutes on any type of transport. There are no conductors at all - everything is on your conscience. Controllers can come at any time and issue a fine for ticketless travel of 400 zlotys (6,000 rubles).

Initially, I had with me the size of my first remote salary - about 70,000 rubles plus approximately the same amount of savings. There was enough money to pay for the apartment and deposit, as well as for the first month of a comfortable life. Now I earn significantly more, besides, the company recently introduced bonuses for employees.

In total, my income is enough for a life in which I do not have to deny myself anything, as well as for travel. This is financial heaven! In Samara, I barely reached a salary of 25,000 rubles and was constantly counting money, but during the first year in Poland I bought myself an iPhone, a MacBook, visited five countries, and completely updated my wardrobe. Now I don’t care much about buying clothes, equipment or products often - most of my money goes towards traveling and developing my hobbies and skills.

Food and entertainment

Products in Poland differ from Russian ones: instead of pierogi dumplings - fatty Polish dumplings, instead of shawarma - Turkish kebab; there is no normal borscht, Lays chips with cheese, some Russian-made sweets, doctor's sausage, Borodino bread, condensed milk. But there are a lot of good and tasty products: pastries, sweets, cheeses, fresh vegetables, berries and fruits - including exotic ones. At the same time, Polish cuisine itself is so-so: sour soups, dough mixed with potatoes, a lot of fried meat - I don’t like that.

In Poland, they are attentive to vegetarians and vegans: in stores there are special departments with gluten-free and organic food, and there are vegan cafes on the streets. There are just an endless number of kebab shops, Indian restaurants and food with a huge amount of spices - Warsaw residents love Eastern and Middle Eastern cuisine. But sushi is not very popular and good ones are difficult to find.

I really like that there are many affordable cafes in Warsaw - much more than pretentious restaurants. There are very cheap ones, for example, Bar Mleczny - a local equivalent of a canteen where you can buy disgusting soup for 3 zlotys (50 rubles) - homeless people often hang around there. But there are also simply cozy places where you can have an inexpensive and tasty lunch in a beautiful interior. When my mother came to visit me, she was surprised that everyone here was constantly sitting in cafes, and some even had queues.

Poles have fun the same way as Russians - at parties, concerts, in cafes; but it’s not customary to visit here. A lot of people keep dogs and play with them in the park. They generally love animals here: there is almost a queue to volunteer at shelters.

Language and mentality

I arrived completely without knowledge of the language and at first I begged my colleagues to make orders for me in the cafe. But they were relentless. I had to overcome the panic and order it myself. And this turned out to be the most correct tactic: you learn any language faster when you speak it.

Contrary to stereotypes, Polish cannot be learned instantly. Russians seem to understand it by ear, but it has no less nuances than any other language, and you risk getting into a puddle at the first mention of the word sklep (shop) or uroda (beauty). My colleagues and I hired a teacher who comes to our office twice a week in the evenings. Now, after a year and a half, I speak Polish normally. I calmly solve medical, financial and other everyday issues, make purchases, and can read not very complex literature, documents and recipes. And I can also read the name Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz - this is my personal pride.

My level could be much higher if I communicated with Poles more often. Alas, I never found any friends among them, and Ukrainian society is very relaxing. Ukrainians are an official national minority in Poland, and lately there have been especially many of them: I catch myself thinking that I hear Ukrainian and Russian on the streets and in shops as often as Polish. I get my hair cut by a Ukrainian woman, work with Ukrainians, do theater and vocals with Ukrainians, and at most with Belarusians.

The Poles are somewhat reminiscent of the Russians - they also drink vodka and yell at football games, but there are more differences. This is a surprisingly educated and cultural nation. Intelligence is especially noticeable in communicating with children - here it is an absolute norm to say to a child: “Daughter, I love you so much, you are the joy of my life,” and comments sound like: “Darling, please don’t scream.” Schoolchildren also behave much more cultured than Russians: they speak very clearly and competently, make moderate noise and behave more like adults.

Poland is not a huge country, but it is a very diverse country: there is the sea, mountains, and incredibly beautiful lakes. I have visited completely different Polish cities, and each has something interesting in its own way. I liked Gdansk most of all - I advise everyone who loves the cold sea, ships and breathtaking architecture to visit there.

From Poland it is quite easy to travel around Europe: by plane or bus. Ticket prices are always affordable and traveling to Austria, Germany, Sweden or Denmark for a weekend is par for the course. Yes, and you can fly to England for 500 rubles (though you have to worry about getting a visa first).

At the same time, of all the European countries I have been to, I like Poland the most as a place to live: moderate climate, safety, good infrastructure, pleasant architecture and society. I'm still thinking about moving further west in the future, but I don't want to rush out mindlessly anymore, because it's really nice to live here.

Relocation Options

There are many different ways to move, legal and illegal - from invitations from fictitious employers (not our method) to official stay based on national roots. There are quite a lot of people with Polish roots in Russia and Ukraine, so if you have a Polish grandparent (great-grandparents are also good), you can qualify for a “Pole card” - this is almost citizenship. Having lived here for 5 years on any legal basis, you receive a “stale life card” - this is also almost citizenship, which opens the door to life in the European Union.

If things don’t work out with your relatives, you can, like me, get a work invitation from a specific employer. For freelancers there is a business incubator that provides official employment in Poland, the services of a lawyer, accountant and the right to live in the country.

There is an option to enroll in a certain type of educational institution (Szkoła Policealna), where attendance is not checked - not so much in order to study, but simply to get the opportunity to gain a foothold in Poland, getting a job as a courier or worker for the first time. But you can officially enter the university. Contrary to the myths about crazy European education, a year of study at some universities here costs 3,500 zlotys (56,000 rubles). This is much cheaper even than provincial universities in Russia. True, you need to be prepared to study in Polish. It is possible in English, however, knowing Polish, you can apply for a budget place or a scholarship - quite tangible bonuses.

In 2019, a considerable number of Russians were able to travel to Poland by car. Located in the very center of Europe, the republic has a land border with the Russian Federation. Namely, with the Kaliningrad region. It is not surprising that many of our compatriots prefer to travel around Polish territory by personal transport. We will find out all the nuances of traveling to Poland in your car.

In 2019, the Central European country continues to be popular among tourists from Russia. Visitors from the Russian Federation enter Poland both by air and by land - including by personal vehicle. The latter option is preferred by residents not only of the Kaliningrad region neighboring the republic, but also of regions remote from the border. Guests from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and even Vladivostok come to the European state in their own cars.

To come to Poland by car, you will need to obtain a visa in advance. In this sense, traveling to a European country is no different from arriving by plane, train or bus. You cannot visit the country without an entry document.

Typically, motorists and their travel companions apply for tourist Schengen visas. Each visitor, including children, will need their own document. Polish Schengen allows you to stay in the country for a maximum of 3 months within a six-month period. You will learn how to obtain a tourist visa to Poland from the article on our website.

Where to enter Poland

Of all the regions of the Russian Federation, Poland borders only the Kaliningrad region. Therefore, entering the republic from Russia by personal transport is only possible through this region. There are special checkpoints at the border. You are only allowed to drive your car through these checkpoints.

The second option for starting a Polish road trip is to enter Poland through Belarus. Citizens of the Russian Federation are allowed into the fraternal republic with a Russian passport. In this case, the route is built like this:

1. Travel from Moscow or another Russian city to Belarusian Brest.
2. The path to Brest lies along the M1 highway (Smolensk road).
3. Get to the border crossing. You can enter through the largest checkpoint Brest - Terespol or try the Domachevo crossing (50 km south of Brest).

Gift: 2100 rubles for housing!

When you register using the link in AirBnB, you will receive 2100 rubles to your account.

For this money you can rent a good apartment for 1 day abroad or in Russia. The bonus only works for new accounts.

Basic nuances of crossing the border

When planning a trip by car to Poland from Kaliningrad or Brest, drivers and passengers should consider several factors:

• A foreign passport with a Polish visa must be presented. The passport is valid for at least 3 months from the date of return home.

• Entrants have the right to be required to present funds as financial guarantees. The minimum amount for 1 day of stay is PLN 300. The equivalent in foreign currency is allowed (about 100 US dollars). It is allowed to present both cash and credit cards.
• The import of foreign currency is not limited, but a declaration is required if the permitted amount exceeds the allowed amount of 10,000 euros.
• If guests of Poland enter the territory of the country with pets, they will need a certificate from the veterinary service. It must contain notes on all vaccinations given to the animal, including vaccination against rabies.

What might they ask at the border?

• Purpose of the trip.
• Travel route planned to visit the city.
• Scheduled tour dates.
• What is being imported into Poland, do you have alcohol and cigarettes with you? The established norm for 1 person is 2 packs of cigarettes, 1 liter of strong alcohol or 2 liters of wine.

Documents for crossing the border by car

For passengers

• International passport with visa.
• Medical insurance:
  • For the entire trip.
  • Valid throughout Schengen.
  • Coverage from 30 thousand euros.
• Sometimes they require you to present:
  • Financial guarantees.
  • Reservation of a hotel room or place at a campsite, or availability of another residential address in Poland.
  • Invitation from a local individual or legal entity.

For the driver

1. International passport with visa.
2. Medical insurance.
3. Sometimes they require the same additional documents as for passengers.
4. Driver's license (no special requirements).
5. Vehicle registration certificate (vehicle registration certificate). It is important that the document is issued to the driver. Handwritten powers of attorney are not accepted.
6. Valid green card.

What is a green card for a car?

When traveling by car to Poland, a green card is required. In fact, this is an analogue of our OSAGO. The document is issued not for the driver, but for the vehicle. This means that anyone on the trip can drive the car. Of course, provided he has a driver's license.

A green card for traveling to Poland must be of an international format and valid throughout Europe. It is not possible to issue the document at any insurance company. A limited number of organizations have the right to sell this type of insurance service. Among them:

• "Rosgosstrakh".
• "Alpha Insurance"
• "RESO-Garantiya"
• "Alliance".
• "ERGO Rus".

Important! You can buy an insurance policy no earlier than 30 days before the start of its validity and the date of the trip.

How much do you have to pay for a green card?

The cost of a green card to Poland depends, first of all, on the type of vehicle and the duration of the insurance contract. Approximate amounts:

Key requirements for the car

• Full technical serviceability of the machine.
• Serviceability and one hundred percent working condition of lighting devices. It is advisable to stock up on light bulbs so that you can change them at the border if necessary.
• The windshield is clean and free of visible cracks. Only cracks of 2-3 centimeters and small chips are acceptable.
• The vehicle must contain:
  • First aid kit.
  • Spare tire or repair kit.
  • Fire extinguisher (it is recommended to check its expiration date before traveling).
  • Warning triangle.
  • Reflective vests for all participants of the trip.
• Child car seats (when traveling with children under 12 years old).
• Foreign motorists traveling on Polish roads in their car must place on it a sign of the state where the car is registered. For Russians, this is the “RUS” sign in a white oval. It is not permissible to drive a vehicle without a sticker.

Main road rules in Poland

• Maximum permissible driving speed (in km/h):

• When driving, the low beam headlights are always on. Time of day and weather conditions do not play a role.
• Studded tires are prohibited. The use of winter tires is voluntary.
• It is prohibited to equip vehicles with radar detectors and similar devices. Even an unused radar detector cannot be carried.
• The maximum possible alcohol content in a motorist's blood is 0.2 ppm. For driving while intoxicated, the driver's driver's license is confiscated. In addition, the violator faces imprisonment for up to 8 years.

Fines for traffic violations

Parking in Polish

Polish drivers and motorists visiting from other countries are allowed to park their cars only in specially designated areas. It is also prohibited to leave a car in parking lots intended for people with special needs.

For this there is a fine of 800 zlotys.

• Free parking in Polish city centers is not as scarce as in other Central European countries. They are focused:
• At large retail outlets (Ikea, Auchan and others).
• Near historical centers.
• In courtyards and next to residential buildings.

Near restaurants, cafes and shops.

Important! In large Polish cities, parking is paid only on certain days (usually weekdays) and hours (usually from 9:00 to 17:00). The rest of the time you can stay on them for free.

The cost of parking depends on their proximity to the center, significant objects and crowds of people. For example, an hour of parking in the center of Gdansk will cost 3 zlotys.

Parking is paid through a parking meter. As a rule, these devices are located near the parking lot. On the parking meter display you need to select the parking time and pay for the service (in small change or large bills).

The machine will issue a receipt - a parking ticket. It must be placed on the car’s dashboard so that inspectors can see the paper through the windshield.

If you run out of gas...

Self-service is common at Polish gas stations. The driver fills the tank and then pays for the fuel at the ticket office. Drivers are allowed to carry up to 20 liters of fuel in cans. It is worth considering that 92nd gasoline is not available at local gas stations. And the 95th comes in 2 types - with and without lead.

At the beginning of 2017, the average cost of gasoline and diesel fuel in Poland was:

• 1.07 euros (95 petrol).
• 1.13 euros (98 petrol).
• 1.05 euros (diesel).
• 0.5 euro (LPG).

At the same time, prices at gas stations located along highways can be 10-20 eurocents higher than at gas stations near large shopping complexes.

Toll roads

Polish motorways A1, A2 and A4 are toll roads. The fare depends on the distance traveled.

Payments are calculated differently for specific road sections. Typically, travel is paid both in cash and by bank transfer, in national currency, euros and American dollars. However, it is recommended to pay with local money. Change is also always given in zlotys.

By car through Poland: transit rules

People enter Poland via Kaliningrad or Brest by personal transport not only for the sake of a road trip through the Central European republic. Many of our fellow citizens are only passing through Polish lands, choosing other countries as the main goal of their auto tour. The following documents are submitted for a Schengen transit visa to travel through Poland:

• :
  • It must be filled out completely and certified with a personal signature.
  • It is advisable to fill out the form on a computer, but it is acceptable to fill out the form by hand.
  • The information must be entered legibly, using a pen with blue or black ink (if filled out by hand).
  • Information is written in Russian, Polish or English.
  • Points No. 1-5 are filled in in Latin letters, strictly as in the international passport.
  • A separate form is filled out for a minor child included in the parent’s passport. It is signed by the parent.

• Visa of the state of destination (original and copy). In case of its absence, the following shall be submitted:
  • Or a 100% paid hotel reservation.
  • Or documents for ownership of real estate (lease agreement, purchase and sale agreement, etc.).
• International passport:
  • Copies of the first page and Schengen visas for 3 years (if available).
  • With 2 free sheets.
  • The document is valid for 3 months after returning home.
  • The passport is valid for no more than 10 years.
• Russian passport. Copies of pages:
  • First.
  • With registration.
  • Pages 18-19 (about previous passports).

When crossing the border, the same papers are presented as for road trips directly within Poland. It is important to remember that if a foreigner already has a valid Schengen visa, there is no need to make a separate document for transit.

Polish highways are considered one of the safest in Europe. The vast majority of drivers treat all road users with respect. Pedestrians and cyclists have priority on the road. Almost all highways are equipped with CCTV cameras and radars and are carefully monitored by the police. Therefore, when traveling around the republic by car, you should strictly follow traffic rules.

Poland is located quite close to Russia, and the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation even borders it. In this regard, tourist trips to Poland by car are very popular, and a Polish visa is becoming needed by an increasing number of Russian citizens. They get it according to the standard procedure: Poland has been a member of Schengen since 2004, so you can’t do without a visa for a tourist trip.

For a long time now, all states of the Schengen area, including the Republic of Poland, have entrusted the work of processing to special intermediaries - visa centers. Therefore, obtaining a visa to Poland is possible through these organizations, as well as through the country’s diplomatic missions in the Russian Federation - the Embassy and Consulates General in Moscow or other cities.
For those who decide to apply for a visa without refusals, quickly and inexpensively, we recommend the Online visa center.

A Polish visa will be more difficult to obtain than a Schengen visa from another country.

Do I need a visa?

If there are any doubts whether Russians need a visa to Poland, then it is better to immediately understand that all guests of this country need it. You cannot get there without special permission, so a visa is required. If the purpose of the visit is, for example, tourism, visiting close relatives, a business trip or an official visit, then you need a document called a Schengen visa to Poland. If you need to stay in Poland for a long time and in the future obtain a residence permit, then you will already need a national visa, not a Schengen one.

Entry with a visa from another country

If the passport already has a valid Schengen visa stamp from any of the 26 states in this zone, then Russians do not need a separate visa to Poland, but in such a situation there are also restrictions. The visa must be opened in the country that issued it and most of the time must be spent there, and you can come to Poland afterwards.

Types of visas

Visa to Poland is Schengen. Now there is only one type of such visa - category C. It is issued to all tourists, Russian citizens who have invitations and go to visit, business travelers, workers whose activities are related to periodic work visits to Poland, for short studies, and so on.

Photo of Polish visa

But there is another type of Polish entry permit - the national visa D. This kind of visa to Poland is no longer Schengen. It has an extended period of validity and period of stay in Poland; it can be used to obtain a residence permit in this state. Issued in cases where a Russian has plans to study/work in Poland, live with a spouse who is Polish, and so on.

Tourist visa to Poland

It is necessary to dwell separately on a tourist visa to Poland, since the majority of our citizens still go to Poland specifically for tourism purposes. There really is something to visit in this country - medieval cities, mountains, health resorts, attractive with their low price and European quality. A tourist visa to Poland is the same as a Schengen visa C. It must be issued according to the general rules for these categories of entry documents. A tourist entry permit is the document that is most often required.

Transit visa to Poland

The topic of tourist transit through the territory of Poland is very relevant for many Russians, because many use a car to travel further to Western Europe. Transit through Poland without separate registration of Polish Schengen is quite possible if you have a visa from the destination country. That is, the traveler will be allowed through the territory of Poland with a visa from France, Italy, Germany, and so on.

If in Poland you need to make a transfer from plane to plane, then provided that you do not leave the international zone of the airport, Polish Schengen is also not needed. If you still need to leave the international zone of the Polish airport, then you cannot do without a transit visa. These points must be taken into account in order to plan your trip correctly.

Entry for residents of Kaliningrad and the region

There is a special visa to Poland for those Russians who live in Kaliningrad and the region. It is called the MPP map for residents of areas on the border. It can be obtained using a simplified version by providing evidence that the applicant has actually lived in Kaliningrad or the region for the last three years; registration takes several days.

Such a visa to Poland for Russians has restrictions on the geography of visit. It allows access only to certain cities and areas bordering the Kaliningrad region: Gdansk, Elblag, Gdynia, Puck, and so on.

Required documents

A visa to Poland for Russians in 2019 is issued after submitting a regulated list of required documents. It is quite standard and practically does not differ from the list for other Schengen states. So, obtaining a visa to Poland is possible by providing the following documents:

1. Completed application form for a visa to Poland, the form must be filled out in Latin letters or in Polish (in this case, it is better to immediately fill out the form in Polish), you must sign the form in the right places;
2. An original valid passport issued within the last 10 years in the name of the applicant. The passport must be valid for another 90 days after leaving the Schengen territory and have at least 2 blank pages;
3. Two photographs 3.5x4.5 cm;
4. Photocopy of the international passport: those pages where there is a photograph and personal data of the applicant;
5. If available, then other/old passports and their copies;
6. A photocopy of the internal Russian passport addressed to the applicant (not blank pages);
7. Medical insurance that meets the requirements: insurance amount – 30,000 €, policy area – the entire Schengen area;
8. Financial guarantees for the trip, confirming solvency and availability of funds:
   • Bank account statement;
   • Credit card account statement from the bank;
   • A certificate from work indicating both the position and salary;
   • IP certificate;
   • Sponsorship letter from a sponsor who is a close relative. This sponsorship letter must be accompanied by financial guarantees from the sponsor himself, confirming a satisfactory financial position/availability of funds.

A minimum of PLN 100 per person per day of stay is required.

The validity period of financial documents is limited to one month, bank statements must show the movement of money in bank accounts for three months, translation into Polish/English is not required.

The listed documents for a Polish visa are basic and mandatory for everyone. They are served by tourists, business travelers, and invitees.

Additional documents for a tourist visa to Poland:

1. Route confirmation: transport tickets/transport ticket reservations;
2. Booking a hotel/inn or other place to stay. The reservation must be paid at least 50%, the confirmation must contain: address and telephone number of the hotel/inn, names and surnames of tourists, dates of travel. The booking confirmation must be stamped (stamped copies sent by fax are also acceptable).

Additional documents for a Schengen visa to Poland upon invitation from a private person:

1. A notarized letter of invitation containing: names, surnames, addresses, telephone numbers of the guest and the inviting party, passport number of the invitee, dates and purposes of the trip;
2. Confirmation of legal residence in Poland of the inviting party;
3. A copy of the first page of the inviting passport;
4. If the inviting party is not a relative, then you need the original and a copy of the invitation, which are registered in the Voivodeship at the place of residence.

Additional documents for obtaining a visa to Poland upon invitation from an organization or company:

1. An invitation from a partner/company in Poland on company letterhead with a stamp, required signatures, dates, purposes of travel, first and last names, issued/certified in the Voivodeship.

Additional documents for obtaining a Polish visa for short-term study:

1. Certificate of inclusion in the list of students/certificate of enrollment in an educational institution/student card - both the original and a copy are required.

If a Russian citizen travels to Poland at the invitation, it does not matter - from a private person or an official, then the invitation must indicate who will bear the costs and where the invitee will live, and appropriate guarantees must be attached. If this information is not available, then the invitee provides financial documents from item 8 of the main list.

Filling out the application form

The central place in preparing an application for a visa to Poland for Russians is occupied by a questionnaire. A lot depends on how correctly it is filled out. It’s good that the questionnaire itself is in Russian and the questions are extremely clear: if difficulties arise, you can look at the sample. This sample is also available at the visa center itself.

The application form is downloaded to your computer from the visa center website and printed; for convenience, you can fill it out at home. You need to follow simple filling rules:

1. Fill out the form in Latin letters;
2. Write neatly;
3. Provide accurate information;
4. Sign in the right places;
5. Avoid blots.

Photo requirements

A photo to obtain a visa to Poland must also meet the established parameters:

• Size 3.5x4.5 cm, face is located in the center;
• The height of the head in the photo is about 30 mm, the head occupies 70-80% of the entire photo;
• Without edging and on a light background;
• The photo must be no older than six months;
• Without hats, even for religious reasons;
• The glasses in the photo are only acceptable for medical reasons;
• A full-face photo, preferably with open ears.

Traveling with children

No less relevant is the question of how to get a visa to Poland for children. For any minor, a full package of documents is submitted along with adults. For a child you must submit:

1. Birth certificate – copy plus original;
2. Consent/power of attorney to travel if the child is traveling alone, with one parent or with third parties. The consent or power of attorney must be certified by a notary; this will give the child the right to travel alone or with a parent;
3. If consent/power of attorney for the right of departure of a minor cannot be obtained, then papers explaining this circumstance are needed;
4. Copies of Schengen visas and passport pages with parents’ data, if a child visa is issued separately.

To open a visa to Poland for a child, you need to take into account that his visa stamp will be pasted into the parent’s passport if he does not yet have his own passport.

Self-registration

Many tourists ask themselves how to apply for a visa to Poland. With the growing popularity of traveling without travel agencies, this issue is first on the agenda. Independent registration of a Polish visa is carried out either through visa centers of this state, or through its Consulates General located in several constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

The most common and popular way is to use the services of visa centers; they are located in many cities. Obtaining a visa to Poland through the Consulate is possible if, for example, a refusal was received, or you need a national visa, not a Schengen one.

All travelers who apply for a visa to Poland on their own need to know that a new procedure has been in effect since September 2015. This is the provision of biometric data when submitting a visa application. At the visa center or Consulate you will need to give your fingerprints and take a photograph. Obtaining a Polish visa is now possible only after this procedure. The data will be stored for five years, then you will have to submit it again. Children under 12 years old do not submit fingerprints.

Application through the visa center

A visa to Poland is obtained through a visa center in Moscow and through its branches in other Russian cities. There are quite a lot of them; the full list can be found on the visa center website. To submit an application, you need to follow an algorithm consisting of several simple points:

1. Decide on the purpose of the trip and the required type of entry permit;
2. Collect documents;
3. Download to your computer and fill out the form;
4. Bring a package of papers to the visa center (pre-registration and registration are required, there is an electronic queue);
5. Pay the consular and service fees for services, receive a receipt and attach it to the package of papers;
6. Submit documents and receive an individual number to track the status of your application.

Obtaining a visa to Poland through the Moscow visa center and its regional departments is a streamlined, fast and not at all difficult procedure. Before submitting your papers, you can go to the VC website and read the instructions to be completely sure of the correctness of your actions.

At the visa center you can get insurance (medical policy), take photographs, and also order photocopies of documents, if all this has not been done in advance.

Some are interested in how to obtain a visa to Poland on their own through the Consulate at the Embassy. The same as through the visa center. Appointment and registration is required, as the Consulate only accepts and issues items during certain hours of the working day. There is no electronic queue at the Consulate; you can only register by phone.

Polish visa on your own: reviews 2019

It should be additionally noted that Poland is not the most loyal country to Russians in visa matters (and not only in them). Despite the formally simple list of required papers, there are also strange requirements - a mandatory hotel stamp on the reservation, 50% payment for the stay. And, of course, according to reviews about independently obtaining a Polish visa, the statistics of negative decisions among Poles is higher than among the French, and even more so the Spaniards.

According to reviews from independent travelers, the Polish Consulate often finds fault with shortcomings in papers and may require additional confirmation or financial guarantees. That is, the reviews may give the impression that it is not easy to obtain a visa to Poland on your own. But this is no more difficult than obtaining a visa to Estonia or, for example, Latvia. It so happened historically that these countries are less loyal to Russia, so the collection and submission of documents must be taken seriously and everything must be done carefully, without mistakes.

Visa to Poland on your own: travel by car

A large number of Russian citizens travel to Poland by car, because it is nearby and you can see more sights. Also, the shortest transit route further to Europe is possible only through the territory of Poland.

You can plan a trip by car calmly, since in this case there are no special features; a Polish visa for a trip by car is the same Schengen type C as for other trips. It must be formalized according to the general rules.

A transit route through Poland by car is also possible with a visa from another Schengen country. Border guards, of course, can find fault with something, but this is more likely due to the general situation in relations between countries.

When crossing the Polish border in a car, a stamp with a picture of the car is affixed to the passport, which indicates the fact of the foreigner’s arrival by land and not by any other route.

Registration cost

When asking how much a visa to Poland costs for Russians, you must first understand what kind of visa is required. If it’s Schengen, then the price is one, if it’s national, it’s another. The price of a visa to Poland consists of two components: the consular fee and the visa center fee for services. The current cost is shown in the table below.

In addition to the cost of a visa to Poland, you also need to pay the cost of the visa center service fee. It is not the same for different cities, there are two prices. For Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Smolensk, Yekaterinburg and Voronezh, the visa center service fee is 19.5 euros. For Saratov, Novorossiysk, Krasnodar, Perm and Ufa - 23 euros.

It should be emphasized that the price of a Polish visa type C does not depend on how long the document is valid.

Validity periods

In the visa issue, it is important not only how much a Polish visa costs for Russians, but also what its validity period is. Based on EU standards, the period for a C visa is limited to six months, and for a D visa – one year. Number of days of stay: for C – 3 months, for D – 6 months.

In fact, documents may be issued with completely different deadlines. For the first trip, the validity limit will be limited only to the dates of the trip and the visa will be single-entry; then you can count on a multi-month Schengen multiple visa, which is multiple-entry.

Long-term Polish multiple entry visa

The rule is that if the applicant already has at least two Schengen visas in his passport, no matter which state, then he can be approved for a multiple-entry visa to Poland for 2 years. But with such a visa it will still be possible to spend no more than 3 months in every six months in Poland/another Schengen country. A Polish visa for 2 years gives ample opportunities to travel around Europe.

This rule is optional, so you need to be prepared for the fact that they can give you a one-time document.

Photo of a national visa to Poland

Registration deadlines

Since the Republic of Poland has been a member of Schengen for a long time, there are special documents that regulate the timing of the issuance of a Schengen entry visa. According to official papers, the period during which a Schengen document is issued is 10 or 14 days; a national D visa is issued a little longer. In practice, the period for obtaining a Polish Schengen type C visa may be limited to a period of 5 or 10 days. If you need to get a visa to Poland quickly in three days, then you just need to pay an additional 70 euros, and your application will be considered out of turn.

In some cases, the visa process takes longer. What this is connected with is not entirely clear, but such situations are still rare.

Refusal to receive

Russians need a visa to Poland, so there are many people at its visa centers who want to apply for an entry permit. However, practice shows that it is possible to get a refusal and the chances of getting it are not zero.

Well, in my opinion, it’s time to plan a winter, maybe even a New Year’s trip to some pleasant and suitable place. Those who can hardly endure winter and cold are probably already packing their suitcases for the warm countries of Southeast Asia or Latin America. Others are looking forward to seeing European cities turn into a fairy tale during the Christmas holidays or to take off their skis at one of the ski resorts. And I propose to combine the last two desires and do it in Poland.

Last time we sorted things out: we looked for answers to the main questions related to tickets, hotels and other preliminary steps that are taken when planning an independent trip. Today we will do the same with Poland and try to find answers to specific questions:

1. Why Poland?
2. How to get there?
3. Where to stay?
4. How to get a visa?
5. How much will the trip cost?

Let's get started (=

1. Where exactly in Poland and why?

I suggest Krakow + Zakopane. And not only in winter, but also in summer. Because Krakow is the most majestic and worthy city in Poland with a rich historical and cultural heritage, and Zakopane is the Polish ski capital, and in the warm season it is simply a wonderful spiritual place, because the mountains are magnificent in any season. This does not mean that other cities are not worthy of attention, I am also extremely interested in the northern Polish Tricity (Gdynia, Gdansk and Sopot), but in winter it is not very comfortable there, and besides, it is a bit far away, Krakow and Zakopane are the very south of the country. Well, if you ask yourself why Poland? Yes, simply because you definitely need to visit this country at least once. I'm sure she won't disappoint you.

2. How to get there?

Most choose to travel by plane. You can fly to Krakow (with a transfer) or to the capital of Poland. Distance Warsaw - Krakow 300 km. You can overcome it by train or bus. It is also convenient to get from Krakow to Zakopane by bus or train; travel time is from two to three hours.

If you like to travel by private car, great! From Moscow to Krakow you need to cover a distance of only 1,500 km. Then, to calculate travel costs, you will need information about the cost of gasoline in the countries through which the road passes and the cost of vehicle insurance.
If you prefer a train, it would be the Polonaise, a signature train of the Russian Railways, traveling on the Moscow-Warsaw route. The drive is not very long, only 18 hours. Departure daily at 17:21.

3. Hotels in Krakow and Zakopane

Depending on your preferences, the number of nights in one and in another city may vary. If you have never been to Krakow and you are more interested in an excursion holiday, then you can only take a ride in Zakopane for a couple of days. If the main purpose of your visit is skiing, you can accordingly keep your stay in Krakow to a minimum. In Zakopane, it’s great to stay in a private mini-hotel, where you can spend your evenings like home.

4. Visa issues.

I never tire of repeating that applying for a visa on your own is not at all difficult or expensive, either in terms of material or time resources. Of course, things get more complicated if you live far from Moscow or other major centers where embassies and visa centers may be present. In this case, the cost of visa services becomes more expensive.
So, if you have carefully studied the official website of the Polish Embassy in Russia (http://wiza.polska.ru) and carefully collected the necessary package of documents, then you don’t have to worry about the entry permit; you will most likely receive a visa. At least in the case of Eastern European countries, which are still quite loyal to Russian tourists.

5. How much does all this cost?

Your budget for such a trip may consist of the following figures:

– train tickets – from 230.6 euros
Moscow-Warsaw-Moscow, in second grade.
(current tariffs on the website rzd.ru)
— — from 8,000 rubles
Moscow-Warsaw-Moscow, economy class.
— night in a hotel in Krakow — from 1,800 rubles/night
price for a double standard room in a *** hotel within walking distance of the city center.
— night in a hotel in Krakow min — from 1,000 rub./night
minimum price for a double room in a hotel of any type within relative accessibility of the center (walking/public transport).
— night in a hotel in Zakopane — from 2,000 rubles/night
price for a double standard room in a hotel ***
— consular fee — 35 euros
per person.
– equipment rental – from 20 zlotys per day
set (skis, boots and poles)
— liter of gasoline in Poland — from 5 zlotys