Poland to introduce new national visa rules for foreigners from Belarus and Ukraine residing in the country

Polish authorities have announced that the country will start applying new rules for Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens applying for national visas while in Poland.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland has stated that the Regulation of the Minister of Interior and Administration of August 10, 2022, amending the regulation on visas for foreigners, will enter into force on September 7.

The new regulation will introduce a new model application form for citizens of Ukraine and Belarus who reside in Poland and wish to obtain a Polish national visa, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports

“On September 7, 2022, the regulation of the Minister of Interior and Administration of August 10, 2022, amending the regulation on visas for foreigners, will come into force, which introduces a new model for the national visa application form , taking into account the possibility of submitting these requests to the Minister in charge of business”, the ministry statement said.

The ministry explained that not all citizens of Ukraine and Belarus will be able to apply for a national visa by submitting their application in Poland. According to the ministry, the group of persons entitled to apply for a visa in Poland will include citizens of Belarus who need a visa for humanitarian reasons or to work as a driver in international road transport or in non-profit international road transport. .

In addition, citizens of Ukraine who apply for a visa to work as a driver in international road transport or in international non-profit transport and to work as a pilot of a civil aircraft or other crew members also have the right to apply for a visa in Poland.

The ministry is expected to provide further information on the visa application procedure and location in the coming days.

Previously, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that Poland has increased fees for documents issued to foreigners. All foreigners who apply for the issuance and replacement of documents have to pay higher fees since July 29.

The costs for issuing or replacing residence cards, including residence cards issued automatically after the granting of a temporary residence permit, EU long-term residence permits and permanent residence permits are increased from PLN 50 (€10.69) to PLN 100 (€21.37).

In addition, the fee for Polish travel documents issued to nationals of other countries has increased to 3,500 PLN (€74.80); the fee for the “tolerated residence permit” document has been increased to 100 PLN (21.37 €); and the fee for Polish identity documents issued to foreigners has increased to 100 PLN (€21.37).