Polish visas for IT professionals. Which is the best choice in 2024?
In 2024, Poland offers two types of national visas: work and humanitarian. We have prepared a short guide with up-to-date information on which visa to choose, how to obtain it and what you should know.
All the visas listed give you the right to live and work in Poland for the duration of their validity (usually 1 year), and they all apply to D-type national visas. Other visas are not very suitable for moving to Poland.
Humanitarian visa
- Minimum number of documents required
- free pick-up
- ease of obtaining a residence permit
- possibility to work without an additional permit.
However, you should not use this visa when traveling to Belarus and Russia.
In Poland, it is easy to obtain a residence permit for humanitarian reasons and just as easy to stay in the country. This visa was created specifically for those facing persecution in their home country due to political beliefs or social activism.
A minimal list of documents is required to obtain a humanitarian visa. It is not necessary to present documents proving the threat or persecution – it is enough to write a statement to the consul that the visa is needed due to the “”political situation in Belarus.”” That is enough.
A visa for humanitarian purposes in Poland is almost entirely different from refugee status and the international protection procedure.
These categories give different rights and opportunities, so they should not be confused. The humanitarian visa only gives the right to stay and work in Poland, as well as the possibility of obtaining a residence permit on a humanitarian visa.
The main disadvantage of this visa is that frequent travel from Poland to Belarus and Russia can cause problems. The main purpose of this visa is to escape persecution in your home country, but if you visit that country after obtaining the visa, the Polish authorities may reasonably conclude that you don’t really need to flee.
If you have multiple border-crossing stamps in your passport during the period of the humanitarian visa, you may have trouble obtaining a new humanitarian visa or residence permit. However, there is no set number of trips after which problems will arise, as each case will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. From our practice, frequent trips, such as once a month, can be a reason for denial.
We advise you to use a humanitarian visa only in case of real need. If you plan to work abroad, there are other types of visas.
Work visa
- This visa is relatively easy to obtain
- an invitation from the employer is required
- You cannot open your own business
- You cannot open your own business – if you change your employer, you must notify the office.
Work visa is for foreign employees of Polish companies and means their invitation to a specific place of work with notification or permission from the authorities depending on the nationality of the employee.
There is a simplified procedure for obtaining a work visa for residents of Eastern Partnership countries, such as Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova.
To obtain a work visa, the employer only needs to notify the local labor office of his intention to hire a foreigner. The local labor office will then mark the invitation to apply for a work visa, confirming that it has reviewed the process, and the invitation so marked can be used to apply for a work visa at the consulate.
If a foreign worker wants to change employers when he arrives in Poland, he must prepare the application himself. However, there are middlemen who make fake certificates and sell them at a discounted price. We do not recommend using such services, as they may cause problems in applying for a permanent residence permit or other procedures in Poland. It is advisable to take the time to look for a real employer.
Bringing family or starting a business will require a different type of visa, and applying for a residence permit will become more complicated. It will be necessary to be employed on the basis of an employment contract, rather than the contract of mandate so popular among Polish companies.
This visa is suitable for people who do not have a degree or proven experience in IT, but are likely to find work in Polish companies.
A tourist visa
- can be obtained without queues
- A work permit is required
- Large set of documents to prepare
- Presence of a relative residing in Poland.
- If your close relative (child, parent or spouse) has a Polish permanent residence permit, EU resident status or Polish citizenship, you can obtain a tourist visa to reunite with your family.
To invite a relative to Poland, the holder of a permanent residence permit must take the initiative. He must obtain the approval of the provincial governor and register it in the invitation register. In addition, he must provide documents proving his financial solvency, such as a bank statement, income certificate, real estate documents or the owner’s permission for another person to stay. This option is useful for securing visas for relatives or taking advantage of a relative who has a permanent residence permit in Poland.