Polish Consulate Los Angeles – 4 Easy Steps to Apply for Poland Schengen Visa

Poland is a fabulous Schengen country full of modern cities with beautiful architecture and many museums and other places to explore. If you head out into the countryside, you’ll find stunning vistas of forests and mountains great for bird-watching, bicycling, or horse-riding. There really is so much to see here and all of it has a charm of its own! In this article learn more about how to apply for Poland Visa at the Polish consulate in Los Angeles, California, Poland visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Polish visa application center and Polish Visa Application Process at the Los Angeles consulate.

Schengen Visa

In 2017, Poland was one of the easiest countries to get a Schengen visa, with only 3.92% rejected out of a total number of 823,101 applications. The consulate of Poland in Los Angeles rejected only 1 out of 667 applications.

Applying for Schengen Visa from the United States

If you are a non-US citizen living in the US on a permanent basis, you must have a visa to enter Poland.

You have to make sure you apply at the right Polish embassy and consulate. Each of the consulates in the US has their own jurisdiction that they deal with, so if you live in the following areas, you are free to apply to the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles.

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles

There are 3 types of visas offered at the Polish consulate in Los Angeles:

Schengen short-stay visa (type C) – this visa is issued if you are planning on traveling to Poland for a maximum of 90 days in a 180 day period. This visa is suitable for the purposes of tourism, visiting family or friends, business trips, economic or cultural activities, international conferences, sports events, and transit. Schengen visas are issued as single, double, or multiple entry.

National long-stay visa (type D) – this visa is valid for over 90 days up to 1 year for the purposes of employment, residence, study, religious reasons etc. National visas are issued as single or multiple entry.

Airport Transit visa (type A) – this visa is issued if you are changing planes en-route to your final destination and are transiting through a Polish airport. You are not permitted to leave the transit zone of the airport.

You must apply for the right visa, so you should check the Polish consulate’s website before you do anything else.

Schengen Visa Application Process at the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles

The visa application process at the Polish consulate in Los Angeles is easy, but you must apply in plenty of time for your application to be processed. Generally, applications are processed within 15 days, but it could take longer.

You should aim to apply at least 15 days prior to your trip, but you can apply as much as 90 days beforehand. If you apply longer than 90 days, your application will not be processed. Similarly, if you fail to comply with all of the requirements, your application will not be processed.

This is why you should spend time, initially, checking the consulate’s website for what you need to do.

Then, you can follow these steps when you apply for your Polish visa.

Step 1: Book an appointment online

The first thing to do is to book an appointment in order to hand over your application, so go to the consulate’s website and click on: “Visa information”:

This page will give you information on visas. Click on: “How to apply”:

Scroll down to where it says: “General visa requirements” and click on: “Visa registration”:

Go down the page and click on: “Register your visa application”:

On the visa registration system, choose your country and the consulate of Poland in Los Angeles:

On the next page, choose the type of visa you wish to apply for:

Then, the system will bring up a list of requirements. Make sure you read these before proceeding:

Scroll down and key in the image verification:

Once you have done that, it will show a drop-down box. Click on this to reveal a list of dates. Choose one which is convenient for you and make your reservation:

Once you’ve done that, you are able to complete your application online. Please note, the application needs to be completed within 1 hour of making your appointment. If it isn’t, your appointment will be cancelled.

In addition, don’t forget to print your application form as you will need to sign it.

Making appointments with the embassy or visa application center is generally free and can be done yourself. However, If you are running short of time or not sure which consulate to apply to or have no idea on how to get this done yourself then not to worry, we will make the appointment for you for a small service fee!

Step 2: Get your documents ready

You must take your time with this part of the process and get everything ready to submit to the Polish consulate. If you don’t, your application could be refused if there is anything missing, so it’s worth checking the requirements before you start.

Documents to get ready include:

1) Visa application form – registered electronically and signed and dated

2) Passport or other travel documents – not older than 10 years, valid for at least 3 months past trip, and 2 free pages

3) Proof of legal residence – permanent residence card or valid US visa

4) 2 passport- sized photos – see the consulate’s website for photo requirements

5) Travel medical insurance – a minimum cover of €30,000 for the duration of the entire trip and covered in all Schengen countries. See the consulate’s website for further information

6) Proof of sufficient financial means – 3 x bank statements, payslips, student loan agreement, pension income

7) Driver license or utility bill as proof of residence

8) Work permit of certificate/letter of employment

9) Letter of invitation

10) Trip itinerary including flight reservations, hotel bookings and/or other proof of accommodation

11) Birth certificate and parent’s ID

12) Details of sponsorship

13) Proof of participation in event/conference

If you’re planning to obtain your flight reservation for visa without paying for the ticket, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the Visa Reservation website to choose the right package
2. Submit the travel details and make the payment online
3. Receive flight itinerary in email

Step 3: Attend your appointment

When the day of your appointment arrives, go to the consulate of Poland in Los Angeles. Please remember the following things:

1. All your documents – please note you need to provide originals as well as photocopies
2. Dress smartly – this will help to make a good impression for your application
3. Don’t be late – your appointment may be cancelled and your application won’t be processed if you miss your appointment

When your interview begins, the staff will look over your application and if they need to verify anything they may ask you questions. If they do, answer them to the best of your knowledge, be polite and, most importantly, answer them honestly.

Typical visa interview questions include:

1. Is this your first time traveling to a Schengen country?
2. How much do you earn?
3. Are you meeting anyone in Poland?
4. What university will you study at?
5. What do you do in the US?

Don’t jeopardize your Schengen visa interview at the last minute. Use this comprehensive and thorough visa interview guide to crack the visa interview!

You must also pay the correct fee for your visa. This can be paid by cash or cashier’s check or money order payable to the Consulate General of Poland.

Schengen Visa Fee

In addition, in order to process your visa application, you will need to provide digital scans of your 10 fingerprints.

Step 4: Receive your visa

You will be notified when you are able to collect your passport from the consulate. If you prefer you can arrange for it to be mailed back to you. If you opt for this, you will need to provide a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope, as well as the additional fee charged for this service.

When you get your passport, you should find your Polish visa inside, but it may have been rejected for any of the following reasons:

1. Missing documents
2. No signatures
3. Failed to provide a reason for travel
4. Consulate cannot establish whether you will return to the US
5. No accommodation bookings
6. Passport is not valid for 3 months past trip

As mentioned above, the consulate will not process and/or will reject applications that have not complied with their requirements. This is why it is so important to check what they need. Present everything to the consulate, make sure you sign where appropriate, and check to see if your passport is valid. In addition, provide reasons for traveling and your intention to return to the US. All of this is vital in preventing your application from being rejected.

Contact details for the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles

Address: 12400 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 555, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Email: losangeles.visa@msz.gov.pl

Tel: 310 442 8500 ext. 1-806 # or 1-803 #

Fax: 310 442 8515

Please note, if you contact the consulate by email or telephone, there is no guarantee that your question will be answered immediately, especially during peak times. It’s recommended to check the consulate’s website instead.

Visa section hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 9.00 am – 12.00 pm

Thursdays, 12.00 pm to 5.00 pm

Conclusion

So, 4 simple steps to apply for your Polish visa. All you need to do is:

1. Make an appointment and complete your application online
2. Get your documents ready
3. Attend your appointment
4. Receive your visa

Once you have completed your application and attended your interview, all you need to do then is wait for the consulate’s decision and, hopefully, you’ll be off to Poland not long after!

At Visa Reservation, we strive to simplify the visa process by providing free visa consultations, cover letter templates and no objection letter templates for our clients from US, UK, Canada, Philippines, India, China, UAE, Europe, Nigeria and globally. We also offer flight itinerary for visa, travel medical insurance, hotel reservations for visa , Book Visa Appointment, Travel Guides, Visa Interview Guides and many more. To learn more about how we can help you with our visa services, please feel free to contact us today.